Vol. 470 No. 4
3 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the principal recommendations of the report of the task force on funding arrangements in the Border region; if he has satisfied himself with its recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18645/96]
The Task Force on funding arrangements in the Border region made a number of recommendations to ensure that people are generally aware of the programmes available in the region and to make it as clear and simple as possible for people to apply for funding.
A pre-application form is being prepared for use in local offices. A guide to sources of funding and a newsletter will also be published. The newsletter will include information on projects from all the programmes in the region.
These recommendations which were agreed by Government, are now being put in place by the Department of Finance. A seminar on all funding programmes in the region is being organised so that people working on individual programmes are aware of and will be able to advise on the programmes available.
The task force will monitor the implementation of these measures and make regular reports to the Government.
Does the Minister of Stateaccept that after six months a report of 26 pages containing two recommendations is unacceptable? One recommendation is that there should be no integration of the multiplicity of agencies in the Border region. The other recommendation is that more information should be made available, which will consist of a newletter and, as the Minister of State informed the House today, a seminar. There is a multiplicity of agencies and more are to follow. This morning saw the launch of a new regional authority, the Irish Central Border Area Network. Does the Minister of State not accept that the Border counties are entitled to something more than the two recommendations in the report?
The report is not confined to two recommendations. The task force was established as a result of a parliamentary question from the Deputy's colleague, Deputy Leonard, last February. It started its work immediately and reported to the Government in July.
With regard to the suggestion that there should be a one-stop-shop, the Deputy cannot have it every way. I cannot see how simply setting up one office in a location along the Border could service the greater Border area. One cannot call for more information and greater dissemination of information on the one hand and, on the other hand, demand that it all happen in one location. We are trying to ensure that all offices along the Border will be adequately equipped so that callers will be given clear information about the range of funds, options and projects available. I agree there are many. It is important that staff are fully briefed with the relevant information to ensure they are up to date on programmes when a person calls to the offices.
With regard to streamlining the programme, a pre-application form has been introduced. When a person calls to an office with that form it will be immediately possible for the member of staff to see which is the appropriate fund or agency to deal with the person's specific problem. We are trying to demystify the programmes available by giving a greater body of information to staff in existing offices to ensure that people calling to the offices will be channelled in the right direction in terms of going to the appropriate agency and making the appropriate application for the scheme or project they have in mind.
Is the Minister of State aware of the serious concern among people who might avail of the funding? A large amount of funding is available thanks to the Fianna Fáil Party and its leader, who negotiated the programme for peace and reconciliation. However, when the programme was introduced it took the Government 18 months to prepare the facilities to implement it. Is the Minister of State aware of the concern among different agencies who could benefit from the funding about the difficulties they have encountered? It is not sufficient to say that a preliminary form will channel them in the right way. There is a need for closer integration and I would have thought a committee chaired by a Minister would have seen that and would have made such a recommendation.
With regard to the amount of money spent and in the context of the disbursement of political credit, it is worth looking at the figures for 1994-95. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry received £88 million, the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, £16 million; the Department of Education £34 million; the Department of Enterprise and Employment, £52 million; the Department of the Environment, £102 million; FÁS, £90 million; local development, £5 million; the Department of the Marine, £4 million; the Department of Tourism and Trade, £10 million; the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, £31 million; INTERREG, £7.4 million; the programme for peace and reconciliation, £140 million; and the International Fund for Ireland received £6 million for the Border regions. There is a total of £451,931,000.
Neither the task force nor the Government is in a position to change how the money is spent under the various funding programmes. The arrangements for putting these funds in place were agreed with the European Commission and the agreement of the Commission would be required if it were thought necessary to change the implementing structures or the agencies. We do not have the discretion the Deputy envisages in this area.
What was the cost of the report of the task force? Could the Minister of State name its members? Were any local authority officials on the task force? Did the task force seek submissions from the public or from Members of the Oireachtas? I was not contacted by anybody on the task force for my opinion and I doubt that any other Member of the House was asked for their opinion. I am glad the Minister of State gave credit to a Member on this side of the House for the genesis of the task force. Deputy Leonard's question prompted the Taoiseach to establish it. Is it not the case that there would be no need for a task force if the Government had taken action when it first came into office and appointed one of its members from the Border region?
The cost of the report was £1,000. The composition of the task force was as follows: Mr. Declan O'Brian, Department of Social Welfare, Mr. Vernon O'Beirne, Co-Operation North Ltd., Mr. Sean O'Sullivan, Department of Finance, Mr. Paul Fleming, Department of Finance, Mr. Pól O'Duibhie, Department of Finance, Mr. James McIntyre, Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Damien Cannon, Department of Enterprise and Employment, Mr. Paul Cullen, Department of Enterprise and Employment, Mr. Roddy Molloy, Department of Enterprise and Employment, Mr. Pat Dowling, Department of Education, Mr. Sean O'Broin, Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Mr. Hugh Frazer, Combat Poverty Agency, Ms Julie O'Neill, Office of the Tánaiste, Dr. Tony Crooks, ADM Ltd., Mr. Philip Donovan, Department of Transport, Energy and Communication, Ms Pauline Moreau, Department of Tourism and Trade, Mr. Tom Costello, FÁS, Mr. Seán Ó Cofaigh, Roinn Ealaíon, Cultúir agus Gaeltachta, Mr. Finian Matthews, Department of the Environment, Mr. Kieran McCann, Department of the Marine and Ms Mary Jackson, Department of the Taoiseach.
There is gender equity there.
At least there is a little balance.
Deputy Taylor must have missed the Cabinet meeting that established the task force.
