Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Dec 1997

Vol. 485 No. 2

Written Answers. - Community Support Framework.

John Bruton

Question:

49 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the way in which savings of 11 MECU were achieved on the amount allocated to Ireland under the Community Support Framework under the heading of State airports; the projects or programmes, if any, which are being abandoned to achieve this saving; the correspondence, if any, she has had with the European Commission in this regard; if she will publish this correspondence; the implications of these savings or decommitting of funds for potential beneficiaries of the expenditure; when the Community Support Framework monitoring committee will meet to discuss this matter; and whether this represents a policy decision or simply an expression of inability to take up funds already allocated for other reasons. [22687/97]

Minister for Public Enterprise (Mrs. O'Rourke)

Questions relating specifically to the Community Support Framework are matters in the first instance for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.

In the case of the State airports, arising from the mid-term review of the Community Support Framework, the monitoring committee decided to withdraw the remaining 11 MECU under the allocation for State airports and to divert this saving to the roads measure.

I am pleased to reassure the Deputy that no projects will be abandoned as a result of this decision as the entire programme will be undertaken by Aer Rianta from its own resources. The amount of aid in this case was comparatively small in the context of the overall capital investment programme totalling more than £200 million.