The National Development Plan included EU aid of £5.355 billion in respect of the community support framework for the period 1994-99 (including the EFTA Cohesion Fund resources). The equivalent figure in 1994 prices would be £5.435 billion using EU deflators. Exchequer resources of approximately £3.5 billion were included in the plan in respect of the 1994-99 community support frame work element of the plan. This included both Exchequer expenditure needed to match EU aid and eligible Exchequer expenditure not proposed for cofinancing. Adjusting by the domestic Irish deflator would give a net Exchequer figure of approximately £3.6 billion in 1994 price terms.
The community support framework 1994-99 is currently under negotiation and it is not possible to give definitive figures for all elements until the negotiations are completed. The EU aid amount agreed by the Commission in October 1993 for Ireland's CSF expressed in 1994 prices is 5.62 billion ECU or £4.544 billion. In addition it is estimated that an amount of £30 million approximately will be received from the EFTA Cohesion Fund. The Government is committed to at least maintaining the level of net Exchequer expenditure included in the plan — £3.6 billion in 1994 prices. The split of this between Exchequer resources needed to match EU aid and included in the community support framework and eligible uncofinanced expenditure will depend on the aid rates to be agreed as part of the discussions on the community support framework.
