Vol. 476 No. 7
410 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if there are elements of positive discrimination exercised by his 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [8042/97]
In so far as my Department is concerned, the Transport Operational Programme and the Economic Infrastructure Operational Programme provide for an EU backed investment programme in the development of economic infrastructure in the aviation, public transport, postal, energy and telecommunications sectors. These investments are intended to support national sectoral policy objectives. All parts of the country including rural areas will derive benefits from these investments even though they may be located in specific regions. There was extensive consultation at national and sub-regional levels in the development of the National Plan which outlined the Government's proposed strategies for the use of EU funding over the period 1994-99
