Bertie Ahern
Question:40 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Minister for Finance the positive effects, if any, of the additional EU funding since 1994 on the six southern Border counties, including any special initiatives undertaken since then. [19192/96]
Written Answers. - Border Region Funding.
John Browne
Question:82 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Minister for Finance the steps, if any, he is taking to ensure that the Border counties benefit from international funding and investment. [18364/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 82 together.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department is the co-ordinator in Ireland of two EU funded programmes specifically aimed at the Border region (counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo). The programmes concerned are the Ireland/Northern Ireland INTERREG Programme 1994-99 and the Special EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland 1995-99.
The programmes between them provide for additional EU investment in the Border counties of £120 million. When the full amount of public investment provided under the programmes is taken into consideration the extent of additional funding available to the Border counties exceeds £160 million. This investment is additional to what is available to the Border counties under the Community Support Framework and other Community initiatives.
Other questions down for answer today deal with the current position under the peace programme so I will deal specifically with the INTERREG Programme in this reply.
The Ireland/Northern Ireland INTERREG programme was approved by the Commission on 27 February 1995. The guidelines allow for a continuation of measures which were found to be successful under INTERREG I. The Deputy may be aware that the INTERREG I Programme was extended beyond its original conclusion date to avoid an excessive time gap between the end of INTERREG I and the commencement of INTERREG II.
Under the INTERREG Programme the European Commission approved an EU aid allocation to Ireland to the end of 1999 of approximately IR£72 million. The allocation to Northern Ireland was STG£53 million. The significantly higher figure of EU funding available for the Border counties by comparison with Northern Ireland reflects a prioritising of resources to the Border region by the Government.
In addition to the EU funding, the Government is committed to the provision of matching funding. The total amount of public funding available, therefore, to the Border Counties under this Programme exceeds £100 million.
The programme is divided into five subprogrammes, covering infrastructure (roads, energy, transport, telecommunications), environmental protection (management of water resources and removal of pollutants), natural resources (agriculture, fisheries, forestry), human resources (training and education) and economic development (tourism, community development, and special measures in economic development such as linkages). This last subprogramme contains a technical assistance measure to underpin the operation of the Programme.
As a coherent economic development strategy for the Border region is dependent on adequate infrastructural foundations the bulk of the funding on the southern side has been allocated, as agreed by the Government, to the infrastructural and environmental protection subprogrammes. Roads, sanitary services, electricity networks and telecommunications are vital underpinnings to the tourism, agricultural, food processing, industrial and service sectors.
The broad sectoral span of both the INTERREG and PEACE programmes requires ongoing and particular attention to ensure that the programmes, along with IFI funding and other relevant initiatives, as well as the mainline programmes, are complementary and integrated while keeping for each its own distinctive profile. In this connection Deputies will be aware that the Minister of State, Deputy Donal Carey, has been given specific responsibility in relation to funding arrangements in the Border counties.
The Border counties also benefit from the International Fund for Ireland which contains a substantial element of EU funding. The fund is the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs.