The Deputy in his question refers to the submission on the next National Development Plan made by the Dublin sub-regional review committee in response to my invitation last year to all the sub-regional review committees to make submissions on the content and strategy of the National Development Plan which will form the basis for negotiations with the EC Commission on the Community Support Framework for the Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund from 1994 on. I am very happy to have received detailed submissions from all the committees and these are being examined carefully both by my myself and by other Ministers and our officials as part of the process of preparing the National Development Plan.
All operational programmes under the present community support framework are national sectoral programmes rather than regional programmes. This is considered the most efficient and effective way of giving effect to the development measures provided for in the Community support framework having regard to our administrative and governmental arrangements.
While there is no specific operational programme under the current community support framework directed solely at cities many of the programmes meet specific investment needs in relation to the urban environment, in water and sanitary services, transport, urban tourism and heritage, education and training and industrial development.
