asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he proposes to request the EEC to appoint a full-time representative for the Connacht-Ulster region.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Connacht-Ulster EEC Representative.
19.
I understand that the Commission consider that the EEC office in Dublin is intended to cover the country as a whole, which, as the Deputy will be aware, is treated as one region for the purposes of Community regional policy.
At the present time there is in my view little likelihood of a request to appoint a full-time EEC representative to Connacht-Ulster being acceded to. Regretfully, therefore, I see no point in making an approach to the Commission in this matter at present.
Is the Minister aware that an EEC official has been appointed for his own constituency of Munster?
No.
There was a newspaper report that a Mr. Fanning was appointed and it was announced by an independent MEP some months ago.
There has been some confusion about that. That offer was not open, nor was he appointed. He has been engaged to conduct a study in the Cork region which he will conclude on 30 June.
Is the Minister aware that over the past number of years in this House we have made a very strong case for the appointment of an EEC official in the Ulster region? We are satisfied that the Government agencies are not making the effort they should to provide the funds which are available from EEC sources for the development of the area.
I do not think that is correct. When I answer other question later on, the Deputy will see that is not correct. The EEC have appointed somebody for that region, but he is based in Dublin. The EEC office in Dublin is meant to represent the whole country. If we were to have special commissioners appointed in different parts of the country, we would be devaluing our own case to have the whole country treated as one region under the Regional Fund.
We read a newspaper report that Mr. Fanning was appointed for the Munster region. It was announced by an independent MEP. I have not seen any Government announcement that that was not so. That is misleading. The Government Information Service or some other agency should correct those impressions.
A question, Deputy, please.
I do not think the Government can necessarily correct statements issued by MEPs, TDs, or Senators, or any other public representative which they know to be untrue. If that were the case, we would spend most of our lives doing so. I assure the Deputy that what I have said is correct.
In view of the fact that the economic and social problems of the area have been debated and teased out in this House over the past few years in great detail, and in view of the fact that the Economic and Social Commission had a special study made of the area, would the Minister not agree that it would be proper to appoint someone special for the area and that this would in no way take away from the appointment already made to the country in general at the Commission's office here in Dublin?
I would not. I made the very serious point that we should not devalue the benefit of having the whole country treated as a region. We would be inclined to do that if we appointed people in different areas.
In view of the fact that the Social and Economic Commission made a special study of the area, does the Minister not agree that they set a headline for treating that area as a special area? The report stated that the region deserves special consideration. In the light of that, does the Minister still maintain that by appointing someone to the area we would be taking away from the benefit referred to by the Minister?
I do. I do not think there is a contradiction in what I said. The fact that the Economic and Social Committee have pointed out that the Border region needs special attention does not take from the answer I gave. We want the whole country to be treated as available for funds under the Regional Fund. If we were to start picking out regions we would find it more difficult to defend that case in Brussels.
I do not want to be discourteous but there is only one Border.
A final supplementary from Deputy Leonard, who put down the question.
In the most recent report of the Social and Economic Committee it is stated that the area is among the least economically and socially developed in Europe, and suffers from the added disadvantage of being cut in two by the Border. Is the Minister aware that the cross-Border committees have consistently over recent years requested his Department to appoint, in conjunction with the EEC, an administrator to coordinate the efforts of the various Government Departments in that area? In reply to our communication the Commissioner said he was disappointed if the developments we had suggested did not take place.
The Deputy is aware of my views, which I have expressed in the House and also conveyed to those I met the people just north of the Border before Christmas. I agree fully with what the Deputy has said about the region. It needs special attention but that special attention can be given without the appointment of a Commissioner which I believe might be damaging to us in other ways.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.