Vol. 393 No. 8
asked the Minister for Finance if it is the intention of the Government to apply for further EC grant-aid for arterial drainage in the severely disadvantaged areas with a view to starting work on the Owenmore and Arrow Rivers and catchment areas or any other arterial drainage scheme.
86.
asked the Minister for Finance if any EC grants are available for arterial drainage work; if so, if he will give details thereof; when the last application was made to the EC for arterial drainage; and if it is his intention to make any further application for EC funds, especially for work on the Owenmore and Arrow catchment areas in Sligo which are regularly subject to disastrous flooding.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 86 together.
There are no EC funds available for arterial drainage schemes at present. The Community measures whereby EC funds were made available for arterial drainage works in the less favoured areas of the west of Ireland and in the cross-Border region and on the Boyne and Maigue schemes expired some years ago and applications made in 1985 for further Community funding for arterial drainage were rejected by the EC. However, whenever a scheme for the Owenmore/Arrow or any other catchment is ready, it will be considered for any EC funds which may be available at that time.
