asked the Taoiseach if he will clarify the allocation of duties in his statement outlining the Cabinet reshuffle; and, in particular, if he will outline the powers, functions, budget and responsibilities allocated to the Minister for the Environment in relation to 1992.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Allocation of Ministerial Duties.
1.
As I said in my statement to the House on 24 November and in response to supplementary questions on 6 December, I have asked the Minister for the Environment to assume a special responsibility for planning and co-ordination of the provision of physical infrastructure to prepare the economy for the single market. This will involve ensuring that our approach in this area is comprehensive, that facilities are not duplicated and that requirements in particular areas of infrastructure are met. The Minister will be responsible for seeing that changes take place, without administrative delays, as rapidly as is economically feasible and that developments in the different sectors of infrastructure are consistent with each other.
As with other Ministers, the Minister for the Environment has responsibility for a number of aspects of completion of the internal market including the function of promoting awareness of and preparation for the market in his area of responsibility.
If I understood him correctly, the Taoiseach has asked the Minister for the Environment to assume a special responsibility, that no budget has been provided in respect of this responsibility, and that it does not come within his powers and functions under the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924. This is what I would strictly call an ad hoc apportionment of responsibility with no budget being provided within the Department of the Environment.
There is some truth in the way Deputy Spring puts it. We anticipate that we will secure a greater proportion of our moneys from the Structural Funds for infrastructural type projects. Therefore it would seem sensible to ask the Minister for the Environment to keep an overview of the position in regard to our infrastructure, even that which would not come directly within the ambit of his ministerial responsibilities, so as to ensure we use the moneys from the Structural Funds to the best possible advantage, that we do not duplicate or neglect some important piece of infrastructure which might get overlooked in the normal course of events. It is really only a precautionary overview that I have asked the Minister to take.
In relation to expenditure which the Minister will incur, and one can assume that meetings will have to be organised and trips undertaken, is the Taoiseach satisfied that that expenditure can be met from within the Department of the Environment or will a special budget have to be provided?
I did not catch the first part of the Deputy's question.
As I asked in my original question, in relation to expenditure, which will be incurred by the Minister for the Environment relating to this responsibility which the Taoiseach has now given to him, is the Taoiseach satisfied that this expenditure can be met within the Department of the Environment or will a special fund have to be set up?
The Deputy knows that under the new regime it will be possible to have projects undertaken which will be subsidised by moneys from the Structural Funds and on our side by private funds. Therefore a project might be funded on the Irish side by the private sector and on the other by moneys from the Structural Funds. The Minister for the Environment will not directly expend any public moneys. That is the sort of expenditure that I wish him to keep an eye on.