Funding for commercial seaports from the Community Support Framework for Ireland, 1994-9 is allocated through the European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Programme for Transport, the Ireland Wales Maritime INTERREG Community Initiative and the Cohesion Fund.
Over the life of the CSF programme, some 220 million ecu will have been invested in port infrastructure of which almost 110 million ecu will come from the EU.
The Deputy may not be aware that the CSF Monitoring Committee decided, at a meeting on 29 July 1997, on necessary adjustments to the programme, on foot of a mid-term evaluation, to enhance the effectiveness of the CSF interventions. The main priorities identified for additional resources included, inter alia, the national roads network. Reprogramming within the OPT reallocated an additional 26 million ecu of aid to the national roads infrastructure measure from within the OPT allocation as well as savings diverted from other operational programmes.
It was in this context that 8 million ecu of aid was transferred from the seaports measures of the OPT to other investments.
The decision making process laid down in the CSF programme is based primarily on agreement in partnership. I have not had any correspondence with the European Commission in the matter of the reallocation of funds.
There is no question that any project for which contractual commitments had been entered into will have had to be abandoned on foot of the adjusted allocation of Structural Funds for commercial seaports.
The limited savings were realised by a combination of limiting the aid rate to approved projects in certain cases below the permissible 48 per cent maximum under the OPT; release of unallocated funds; withdrawal of a number of deferred projects and the surrender of the 1995-6 deflator moneys accrued to the measure. All projects identified for support under the programme are scheduled for completion by the end of 1999.
The seaport measures, which are progressing as planned, are focused on projects designed to encourage and foster greater competition in all areas of maritime trade. Recent changes in the organisation of the major ports in terms of corporatisation will make for improved response to the demands of the economy in general and port users in particular. Recent investment programmes have reduced core shipping and port related charges and stimulated more productive ports which offer both a greater level and frequency of services.
The strategic objective of triggering a reduction in port and shipping costs and charges of 15 per cent over the duration of the CSF programme as delineated in the programme and in Partnership 2000 has been achieved. The extent to which further investment in ports will be necessary to meet upcoming capacity constraints and to reflect demand for new types of shipping configurations is currently being measured by an assessment study of seaport capacity funded under the Operational Programme for Transport.
