Vol. 497 No. 4
110 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Finance the position in relation to the rural renewal incentive scheme; if he will ensure that favourable consideration is given to the inclusion of the Inny Basin catchment area of north Westmeath in the forthcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25197/98]
Since the announcement of the pilot rural renewal scheme in my last budget my Department has been inundated with requests on behalf of areas seeking inclusion in the scheme. It is in the nature of schemes such as the rural and urban renewal schemes and the seaside resort scheme, that there will always be complaints from people resident in areas located outside the designated area. Consequently, one will never be in a position to satisfy everybody. I stress that this is a pilot initiative and that it is not possible to designate every part of the country. I have no plans at present to extend the rural renewal scheme beyond the areas already selected.
