asked the Minister for Finance in view of the reply by the Commissioner in the European Parliament on 23 October 1984 indicating that he was favourably disposed to any submission from the Government to an integrated development plan for Dublin, if he will now put before the Commission proposals for such a plan as a matter of urgency.
Written Answers. - Development Plan for Dublin.
527.
I assume that the Deputy is referring to a question put by Mrs. Lemass MEP in the European Parliament answered by Commissioner Burke on 23 October 1984.
I have considerable reservations regarding the introduction of an integrated development plan for Dublin, or indeed for any limited geographical area of the country, as I have already indicated in reply to similar questions.
Ireland is treated as a single region for purposes of Community regional policy and the financial assistance received from the Community under the Community's European Regional Development Fund is used mainly to finance national programmes of infrastructural expenditure which benefit the country as a whole. The development needs of particular areas of the country must therefore be considered in the context of overall national priorities. Integrated development plans of the type in question would have the effect of diverting scarce financial resources from other expenditure programmes and could lead to serious distortions in the pattern of public expenditure which is based on these priorities.
In addition the financial participation by the Community in integrated operations of this kind would be by means of existing Community funds and would not result in an increase in assistance to Ireland from those funds.
I am certainly aware of and I share the Deputy's concern regarding the problems which Dublin is facing at the moment but I consider that these problems have to be dealt with in the context of the Government's overall national priorities.