asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of all funds available from the EEC in 1983; and if he will give details of projects on which this money is to be expended.
Written Answers . - EEC Funds .
150.
: Estimates of receipts in 1983 from EEC funds made at this stage of the year are subject to a wide margin of variation. For example, receipts under the FEOGA guarantee section, which account for a major part of estimated receipts, are affected by fluctuations in world markets, currency fluctuations and various other factors. Other receipts will depend on the projects approved by the EEC Commission and the pace of implementation of these projects.
Subject to the foregoing, the following estimates are provided:
FEOGA Guarantee Section. No reliable estimate is possible at this stage for the reasons already indicated and also because the prices for the current year have not yet been settled.
European Regional Development Fund. Receipts in 1983 are estimated at about IR£70 million, viz. £68 million from the quota section and £2 million from the non-quota section. For details of the headings under which these receipts are expected I would refer the Deputy to Table 4 of the Revised Public Capital Programme for 1983, shown on page 175 of the 1983 budget publication.
European Social Fund. Receipts are estimated to be of the order of £90 million. Operations which benefit from the fund in Ireland are those relating to vocational training of unemployed and redundant workers, retraining of existing employees for higher qualifications, training for junior or middle management skills, schemes for the promotion of employment mainly for young persons and programmes for rehabilitation of the handicapped.
FEOGA Guidance Section. Receipts in 1983 are estimated at about IR£65 million. The main claims for reimbursement will be under the following headings: Mountain and Hill Farming, IR£20 million; Drainage Programmes, IR£10 million; West of Ireland Programme, IR£8½ million; Farm Modernisation, IR£7½ million; Meat Programme, IR£6½ million; Marketing and Processing Projects, IR£5½ million (very tentative estimate); Dairy Herds Conversion — Guidance element, IR£2 million; Animal Disease Eradication, IR£1.8 million.
EMS Interest Subsidies. Subsidies amounting to £42 million are expected in 1983. These subsidies, which are related to Ireland's borrowings from the European Investment Bank and under the New Community Instrument, usually amount to £46 million a year but because of an overpayment of £4 million in 1982, the 1983 estimate is reduced accordingly.
Other Receipts. Other receipts from the EEC arise in areas such as research and investment and energy projects. Receipts are estimated at about IR£3 million in 1983.