I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 20, 37, 42, 52, 58, 122 and 126 together.
The National Development Plan is now being examined by the Commission of the European Communities in consultation with the Government. On completion of this examination, the Commission will draw up the Community support framework, which will outline the priorities in the plan for which Community assistance will be provided, an indicative financing plan and the forms and duration.
Following consultation with the appropriate committees, on which all member states are represented, the Commission will adopt the Community support framework, which will then be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
The plan will be implemented through a set of operational programmes as follows: industrial development, tourism, roads, transport, energy, sanitary services, telecommunications and postal services, human resources, and agriculture and rural development. Most of these programmes have been submitted to the Commission and the remainder will be submitted as quickly as possible. These programmes are being examined by the Commission in conjunction with the plan and are also the subject of consultations between the Commission and the Government.
In the preparation of the plan and the operational programmes, the work of the sub-regional groups was fully considered on the basis of interim reports which contained all information relevant to the preparation of the plan. The reports of the sub-regional groups will serve as a guide to the Departments and agencies implementing the operational programmes, but no decision has yet been taken on the question of publishing them.
All but one of the groups have now completed their work and submitted their final reports; the report for the Dublin area will be submitted by the group for that area after the consultants have finalised their work. I would not wish to comment on the accuracy of the article in The Irish Times on 14 April, which purported to be based on a draft of the consultants' report, apart from saying that the article was incorrect in implying that it was a plan which was being considered by the EC Commission for funding purposes. The only plan being considered by the Commission is the Government's National Development Plan 1989-1993. Competitive tenders were sought for the Dublin consultancy and it is not the normal practice to give the cost of a competitive tender received. Under Government contract procedures, all information in regard to tenders is treated as strictly confidential between the tendering firm and the contracting authority.
The structures to oversee the implementation of the programme, and the possibility of assigning further tasks to the sub-regional groups in this connection, will be considered in due course in the light of the discussions with the Commission. The question of making resources available to the groups accordingly does not arise at this stage.