Vol. 475 No. 4
253 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he will give details of the projects supported to date by his Department under the Special Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in the Border counties; the amount allocated in this regard; and the purposes for which funding was provided. [4850/97]
Overall ministerial responsibility for the administration of the special programme for peace and reconciliation lies with the Minister for Finance.
While there is no specific tourism programme in the special support programme for peace and reconciliation, tourism-related projects are eligible for funding under a number of measures. These include: urban and village renewal and tourism — using European Regional Development Fund funds; village renewal and tourism — EAGGF funds; community-led development — using European Regional Development Fund funds and co-operation between public bodies — using European Regional Development Fund and ESF funds.
In general terms, tourism related projects are eligible for up to 75 per cent grant assistance under the programme.
The peace programme operates by placing a particular emphasis on a bottom-up approach to development. Under the terms of the programme, the work of initiating and approving projects for grant assistance is carried out at local level by the county council-led task forces in the case of the urban and rural regeneration measures and by the specially appointed intermediary bodies, ADM Ltd and the Combat Poverty Agency in the case of the Community-led development measure. However, I understand that a significant proportion of the total grant assistance approved in 1996 by the county tasks forces is destined for tourism-related projects.
