asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism if he will supply details with costings of expenditure in the public capital programme by his Department and State bodies for which he is responsible, in the Dail constituencies of Cork North Central and Cork South Central between November 1982 and January 1985; and if he will give similar details of such projects which are planned or being considered.
Written Answers. - Public Capital Programme.
437.
There was no expenditure on capital projects made directly by my Department in the areas referred to by the Deputy during the period in question; nor is there any such provision in the 1985 Public Capital Programme.
With regard to capital expenditure by State bodies under my Department's aegis, the following is the position:
(a) Institute for Industrial Research and Standards.
£1.111 million was expended on the establishment of the Institute's Southern Regional Centre at Ross Avenue, Cork. The centre employs 17 people and provides services in relation to concrete technology, industrial energy, manufacturing engineering and accoustics as well as providing a regional industrial liaison service on the Institute's services generally.
There are no future projects planned or being considered.
(b) Irish Film Board
£.028 million was expended on Film Festivals in Cork to promote indigenous Irish films. The commitment for 1985 is not less than £.011 million.
(c) National Micro-Electronic Research Centre
This centre is located at University College, Cork and provides infrastructural support, including research, for the micro-electronics industry in Ireland. £1.177 million was provided in the period in question for the conversion of the necessary research equipment.
£.422 million is provided in the 1985 Public Capital Programme to enable the centre to continue to fund the purchase of equipment. It is expected that by end-1985, the critical mass of equipment will have been acquired and thereafter, capital expenditure will tail-off.
(e) Industrial Development Authority.
The IDA does not collate data regarding its expenditure on a constituency basis. However, for the County Cork area, £19.08 million was expended on grants and £6.03 million on the acquisition of land and factories in 1983. The 1984 figure for grant expenditure was £17.6 million; the figure for expenditure on land and factories in 1984 was £5.04 million.
The IDA's Annual Reports which are in the Dáil Library, contain a regional analysis of capital expenditure (pages 74 and 75, Volume 2 for 1982 and pages 90 to 91, Volume 2 for 1983). Details on a county and grant category basis of grant payments to individual companies are shown in pages 4 to 59, Volume 2 for 1982 and pages 6 to 85, Volume 2 for 1984. Similar information for 1984 will be published in due course.
It is not possible to predict the likely total level of expenditure in the Cork area for future years as this will depend mainly on the rate at which grant claims are made. The Cork Enterprise Centre, which is currently under construction, is scheduled to be completed in 1985.
(f) Bord Fáilte Éireann
Bord Fáilte provides grant assistance for the development of holiday accommodation, supplementary holiday accommodation including farm house accommodation and houses for letting, and other schemes of tourism development works of a capital nature. Details of expenditure on these schemes in 1982 and 1983 are set out in Bord Fáilte's Annual Reports and Accounts for both periods, which are in the Dáil Library (pages 18, 19 and 20 in both Reports refer). Similar information for 1984 will be published in due course.
Grant decisions in relation to future tourism projects are the responsibility of Bord Fáilte and I have no function in the matter.
(g) Irish Steel Limited
Capital expenditure by the company in this period amounted to £1.316 million. This expenditure related to the acquisition of additional equipment and machinery for improving plant efficiency. A provision of £528,000 in respect of capital expenditure by Irish Steel has been included in the 1985 Public Capital Programme.
(h) Ceimicí Teoranta
£2.2 million was expended in this period by Ceimicí Teoranta for a shareholding in the £22.5 million Wheat Industries Limited project at Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork. A further £0.2 million will be invested by Ceimicí in February 1985 bringing its total investment in the project to £2.4 million. This represents 40 per cent of the equity, the balance being held by Fielder Gillespie Davis Limited of Australia.