andMr. Gallagher asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a national plan for distribution of the EEC Regional Fund has been prepared.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Regional Fund.
45.
Proposals from the Commission of the European Communities for the establishment of a Regional Development Fund and the conditions under which it will operate have been tabled before the Council of Ministers which has not yet come to a decision on the matter.
Until agreement is reached on such matters as the eventual size and the manner of distribution of the proposed fund's resources, it is not possible to say what projects in Ireland would benefit from the fund.
In view of the fact that some people are alarmed about the long delay in the provision of money for the Regional Fund would the Minister like to say when he thinks a final decision on the size of the fund and the distribution of moneys will be taken?
We are all very disturbed by the delay that has taken place in this matter. I wish I could give a firm answer to that question but I cannot. The whole problem has got bogged down at the moment. We will do anything we can to bring it forward to a successful conclusion. The difficulty is that if one presses it too hard at the wrong moment one might get a fund that would be unsatisfactory from our point of view. I am sorry I cannot give a more satisfactory answer. We are in the position here where it requires the concensus of nine countries to reach agreement. That concensus has not yet been forthcoming for a project on the scale and on the terms that we in this country would find satisfactory. We can only continue to press this and hope that it will emerge in the course of the months ahead.
There seems to be some selfishness.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.