Vol. 476 No. 7
244 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education if there are elements of positive discrimination exercised by her Department towards particular areas in view of the fact that areas of rural Ireland contribute substantially to our current Objective One status; the form that any such positive discrimination takes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8037/97]
Objective 1 of the EU Structural Funds for the period 1994-99 is concerned with promoting the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind. In the regulations governing the funds, the whole of Ireland is an eligible region under objective 1.
Assistance from the Structural Funds is provided to my Department in respect of specific measures in support of the human resources development priorities identified in the Community Support Framework 1994-99.
These measures are implemented nationally across the first, second and third levels of education through schools, vocational education committees, regional technical colleges, the Dublin Institute of Technology and the universities.
The measures aided directly through my Department at national level are complemented by measures supported under the Operational Programme for Local, Urban and Rural Development. Under this operational programme aid from the European Social Fund is reserved for proposals from the area-based partnerships for the implementation of preventive measures within the education sector which are aimed at the identification and prevention of early school leaving.
