Pat Breen
Question:50 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress by the Western Development Commission. [16648/04]
View answerThursday, 3 June 2004
Questions (58)
Written answers
The Western Development Commission was established on 1 February 1999 under the Western Development Commission Act 1998. The commission had previously operated on a non-statutory basis from 1 January 1997. The functions of the commission are to promote, foster and encourage economic and social development in the western region, defined as the seven western counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Clare. Its activities involve policy analysis and development, undertaking key regional initiatives and management of the western investment fund.
I laid the annual report of the commission for 2003 before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 18 May last. Among the commission's activities recorded for 2003 was the publication in December of Jobs for Towns — Small and Medium Sized Towns on Radial Routes in the Western Region, a report on inward investment, both public and private sector, in the smaller towns in the region. The report also sets out the commission's participation on the steering group of the western development tourism programme continued. As part of this the commission launched Ireland's first ecotourism initiative — The Green Box — in 2003. The commission also contributed to the development of the first western inter-regional tourism brochure.
Other issues focused on during 2003 by the commission included: telecoms; transport — roads and rail; energy — electricity, gas and renewable energy; and organic agri-food production.
The western investment fund is a unique funding mechanism for the region operated by the commission. It provides risk capital, by the way of loans and equity, but not grant aid which is prohibited under the Act, on a commercial basis. The commission approved 27 investments amounting to €5.7 million during the year. In total, projects approved or disbursed up to the end of 2003 have the potential to create or sustain more than 770 jobs.
Question No. 51 answered with QuestionNo. 18.