Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 Nov 1999

Vol. 511 No. 4

Written Answers. - URBAN Operational Programme.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

41 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the position regarding the continued operation of and funding for the URBAN programmes in Dublin and Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24534/99]

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Mr. Flood)

URBAN is a community initiative of the European Commission under which assistance is made available for integrated development programmes for a limited number of geographically-defined, deprived urban areas throughout the EU. The programme has total funding of approximately £21 million, of which the EU element is £15 million over the period 1996-1999.

In Ireland, the areas benefiting from the operational programme for URBAN are North Dublin – Ballymun, Finglas and Darndale; South Dublin – west Tallaght and north Clondalkin; and the Northside of Cork City.

Financial support has been provided for pilot programmes-actions that are demonstrable in nature and where promoters could confirm that they would become sustainable after 31 December 1999. The question of continuing funding for the projects included in the current URBAN action plans does not, therefore, arise.

Ireland, supported by Portugal and Italy, and the European Parliament, succeeded in convincing the EU to have a new URBAN initiative in the post-1999 period. The new initiative will be known as URBAN II. The EU has allocated a community wide budget of 700 million EURO to URBAN II of which an indicative allocation of 5 million Euros, IR£3.9 million, from the European Regional Development Fund has been made to Ireland.

It is expected that, like URBAN I, the new initiative will operate on the basis of a call for proposals to be made under EU guidelines. These guidelines have not yet been finalised by the European Commission.