opposition parties hit out at ‘spin over substance’
LEO Varadkar has been lambasted for putting “spin before substance” with claims a third of his €116billion Project Ireland 2040 is a rehash of projects already announced.
Fianna Fail’s public expenditure spokesman Dara Calleary told the Irish Mirror 179 of the projects had previously been announced and this accounted for €40billion of the total spend.
He said: “Today’s ‘launch’ is nothing more than a major marketing campaign designed to promote a government which has failed to meet its own targets to date.
“Major projects being unveiled as part of the NDP such as Metro Link and additional social housing provision were already included in the previous Capital Plan, but just haven’t been delivered on.
“Like so many previous action plans, this one looks good on paper, but the real test is in the delivery.
“This Government’s record is not great on follow through.”
Sinn Fein’s finance spokesman, Pearse Doherty said the “grand plans” of the Government do not address the pressing needs facing normal people today.
He added: “As usual the Government are completely overplaying their hand – grand plans for the future are something that has dominated politics in our State for a long time, usually with disappointing results.
“What this plan fails to do is to capture the immediate and shortterm needs of the State. Metro North and broadband have been promised for a decade if not more.
“Today, they are still just that – promises.”
The Social Democrats’ co-leader Catherine Murphy said she has serious doubts the Government can deliver on their plans.
She added: “Consolidating city cores is, and should be, a key priority for the NPF however, the legacy of the National Spatial Strategy, which is still in place and still informs development decisions today, will at the very least delay if not fragment the approach laid out in today’s plan.”