asked the Minister for Finance if he is satisfied that this country's allocation under the EEC Regional Fund will be expended during the present financial year; and, if not, the amount which will be expended.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Regional Fund.
39.
The 1975 budget for the European Communities provides that the regional fund may commit £8.08 million to projects put forward by this country. The provision for actual payments to us from the fund has, however, been fixed at £4.04 million.
As this is the first year of the fund's operations, it has taken some time to complete the necessary preliminary arrangements for the launching of the Fund. It is only now, following the first meeting of the fund management committee at the beginning of this month, that the Commission is in a position to receive and process applications for fund assistance from member states. Because of this, it is not possible at this stage to indicate the extent to which project approvals will have been authorised by the Commission under our commitment and payment allocations by the end of the current financial year. This is unlikely to be clarified until early in October when the Commission is to report to the Council of Ministers on the position as it then appears in regard to the receipt and processing of applications from member states.
Does it look now as if the money will not be expended during 1975?
No. There is no possibility of that. The money will certainly be expended. What we cannot say with certainty is whether we will recover it from the Commission in Brussels, but the money will certainly be expended this year.
As indicated in the Press, the Minister handed to Commissioner Thomson in Brussels the proposals of the Irish Government for expenditure under the Regional Fund last week——
That is correct.
——and could the Minister say does he intend to make the details available to the House?
The details will be made available as soon as we may do so. Under the rules, the details may not be published until such time as they have been processed by the Commission and the Commission have made their decision. Once that happens, the details will be published.
Is the Minister free to give an indication of the overall cost of the proposals?
It is in excess of the money allocated to Ireland for 1975.
Does the list include any cross-Border projects?
It includes a number of projects in Border regions, but the Deputy will appreciate that, as far as specific cross-Border projects are concerned, the agreement of another party is required and, as of now, there are no specific proposals in this regard though it remains one of the constant ambitions of the Government that we will have such projects.
Could the Minister indicate whether this is in fact a list of new project on which work has not yet started or whether it includes projects already in operation?
It covers projects which are being undertaken this year because the Government anticipated receiving Regional Fund assistance from the Community.
Would I be right in interpreting that as meaning the Government are just shuffing off to Brussels expenses which rightly belong to them and they are not using these Regional Fund moneys for the purpose for which everybody thought they would be used and which Brussels clearly indicated?
That is the purpose for which they are being used, and I would point out to the Deputy that Commissioner Thomson expressed the wish that other countries would do as Ireland has done and use the money as Ireland proposes to use it. He also congratulated the Irish Government on being the first of the EEC countries to present a detailed list to the Commission which shows we are ahead and giving the right leadership.
Is the Minister aware that the Erne arterial drainage scheme is agreed between the two parts of the country and would he not think the Regional Fund could be applied to that?
This is one of the projects that may well qualify for assistance from the Regional Fund. It is obviously one that the Government would be very happy to implement.
Arterial drainage does not come in under the Regional Fund at all.
There are certain drainage schemes which will qualify but the extent of those has not yet been determined. It will only be when the individual applications are considered by the fund committee that the necessary details of identity will be settled.