Rory O'Hanlon
Question:5 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Taoiseach the steps, if any, he has taken to implement the recommendations of the task force on funding for the Border region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1386/97]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Border Region Task Force.
Rory O'Hanlon
Question:6 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Taoiseach the date the Minister of State in his Department was appointed as chairman of the interdepartmental task force on Border counties; the number of visits the Minister of State has made to the region since that date and the areas visited. [1387/97]
James Leonard
Question:7 Mr. Leonard asked the Taoiseach the steps, if any, he proposes to take to ensure a better spread of development funding in the Border counties in view of the report by his Department entitled Report of the Task Force on Funding Arrangements in the Border Region. [1560/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, together.
The recommendations of the task force which I chair are currently being put in place. In order to make it as clear and simple as possible for people applying for funding, a pre-application form is now available in local offices in the Border region.
In order to give people in the region better information on the programmes available, a guide to sources of funding is currently being prepared which will be available in the spring. In addition, local offices in the region have been asked to submit suitable case studies and information for a forthcoming newsletter which will be circulated widely to people in the region and will provide information on the projects being funded under the programmes available.
A seminar for people working in local offices, which I hosted, was held in Monaghan on 9 December last. It provided an opportunity for people to discuss the various programmes and consider the common issues that affect them. There was a general recognition of the need for information sharing locally between agencies, for greater co-operation between agencies and for better information to be made available to people applying for funding.
The mid-term review of EU funding programmes is currently under way. Any adjustments required, either within or across programmes, will be carried out on the basis of an independent evaluation and decisions will be made by the relevant monitoring committee and the CSF monitoring committee.
Since I was asked by the Taoiseach to chair the task force on Border funding on 7 February 1996, I have taken the opportunity, both in accepting invitations to functions and in taking various initiatives in visiting the Border region, to meet a wide cross section of people from the area. I was in Cavan last week for a further meeting and I expect to be in south Louth within the next month.
Did the Minister state that the report was published last June and he is still preparing plans to implement the two miserable recommendations contained in it? The Minister did not state how many times he has visited the Border region. He referred to one visit since I tabled my question. I do not doubt the Minister is aware of the support of the United States and the European Union for the development of the Border economy. Will the Minister accept that the Government has failed miserably to underpin that support or attract jobs to the area?
The leader of the Opposition, Deputy Ahern, referred to Connacht/Ulster. Is the Minister aware that 25 overseas jobs were created in one county in my constituency and 22 jobs were created in the other but there was a net loss of 60 jobs in the two counties? Those figures are despite the 14,081 new jobs coming into the country. What plans do the Taoiseach, the Government and the Minister have to ensure overseas investment is attracted to the Border counties, particularly in view of the fact that American and European support will not last forever?
The Deputy asked the number of visits I made to the Border counties in 1996. The number is 12; I visited Cavan twice, Donegal seven times, Leitrim once and I was in Monaghan twice. County Louth was the exception.
The forgotten county.
I am glad Deputy Dermot Ahern is present because I will be in south Louth before the end of the month.
I will educate the Minister before he goes about what the Government has not done for the county.
A special meeting has been arranged there.
How many visits did the Minister make to Donegal exclusive of the by-election?
I was there twice during the by-election. Regarding the report, the pre-application form has been available for some time. However, the Deputy is correct that the preparations for the newsletter have been slow. There were difficulties with the compilation of the information but it is moving along apace. A booklet will also be available. I appreciate the Deputy's question but I made great efforts to ensure people were made aware of the programmes. It was heartening to attend the recent meeting in Cavan and see that approximately 180 people from different areas of community development turned up for the all-day seminar. They took part in five different sessions during the day and I am satisfied that people in the region are becoming more aware of the programmes.
Regarding the infrastructural problem in terms of the IDA and the attraction of overseas investment, by and large responsibility for that lies with the preparation of the infrastructure of the area.
By the Government.
Infrastructure does not grow overnight.
The Government has done nothing.
If the Deputy is talking about American investment, the American armed forces may be able to build a road very quickly but Ireland does not have that type of resource. It might take ten or 15 years to develop a national road. The Deputy was Minister for more than ten years during that period. I recall there were road candidates in his constituency. As has always been the case, there is difficulty in getting money from central funds. Some of the terms that apply to the investment of Structural Funds should be relaxed. Economic criteria apply to investment in national primary routes, and the Government of which Deputy O'Hanlon was a member agreed that matter with the European Commission.
My question was what plans the Government has to attract investment.
The Minister is giving answers by way of lectures.
The Deputy will be glad to hear that in recent days I met with officials of the IDA from the Border and western regions and I hope to persuade programme leaders to undertake flagship projects, perhaps in the infrastructural development area, as proposed by Deputy Ahern and Deputy O'Hanlon.
I note the Minister will visit south Louth in the near future and I hope the purpose of that visit is not to sort out the disarray within his party in that area but rather to undertake official duties.
A relevant question, please.
That is relevant in this year.
In the past two years Deputies have tried to convince the Government to spend some of the moneys available under the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation and other funds for Border areas, which unfortunately were not available when we were in Government, on industrial infrastructure which, as the IDA and everybody in the House recognises, was badly needed. Money was needed in the Border region to entice industry into the area. Did the Minister see the map produced by Dr. Séamus Caulfield, a member of the Council for the West who for some reason included Louth in the calculations of net jobs lost? Is the Minister aware that last year Louth had a net loss of 500 jobs? Nothing has been done for that area by the Government. It has taken its eye off the ball in the last three years. When the Minister comes to Louth he should concentrate on creating jobs there.
Deputy Ahern gets local mileage out of repeating the same question.
We have been listening to the same nonsense from the Minister for the past two years.
I have listened carefully to Deputy Ahern's proposal and have had it reviewed. I met the people concerned and it is hoped that proposals will be put forward on the matter. The reason for the delay in the programme is that we must undertake widespread consultation, a process which I inherited. It is not a process where the main contributor is the State; there is a partnership with the EU which insisted on conditions and requested a focus on particular areas of social life. That is why the programme is geared in that direction. Some 723 applications have been approved under the Peace and Reconciliation Programme to date and approximately £24 million was committed to projects in the Border region to end December 1996.
How much has been used?
What is the Minister doing to create jobs?
When the Peace and Reconciliation Programme was set up the necessary officers were not available to guide people locally. Project officers have been appointed in all the Border counties, thereby helping to progress the efforts of communities. People were dissuaded from applying because they could not develop the cross-Border element, but with 723 applications approved and £24 million committed, it is my intention to ensure that as much money as possible is spent before the election. The greater the concentration in the Border region the happier I will be.