Vol. 396 No. 7
17 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the steps, if any, he will make to allow for a greater rôle by local authorities in tourist development under the National Development Programme; if local authorities are expected to match Government money made available under the programme as a pre-condition for involvement in development schemes under the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I presume that the Deputy is referring to the tourism development measures proposed in the National Development Plan submitted to Brussels in March 1989. These measures which were subsequently agreed, in principle, with the EC in the Community Support Framework have now been set out in detail in the Tourism Operational Programme. I have already provided, in a written reply dated 30 January 1990, a detailed outline of the workings of this Operational Programme, copies of which are available in the Dáil Library.
The programme provides for assistance for tourism under three sub-programmes. One of these — SubProgramme 1 — includes provision for assisting local authorities to carry out certain strategically important tourism works in their area.
Maximum assistance will be at a rate of 75 per cent of total eligible expenditure and the available budgets and eligibility criteria are spelt out in great detail in Chapter 5 of the Operational Programme, pages 40-43, and in the Scheme at Appendix IV.
The submission of projects, and the question of the necessary matching finance are all matters for each individual local authority. Processing of individual projects is being undertaken by Bord Fáilte and SFADCo according to the criteria outlined in the programme.
Does the Minister not agree that local authorities are in an ideal position to identify projects, particularly in the tourism field which would not be attractive to private enterprise? In the Dublin city area, tourism prospects exist in respect of Viking Dublin, for example, the city walls and the finds from the Wood Quay site. The city council will be aware of this, but because local authorities nationally are so strapped for funds, they are incapable of even seeing themselves playing a serious rôle. Would the Minister not agree then that the Government could make a special fund available to permit local councils nationwide to present plans for the development of tourism in their area?
I agree with the Deputy that local authorities are in a good position to develop tourists projects and they are doing that. Subprogramme 1 has £51 million available to assist tourism developments by public bodies or local authority type bodies. That £51 million is broken down into £28 million allocated to the Office of Public Works, so that they can carry out a major revamp of a number of important cultural and heritage attractions and inland waterways, and £23 million which is being administered by Bord Fáilte and SFADCo for tourism works carried out by local authorities, regional tourism organisations, fishery boards and other State and semi-State bodies. We are at one in this. There is substantial scope within those allocations for local authorities to put forward projects.
