Vol. 463 No. 8
156 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the limited financial assistance available under the tourism operational programme for specialist accommodation needs in certain specific circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7433/96]
Under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99, EU aid has been made available towards the provision of conference and leisure facilitites, specialist visitor accommodation and a selective hotel accommodation improvement scheme, in an effort to further raise standards in the accommodation product.
ERDF assistance is available to hotels of more than 30 bedrooms for the provision of conference facilities to international standards while assistance may also be given to hotels to upgrade existing conference facilities. The programme provides support for weather independent leisure facilities in accommodation with a minimum of 20 bedrooms. Assistance is available for the development of accommodation linked to special interest venues while hotels graded up to three star and located in tourist areas can benefit from European Regional Development Fund assistance to upgrade their facilities in certain circumstances. Full details of eligible activities are outlined in the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99, as part of the Product Development Sub-Programme, under the heading, Specialist Accommodation-Related Developments Measure, which is available from the Dáil Library.
The Deputy may wish to note some amendments by the national monitoring committee for the programme to the criteria for the selective hotel accommodation improvement scheme, whereby the required investment has been reduced to a minimum of £150,000, while the maximum grant aid rate available has been increased from 25 per cent to 33.33 per cent for hotels with 30 bedrooms or less.
However, such has been the level of interest in the Measure of the Operational Programme covering Specialist Accommodation Related Developments that available funding has been substantially committed and the question of additional funding for this measure will ultimately depend on progress under the other measures provided for in the operational programme which runs up to the end of 1999.
