The Taoiseach has confirmed that the National Development Plan to be announced by the end of October will detail spending proposals worth around £40 billion.
The total proposed spending has risen from £33 billion in a draft produced in June to £38 billion in July to some £40 billion now. The plan will spell out the intended spending on the social and economic development of the State during the 2000-2007 period.
An estimated £3.4 billion will come from EU structural and cohesion funds, with the remainder coming from the Exchequer.