asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the projects his Department have been asked to consider for European funding; the names of those he has recommended for funding; the names of those he has rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Projects for European Funding.
30.
The main area of European funding which is of concern to my Department is the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). New arrangements have been in place since 1 January for the making of applications for ERDF support and, as the Deputy is no doubt aware, applications will now mainly be made in the form of programmes rather than individual projects. The Minister for Finance who is responsible for the administrative arrangements concerned with the ERDF in Ireland is co-ordinating arrangements in relation to these new procedures. Programmes covering the main areas of operation under my Department likely to be eligible for ERDF support are now being finalised. These relate to the areas of industrial development marketing and science and technology.
In the speech of the Minister for Finance introducing the budget on 25 January, special reference was made to additional financial allocations in 1989 for which ERDF support is expected. These included £11.5 million for industrial promotion, for marketing support for industry and for technology development. Out of this allocation, £3.5 million will be spent on a special development effort for the promotion of industry in Tallaght. The remainder of the £11.5 million will be used to improve the marketing performance of Irish firms and to upgrade the technological infrastructure required to support a faster pace of industrial development at a number of locations.
With regard to the funding of Irish projects under the EC Framework Programme for Science and Technology, the total payments received by Irish interest in 1988 was £9.2 million. Whereas my Department and EOLAS offer every assistance and encouragement to Irish researchers in submitting proposals to Brussels, the decisions on which projects are accepted or rejected are made in Brussels by the Commission, usually on the advice of a committee representative of all member states. It is not therefore my function to recommend or reject individual projects.