asked the Minister for Finance if he will state separately for Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth the amount of EEC aid under the European Regional Development Fund (a) approved and (b) paid in respect of the five years ended 31 December 1982, indicating the figures for (1) roads, (2) sanitary services and (3) other projects.
Written Answers. - European Regional Development Fund.
345.
The European Regional Development Fund comprises a quota and a non-quota section.
Quota Section
With the exception of large projects costing in excess of IR£6 million (i.e. 10 million ECU), Ireland's applications for European Regional Development Fund assistance under the quota section of the fund are in respect of a number of projects grouped together. The ERDF commitment is based on a percentage of the combined national aid for the group of projects and not on individual projects. The ERDF is currently assisting the Irish Road Development Plan, the Irish Telecommunications Plan, the Irish water supply and sewerage programmes and groups of infrastructural and industrial projects throughout the entire country.
Receipts from the ERDF are treated as a recoupment of Exchequer expenditure on the assisted projects and are used to increase the overall resources of the Public Capital Programme for regional development throughout the country.
Apportionment of European Regional Development Fund approvals or receipts to individual counties would not be feasible and, in any event, would not represent a true picture of the operations of the quota section of the fund in Ireland.
Non-Quota Section
The non-quota section of the fund is currently part financing with the Exchequer a Five Year Special Border Areas Programme designed to improve the economic and social situation of those areas and is applied specifically to the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth. Details of the projects undertaken in 1980 and 1981 were given, on a county basis, in reply to a question from Deputy Rory O'Hanlon on 16 December 1981.
Details of projects undertaken in 1982 were given, on a county basis, in a reply to questions from Deputy Neil T. Blaney and Deputy Jimmy Leonard on 3 February 1983.