asked the Minister for Finance in view of the statistics for the disbursement of the European Regional Development Fund from 1979 to date which show that of a total disbursement of about £554,000,000 only about £60,000,000 or about 10 per cent was disbursed to the Dublin region, and that for 1986 to date only about £12,000,000 out of about £93,000,000 or 12 per cent was so allocated; how he explains this disproportionate allocation to, about 51 per cent of the population or about 22 per cent of the Dáil representation.
Written Answers. - European Regional Development Fund.
187.
I am not aware of the source of the statistics to which the Deputy refers.
The facts are that in the period 1979 to 1985 the total grant commitments received by Ireland from the European Regional Development Fund amounted to IR£505 million. Of this amount IR£118 million was in respect of the telecommunications development programme which referred to the country as a whole and which cannot feasibly be identified on a county by county basis.
Of the IR£387 million which may be identified on a county by county basis IR£83 million was in respect of projects located in Dublin.
In 1986 the total ERDF grants approved to date amount to IR£66.7 million of which IR£6.1 million is in respect of projects located in Dublin.
The Deputy is aware that receipts from the European Regional Development Fund are used to increase the overall resources available for the development of the whole of the country through Public Capital Programme.