Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 May 1992

Vol. 420 No. 4

Written Answers. - Structural Fund Aided Projects.

Mervyn Taylor

Ceist:

27 Mr. Taylor asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline the amount of direct EC funds, which have been made available in each of the years between 1988 and 1991, for specific cross-Border projects under the EC Structural and related funds; if, in respect of such funds, he will list each project, the total cost and the amount of EC grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

EC structural fund assistance in respect of projects funded in 1988 and under the Community Support Framework for Ireland 1989 to 1993 relates almost entirely to projects in the south and would not in general include cross-Border projects.

The main vehicle for structural fund assistance for cross-Border co-operation is the joint Ireland/Northern Ireland programme under the structural funds Community initiative INTERREG. This programme was approved on 25 July 1991 and runs to the end of 1993. It involves total expenditure of just over £100 million of which the structural funds will contribute 76 mecu (approximately £58 million) in the total eligible Border area North and South. Assistance is provided under the programme for both cross-Border projects and projects on each side of the Border carried out within the joint planning framework of the programme — the great majority of projects would fall into the latter category.

Since the programme was only approved in late Summer 1991, the great bulk of the expenditure is scheduled to take place in 1992 and 1993. The latest available estimate for total expenditure under the programme in 1991 is approximately £18 million of which the structural fund contribution would be approximately £10.5 million. The annual report on the programme for 1991 is not yet available so it is not possible at this stage to give a breakdown of expenditure in that year.

To date the major cross-Border project that has received structural fund assistance is the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal project. Expenditure to end 1991 in respect of this project in the South was £8.7 million of which the structural fund contribution was £6.5 million. The sections of the project closest to the Border are aided under the INTERREG programme and the rest of the project is aided under the Operational Programme for Tourism.

Apart from the structural funds, the EC contributed 15 million ECU (approximately £11.5 million) in each of the years 1989 to 1991 to the International Fund for Ireland, which assists projects in Ireland, both North and South.