asked the Minister for Finance as the Government are now showing an interest in inner city renewal, the reason he does not seek funding for an integrated development operation for Dublin when the EC is prepared to put up 45 per cent of the total cost.
Written Answers. - Integrated Development Operation.
21.
I would have considerable reservations regarding the introduction of an integrated development operation 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 the 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 operations of the type in question would have the effect of diverting scarce financial resources from other expenditure programmes or from other geographical areas and could lead to serious distortions in the pattern of public expenditure which is based on these priorities.
In relation to the Deputy's assertion that "the EC is prepared to put up 45 per cent of the total cost" the position is that the Community's participation in integrated operations is effected through existing Community funds. Accordingly, if we were to undertake an integrated operation, it would not appear that there would be any increase, at the national level, in our anticipated receipts from the Community.