Vol. 476 No. 2
214 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the number and type of tourist projects which have been supported by county under the various tourism programmes in each of the years from 1994 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6740/97]
Under the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-9, £369 million is being made available from the European Union as grant-aid for tourist related projects. Grants under the Product Development and Marketing Sub-Programmes of the Operational Programme are approved by independent management boards established under the programme. Details of grants for individual projects are contained in the annual reports of the management boards, the latest of which covers the period to end December 1995 and copies of which were laid before each House of the Oireachtas. The 1996 annual reports are under preparation at present.
The natural-cultural tourism sub-programme of the operational programme is administered by the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. Assistance for tourism initiatives is also provided from other EU Programmes such as the programme for agriculture, rural development and forestry which has an agri-tourism scheme and the Leader II programme, both administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, and the local urban and rural development programme, administered by the Department of the Taoiseach. Provision for tourism projects is also made in a number of other Community initiatives such as the INTERREG II programmes, both Northern Ireland and Maritime, and the special programme for peace and reconciliation which are administered by the Department of Finance. Details of projects supported under these programmes are available from the lead Departments.
