Vol. 422 No. 5
68 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if the Government have sought funding for the country's textile and clothing industry under the EC Commission RETEX initiative; if his attention has been drawn to the warning issued by the CII that this country could miss out on millions in EC grant-aid unless a detailed submission was submitted by Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The EC Commission gave its final agreement to the RETEX Initiative at its meeting on 13 May 1992 and it was published in the Official Journal of the Community on 4 June 1992. The relevant statistical information required by the EC Commission has been submitted in support of Ireland's eligibility for RETEX funding.
Since the draft RETEX Initiative was originally announced my Department have had in depth discussion with the Commission and obtained full clarification of the matter, with a view to maximising its impact for the benefit of Ireland. My Department have also had discussions with the CII to appraise them of developments on the initiative.
The initiative is applicable to regions heavily dependent on both the textiles and clothing sectors. Its stated purpose is to accelerate the diversification of economic activities in these regions to render them less dependent on textiles and clothing. Thus it is not a sectoral initiative but rather a horizontal one to assist regions with a high dependency on both the textiles and clothing industry by encouraging the adjustment of commercially viable businesses in all sectors of industrial activity.
Qualifying member states have been invited to present operational programmes, within six months of the date of the publication of the initiative on 4 June 1992. Work is already underway to meet their requirement.
I can assure the Deputy and the House that my Department together with relevant State agencies continue to pursue every opportunity to maximise the impact of this inititive for our economy.
