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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Oct 1979

Vol. 316 No. 5

Written Answers. - IDA Grants.

353.

asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy the fixed criteria, if any, to which small industry must conform to qualify for IDA support or grants; if he will give full details of that criteria, the circumstances and/or conditions under which any enterprise complying with the fixed criteria would be refused approval or grant assistance by the IDA; and in the absence of fixed criteria the safeguards which exist to ensure that neither bias nor favouritism influence IDA decisions.

The Industrial Development Authority provide grant assistance under the Small Industries Programme to projects employing up to 50 persons and with a fixed asset investment of up to £400,000. To qualify for grant assistance a project must primarily be commercially viable and meet the required standards of environmental control.

Grant assistance may be refused if competition from the applicant firm would be detrimental to existing firms in the same sector.

Decisions regarding grant assistance to small industrial projects are made by the Small Industries Committee which is representative of the IDA, two Government Departments, Irish Productivity Centre, Industrial Credit Company, Córas Tráchtála, Shannon Free Airport Development Company Ltd. and western county managers. I am satisfied that the broad and representative nature of the membership ensures that decisions are taken in a fair and objective manner.

354.

asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy the total amount of grants given by the IDA in the years 1970-1979, inclusive, and the projected expenditure for the current year.

Figures for total expenditure on grants paid by the Industrial Development Authority in the years 1970-1978, inclusive, are published in the Authority's annual reports, copies of which are presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas.

It is expected that payments in the current year will show a significant increase on the 1978 outturn.

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