Nora Owen
Question:133 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give a report on his meeting with other Ministers on the distribution of Cohesion Funds in Ireland.
Written Answers. - Cohesion Fund.
I understand the Deputy to refer to the meeting of the General Affairs Council on 8 March, 1993, which reached agreement on an Interim Regulation to bring the Cohesion Fund money on stream in 1993, before the Maastricht Treaty comes into effect.
The financing of the Cohesion Fund was agreed at the Edinburgh European Council in December last. The amount of the cohesion funding involved is 1.5 billion ECU (about £1.2 billion) in 1993; 1.75 billion ECU (about £1.4 billion) in 1994. The total for the Cohesion Fund between 1993 and 1999 will be 15.150 billion ECU (about £12.12 billion). The Regulation specifies that Ireland will receive between 7 and 10 per cent of the money covered by the Regulation.
The distribution of the funds within Ireland did not arise. The Minister for Finance outlined on budget day the kinds of projects in Ireland for which funding will be sought in 1993. They involve the transport infrastructure and environment areas.