asked the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry if he will make a statement on the financial arrangements which are in operation for a funding of fishing harbour development projects, and the funds available from the EC for such undertakings.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Fishing Harbour Development Projects.
16.
Harbour development in the fisheries interest is grant aided from the Fisheries Vote of my Department except for locations in designated Gaeltacht areas, which are grant aided by Roinn na Gaeltacha.
The level of grant from the Fisheries Vote varies in accordance with the status of location of the harbour. In the case of the five harbours scheduled as fishery harbour centres under the Fishery Harbour Centres Acts i.e., Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Killybegs, Howth and Rossaveel, the total cost of development is met from the Fisheries Vote and my Department or the Office of Public Works as appropriate are responsible for maintenance and management of the harbours. Grant aid of up to 75 per cent is available for development of harbours on the north west, west and south west coasts and up to 50 per cent grant is available for development of harbours on the remainder of the coastline. In these cases the local authority are required to provide the balance of the cost and to undertake maintenance of the completed works. In the case of harbours located in designated Gaeltacht areas Roinn na Gaeltachta provide a 100 per cent grant and the local authority are required to undertake maintenance of the completed works.
Harbour development projects with an investment in excess of £35,000 are eligible for consideration for assistance from the European Regional Development Fund provided that national assistance is first committed to the project. Grants from the Fund are not applied directly to the particular projects but are paid into the Exchequer to help to sustain the public capital programme in general.
Could the Minister of State give us an indication of how the Department apply for EC aid and does this cover various other Departments also? Do the Department make a direct application for grant aid from the Regional Development Fund for harbour development?
Direct applications were made.
Up to 50 per cent of the overall cost is available from the European Regional Development Fund.
I have already stated what the costs are and where the grants are available. The European Regional Development Fund provides assistance through specific investments which exceed £35,000 and which are of the following type: (a) investment projects in the industrial, craft or service sectors which relate to economically sound activities and which help to create and maintain permanent jobs; and (b) infrastructure and investment projects the costs of which are borne by local authorities or by any other organisation responsible for carrying out infrastructural projects and which contribute to the development of the region or area in which they are located. The fund does not contribute to either industrial or infrastructural projects unless national assistance is first committed. In Ireland, this means that only projects which are already being financed by the public capital programme may be considered for fund assistance.
Where a county council put up 25 per cent or 50 per cent of the cost of a project, would that also be eligible for aid from the regional fund? How are the moneys from the regional fund broken down between the Minister of State's Department, the Department of the Environment and Údarás na Gaeltachta?
Údarás na Gaeltachta are funded to the degree of 100 per cent. Outside the geographic area designated as Údarás na Gaeltachta a grant of 75 per cent is applicable in certain areas and 50 per cent in other areas.
Could the Minister of State outline the functions of Údarás na Gaeltachta in relation to harbour development?
Údarás na Gaeltachta's function in relation to harbour development is in their geographic area that comes within the Údarás area.
Could the Minister of State elaborate further and say if Roinn na Gaeltachta have any function in relation to harbour development?
No. It is generally Údarás na Gaeltachta within the designated Gaeltacht area.
Could I ask the Minister of State if there is a statutory obligation on Údarás na Gaeltachta, or I would have thought on Roinn na Gaeltachta, to grant aid development in the designated areas to which he has referred?
There is no statutory obligation on them to grant aid. Application is made for grants for any harbour development. If there was a statutory obligation on Údarás na Gaeltachta or on any other body to totally grant aid any project, applications would come in from all over the country. It depends, first, on the amount of money available and, secondly, on the worthiness of the project.
Do we apply to Údarás na Gaeltachta if we want assistance?
Yes.
I will allow Deputy Daly to ask a final supplementary question and then I am moving on.
Can the Minister confirm that there are substantial amounts of money available from the Regional Development Fund for the provision of harbour developments if that money is applied for?
I have no intention of confirming that there are substantial amounts of money available from the Regional Development Fund and the Deputy knows that better than anybody.