Vol. 515 No. 6
276 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if there will be a programme similar to the URBAN initiative which finished at the end of 1999 to enable local groups to continue to progress the various projects within the new tranche of EU funds. [7008/00]
Under the URBAN Programme 1996-1999, a community initiative of the European Commission, assistance was made available for integrated development programmes for a limited number of geographically-defined, deprived urban areas throughout the EU. The programme had total funding of approximately £21 million of which the EU element was £15 million over the period 1996-99.
In Ireland, the areas that benefited from the operational programme for URBAN were north Dublin – Ballymun, Finglas and Darndale; south Dublin – west Tallaght and north Clondalkin; and northside of Cork city.
Financial support was provided for pilot programmes-actions that were 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 1996-99 URBAN 1 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 EU has allocated a community wide budget of 700 million euros to the URBAN II Community Initiative for the period 2000 to 2006. The European Commission is currently finalising the guidelines for URBAN II. Ireland has been given an indicative allocation of 5 million, IR £3.9 million, of Structural Funds for one URBAN area. The selection of this area will be in line with the guidelines.
