Vol. 465 No. 6
161 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment the structures, if any, in place to begin funding from the special support programme for peace and reconciliation; and if so, the current position regarding an application (details supplied) in County Donegal. [10159/96]
173 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for the Environment the funding, if any, that will be made available by his Department under the EU peace initiative fund. [10453/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 173 together.
My Department's Estimate for the current year provides for an expenditure of £6.5 million which will be cofinanced by the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.
This expenditure will be used to assist the improvement of national roads (£2.5 million — Aghalane Bridge and approaches); non-national roads (£0.5 million — applications for suitable projects from the relevant local authorities are being evaluated at present); and urban and rural regeneration (£3.5 million — projects will be selected by local authority led task forces).
My Department will issue guidelines on eligible urban/rural regeneration projects to the task forces in the near future, and this will enable them to commence work.
Consideration of the application referred to will be a matter for the Donegal task force. My Department will forward the application to this task force when the guidelines are being issued.
