asked the Minister for Finance when applications for grants under the EEC Regional Fund Scheme will be considered; and whether such grants will be allocated on a regional or county basis.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Regional Fund.
22.
Mr. Kenny
Although the Council of Ministers of the European Communities last month formally adopted a regulation establishing the European Regional Development Fund, a supplementary budget which will enable the fund to approve the commitment of resources to projects put forward by member states and to make the necessary payments on foot of these commitments has not yet been adopted by the Community. Until this has been done and necessary procedural arrangements for the submission of applications have been settled, the Commission will not be in a position to consider applications from member states. Meanwhile work on the indentification of suitable projects for submission for assistance from the fund is continuing in my Department in consultation with the other Departments concerned. As the Deputy is aware, the draft supplementary budget will authorise the fund to commit assistance to Ireland totalling approximately £8 million in 1975 of which only half will be paid in the course of this year.
Projects undertaken anywhere in the State will qualify for assistance from the fund. As this assistance will be on a specific project-by-project basis, grants will not be allocated on a regional or county basis. The small size of the fund for the period 1975-77 will necessitate a very selective approach to the identification of projects. Within this constraint, however, the Government's intention will be to aim at the geographic distribution of projects which would best support Ireland's case for a very much larger fund after 1977.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary say whether or not the Government have made a recommendation or a case in favour of one part of the country as against the rest of the country?
Mr. Kenny
It is indicated in the reply that there is no case made for any specific part of the country. We must treat it as one entity so that when 1977 comes we will be in line for increased assistance from the fund. I know what the Deputy is getting at and I have an idea in my own mind as to what should be done but if you leave out any particular part of the country then we will not be in a position to argue for a greater increase in the fund aid after 1977.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that if this money is taken into the Exchequer, as now appears to be the case, and redistributed throughout the country as a whole, no region and no county will benefit substantially from this fund?
Mr. Kenny
I do not know. If it is taken into the Exchequer the money must be used somewhere and to the best of our ability. Of course, rural Deputies will try to get as much as they can as against, let us say, Leinster or Dublin or such places, but you must include those places so as to be eligible for a greater increase after 1977.
The original reply would indicate that the Government are now for the spending of this money on the east coast, to the detriment of the west coast, the basis on which the claim was originally made.
Mr. Kenny
I do not think any Deputy outside Lucan would ever stand for that.
Might I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to convey to his Minister the very grave fears held by those of us on the west coast, where this help and aid is needed and which we were promised and on which the referendum was carried in a very substantial way? Those fears appear to be bolstered by this waffling, as it would appear, on the part of the Government about taking in the east in order that after 1977 we will get more. There is the inference to be drawn from the reply.
Mr. Kenny
Any rural Deputy must recognise that the western parts of this country need a greater percentage of that aid than any other part, especially the east coast.
Do the Government think the same way?
Mr. Kenny
I would be hoping that I could prevail upon them.
Could we make some progress? Question No. 23.