asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in respect of the operations of the European Regional Development Fund in 1981 (Quota and non-Quota Sections) the amounts applicable to the Border counties in the figures published in the 19th Report of Developments in the European Community (page 54).
Written Answers. - European Regional Development Fund.
285.
In relation to the quota section of the European Regional Development Fund, I would refer the Deputy to my written reply to him on 22 February 1983 in relation to EEC aid under the European Regional Development Fund for the Border counties in respect of the five years ended 31 December 1982.
In relation to the non-quota section of the European Regional Development Fund, I would also refer the Deputy to the relevant part of my reply of 22 February 1983. As indicated therein, details of the projects undertaken in 1981 were given, on a county basis, in reply to a question from Deputy Rory O'Hanlon on 16 December 1981. The figure of IR£.66 million published in the 19th Report of Developments in the European Communities to which the Deputy refers is the total sum received by the Exchequer in 1981 in partial recoupment of its expenditure on the Special Border Areas Programme.
286.
asked the Minister for Finance the general terms of the Regional Development Programme for Ireland, 1981-85, as submitted to the EEC Commission in December 1981 and referred to on page 55 of the 19th Report on Developments in the European Communities.
Under the Regional Fund Regulation, member states are required to draw up and submit to the Commission a regional development programme for regions eligible for regional fund aid. Since Ireland is considered to be a single region for the purposes of community regional policy our regional development programme relates to the entire country.
The Regional Development Programme for Ireland, 1981-85, was submitted to the Commission in December 1981. It was drawn up in a standard format applicable to all such programmes prepared by member states and contains information under the following headings: social and economic analysis; development objectives; measures for development; financial resources; implementing the programme. In general terms, the stated objective of the programme was the promotion of self-sustaining employment within the constraints imposed by the needs to lower the rate of inflation, restore balance to the public finances and reduce the balance of payments deficit.