Vol. 342 No. 5
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will ensure that applicants who were unable to accept offers of local improvement scheme grants in 1982 due to the ten per cent minimum contributions requirement will be made a further offer in 1983 to allow them benefit from the improvements in the operation of this scheme as announced recently.
481.
asked the Minister for the Environment the number of offers of local improvement scheme grants in County Galway which were not accepted in 1982 due to the difficulty of having to pay a ten per cent minimum local contribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 480 and 481 together.
Information is not available in my Department regarding offers of local improvements scheme grants made by county councils in 1982 which were not accepted because of difficulty in meeting the ten per cent minimum local contribution required under the scheme in respect of farm road projects eligible for EEC aid. From inquiries made of Galway County Council in the matter, however, I understand that they are aware of only two or three specific instances where the minimum ten per cent contribution acted as a serious deterrent to the schemes concerned being carried out.
The administration of the local improvements scheme, including the selection of schemes, is primarily a matter for county councils, subject to the provisions of the Local Government (Roads and Drainage) Act, 1968 and general guidelines issued annually by my Department. Under the arrangements for the scheme this year, £646,000 may be spent on non-EEC work in western counties compared with £277,000 in 1982. This increased allocation will enable county councils to exercise a greater degree of discretion in 1983 in undertaking farm road schemes where the appropriate local contribution would be less than ten per cent.