Who was from the local authorities?
Looking at the range of Departments one can see a good cross section of expertise. The task force worked for four to five months and the report was compiled at minimal cost. If Deputies take the time to examine the content of the report they will see it is a worthwhile document. Let us give it a chance; these are early days. Let us see if it works and we will revisit the subject in due course.
The Minister of State did not respond to my question.
While I accept there are many difficulties as outlined by Deputy O'Hanlon, does the Minister of State agree that what happened in Sligo, where several of the agencies are under one roof, is an improvement and will he seek to put the same system in operation in other western counties, particularly in Border areas?
In regard to Deputy Dermot Ahern's question I will check on the degree of consultation with the agencies involved. They work within a specific and narrow timeframe. The task force report is good in that it attempts to grasp the nettle within the confines of what we are permitted to do by the EU. I have explained that we are not the final arbiters in relation to the amalgamation of agencies and so on. I thank Deputy Ted Nealon for his comments and for putting on record the success of the Sligo office.
Partnership companies which promote integrated development to tackle unemployment in disadvantaged areas are as follows: Donegal Local Development Company, Ballyraine, Letterkenny, County Donegal; Pairtíocht Gaeltacht, Thír Chonaill; MFG Teoranta, Na Doirí Beaga, Contae Dún na nGall; Donegal Inishowen Partnership Company, where Mr. Philip Maree is the manager in Carndonagh, County Donegal; County Sligo Leader Partnership Company; County Leitrim Partnership Board; Cavan Partnership Company; Monaghan Partnership Company, based in Castleblayney; in Louth there are two offices — Drogheda Partnership Company, Drogheda and Dundalk Employment Partnership Limited, Dundalk. County enterprise boards which support the establishment and development of small businesses are as follows: Donegal County Enterprise Board, Lifford, County Donegal; Sligo County Enterprise Board, Teeling Street, Sligo; Leitrim County Enterprise Board, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim; Cavan County Enterprise Board, Courthouse, Cavan; Monaghan County Enterprise Board, Courthouse, Monaghan; Louth County Enterprise Board, Dundalk, County Louth. There are two Leader companies in County Donegal, one in Sligo at Tubbercurry, one in Sligo-Leitrim at Carrick-on-Shannon, one in Cavan-Monaghan in Ballyhaise, County Cavan and one in Louth.
From the point of view of distribution, availability and access one could not get better. It is early days. Let us see how they work out while we monitor the progress. We can come back to the subject and re-examine it in more detail in due course.
What about Inishbofin?
I am pleased to note the report costs only £1,000. Can I take it that a number of the people to whom the Minister of State referred live in the Border region? Can I take it they went to the Border region a number of times during their work on the report? If so, will the Minister of State outline what fieldwork they did in the Border region and who actually paid the bill for that work? Obviously it was not included in the £1,000.
The task force is made up of 21 people who come from a wide range of Departments. They did not and do not have to go to the Border to know exactly what is going on. One could go on a junket in the Border area for a couple of years and return as enlightened at the end as at the beginning.
I went there with my colleagues.
The report cost a mere £1,000. They had access to all the reports, all the documentation and all the information necessary. At the end of the day they produced a report within a defined specified period which has tackled at least two of the main areas and grievances.
Keep the local authorities out of it.
The name of the game is to have a greater awareness of what is going on. Let us wait and see how the new initial application form and the seminar works out. As a result of the recommendations in the report let us see if the quality of the service and the level of awareness improves. The amount of money involved is colossal. Never have the Border regions had access to such money. It is crucial for the economic regeneration of the area that people know precisely how to maximise the draw down of the resources. That is the name of the game and we are ad idem in that regard.
We in the Border region will not be bought off by multi-coloured beads such as those outlined. Where is the cross-Border study launched by the Government under Mr. Haughey and the then Secretary of State, Peter Brooke, in 1990? The problem then was finance. Now we have the finance but where is the cross-Border study, part of which could be implemented?
I am surprised the Deputy does not seem to have read the document. If he reads it he will see that it sets out some of the projects in his county that have drawn down funds under the different headings.
It is telling us what we already know.
It is there in black and white. It is obvious that if people were aware of this they would be able to draw down substantial amounts of grant aid. All one has got to do is use those as role models for other people, avail of the additional information, come back with better projects within the specified period and draw down on the huge opportunities and resources that this Government, together with the EU, is providing and of which I am sure people in the Border areas are becoming more keenly aware, being the shrewd and provident people they are.
If one wanted to paint would one use paint and a paintbrush? In drawing up a report on the Border counties one needs to visit the counties. Is there a timescale in respect of the seminars and all the other things that are to happen so that we can learn how to seek this funding while it is still available? Were the local authority, the north-west region cross-Border group and the other Border groups not worth approaching in respect of this matter? Elected representatives should have had some input.
My information is that there was wide consultation in relation to how the programmes should be changed, what was required, where the defects, deficiencies and information gaps were. There was much dialogue in trying to plug those gaps and listen to recommendations. In relation to the need to go to the Border counties, we are fortunate that for the first time ever a Minister of State, Deputy Donal Carey, for whom I am substituting today, has been assigned the responsibility of pulling those together.
He hardly knows where the Border is.
If Deputy Ahern checks he will find that more than any other Minister, Deputy Donal Carey has made his presence felt in the Border counties. He has liaised with the local authorities and local agencies and is continually monitoring and tracking this element of his portfolio and doing a superb job.
He was in Sligo yesterday.
That must be the end of questions to the Taoiseach for today. We now proceed to questions nominated for priority.
