Bertie Ahern
Question:6 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Taoiseach whether notifications of grant-aid assistance under the Urban Initiative have issued for 1997; and, if so, if he will give details in this regard. [2765/97]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers - Urban Initiative.
The Urban Initiative is not, as the Deputy's question might suggest, a grants scheme administered by the Department of the Taoiseach. Rather it is an integrated Operational Programme, agreed with the European Union, and it will be supported through the Structural Funds until 1999. It is designed to help communities in targeted urban areas to tackle their problems through working with their local authority, State agencies and social partners.
As announced previously, some £21 million will be available, over the life of the programme, for the three urban areas, that is Ballymun-Finglas-Darndale, west Tallaght-Clondalkin and the northside of Cork City. The House will see that none of the real cream is going to my constituency or that of Deputy Ahern.
They are licking their lips after last year.
At its second meeting on 30 January 1997, the monitoring committee for Urban Initiative in Ireland approved the strategies contained in the area action plans which had been drawn up by the steering groups in partnership — and following from consultations — with their local communities. This approval will allow the steering groups to finalise their budgets for 1997 in the light of the eligibility of proposed actions for support under the programme.
What is the total allocation under the scheme for 1997 and the breakdown for the three schemes already approved? In relation to this and other initiatives the Minister of State will recall that I raised with him last year the question of involvement of elected representatives in the monitoring of all these schemes. Will he indicate if he has made progress on this issue? I am strongly of the view that in all of these initiatives which make use of public money public representatives should be involved. Since we take criticism for our involvement in collecting public money we should be involved in the monitoring and spending of it.
In relation to the first part of the Deputy's question, I do not have the information requested but I will write to the Deputy shortly setting it out. In relation to the second part of the question, I agree fully with the Deputy in this matter. Recently I directed my officials to write to the partnership companies instructing them to make arrangements to consult with local public representatives on a structured basis, about three times each year. I have asked each partnership company to confirm to my Department that that is in place. Where there is consultation and involvement with public representatives, the public representatives are the best advocates but where they are ignored they certainly take an alternative view. When something is funded by the Exchequer or the EU there should be consultation with public representatives. I agree fully with the spirit of the Deputy's question and I have taken action to try to deal with it. I will be happy, at some stage in the future, to report progress to the Deputy. On my direction public representatives were added to a county strategy group overseeing the local development programmes.
That must be the end of questions to the Taoiseach for today. We now proceed to questions nominated for priority. In respect of the questions we are about to embark upon a time limit applies.