45126-Invest. Qual-No111

Investment in QualityWhile current expenditure is dominated by social services spending,the largest element of the Public Capital Programme (PCP) isproductive infrastructure (investment in transport, energy andtelecommunications infrastructure). This accounted for 51.7 percent of the PCP in 2002 (€4.8 billion). The largest element of infrastructurespending was investment in transport (26.1 per cent of thePCP in 2002). The next largest element of infrastructure investmentwas energy (17.4 per cent of the PCP). This mainly coveredinvestment by the ESB and Bord Gáis Éireann and so could beconsidered as more commercial investment than pure public investment.The low level of investment shown for telecommunicationsreflects the fact that Eircom was privatised in 2000 so that itsinvestment is no longer included in the PCP.The other major component of the PCP is investment in socialinfrastructure (housing, education, health facilities and generalgovernment construction) which represented 39.2 per cent of thePCP in 2002 (€3.6 billion). The largest component of social infrastructurewas investment in housing (17.2 per cent of the PCP)reflecting the recent expansion of public housing investment.Finally, investment in hospitals and education facilities represented5.5 per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively of the PCP in 2001.The remainder of the PCP is sectoral economic support (capitalsupport for industry, agriculture and so on) accounting for 9.1 percent of the PCP in 2002 (€845 million). The share of this element ofthe PCP has been declining in recent years.190