asked the Minister for Finance in view of the importance of the Shannon estuary to the economic and social welfare of the west of Ireland and the stated purpose of the European Regional Development Fund which is to contribute to the correction of the principal regional imbalances within the Community through participation in the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind, if he agrees that it would be appropriate to ask the European Commission to fund a study into the infrastructural problems of this region.
Written Answers. - Shannon Estuary Infrastructure.
582.
The Shannon estuary has been the subject of a number of studies in the past. One such study, dealing with industrial location strategy in the Shannon estuary and surrounding area, was completed in 1983. This study, which included an examination of the existing infrastructure and the infrastructural requirements of industry, was jointly financed by the Mid-Western Regional Development Organisation and the Commission of the European Communities.