Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Jul 1992

Vol. 422 No. 4

Written Answers. - Roads Funding.

James Leonard

Question:

174 Mr. Leonard asked the Minister for the Environment if he will outline the criteria used in allocating funding for roads under the INTERREG programme in view of the amount of funds allocated in 1992 to counties not adjacent to the border.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Smith):

The 1992 road grant allocations for INTERREG road projects amount to £2,100,000, of which £1,875,000 has been allocated to projects in the six Border counties and £225,000 to appropriate projects in three adjacent counties.

The projects in the six Border counties were selected in accordance with the criteria set out in the INTERREG programme, including linkage to economic development. Account was also taken of the length of the non-national road network in each county and the condition of the network.

Assistance may also be provided under the INTERREG programme for road infrastructure close to the Border in counties adjacent to the INTERREG area, where such infrastructure is of benefit to INTERREG developments, Article 10 of EC Commission Notice 90C 215/04 on INTERREG refers. Accordingly, the councils of counties Longford, Meath and Roscommon were invited by my Department to nominate appropriate road projects and put forward a total of 17 projects with a combined cost of £3,310,000. A grant of £75,000 was allocated to each of the three authorities for INTERREG projects.