Vol. 374 No. 11
asked the Minister for Finance the action, if any, he proposes to take in order to ensure that Ireland is in a position to qualify for substantial funding under the new methods of procedure currently being discussed by the EC with regard to integrated programmes involving what was formally recognised as the European Social Fund, European Regional Development Fund and the agriculturally related FEOGA grants fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
57.
asked the Minister for Finance if individual local authorities will have the support in positive terms of his Department both in Dublin and with their representatives in Brussels if such local authorities make direct approaches to the Commission in Brussels to discuss the application of integrated measures within the framework of the new system of structural funds for peripheral regions; if his Department will actively support such proposals emanating from Irish local authorities which would receive active support, encouragement and financial assistance from the relevant authorities in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 57 together.
The Deputy is, no doubt, aware that the comprehensive EC Commission proposals for the reform of the structural funds pursuant to Article 130D of the Single European Act are currently under negotiation in the Council of Ministers. There are many elements in these proposals but of particular interest in the context of the Deputy's questions is the intention that structural fund assistance for the less-developed regions of the Community will be predominantly in the form of "operational programmes". Although negotiations on the details of the Commission's proposals are still in the early stages, it appears likely that the Council will endorse this feature of the proposals.
By deciding, as recently announced by the Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs, to move towards a programme basis for applications for assistance from the Community's structural funds, the Government have acted quickly to ensure that Ireland will avail to the maximum possible extent of the Community funding available under the proposed new methods of procedure. As a first step, it is intended to prepare a number of programmes, including one for Dublin city and county. Experience with these programmes will also provide us with an opportunity to establish the requirements for the contents of future programmes and how best to draw them up and implement them.
Contrary to what the Deputy appears to imply in one of his questions, the Commission's proposals do not entail any change in the separate existence of each of the three funds. Moreover, they leave open the question whether the programmes envisaged should be integrated programmes, involving more than one fund and/or more than one other financial instrument, or separate programmes under the individual funds.
The Commission have always favoured direct contact with the regions and local authorities and I believe that such contacts are very valuable as a means of increasing the Commission's awareness of the needs and potential of the regions. At the stage of making applications for assistance from the funds, the existing fund regulations require that such applications be formally submitted by the relevant member state, and I understand that this requirement is likely to be maintained under the proposed new procedures. However, in order to ensure the fullest possible involvement of regional or local authorities throughout the Community in the planning and implementation of programmes, the Commission's proposals advocate the concept of "partnership" between those authorities, the national authorities and the Commission. In Ireland's case, it is envisaged that, through this partnership, local authorities will play their full part in the programmes which will be developed.
