Vol. 428 No. 6
67 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the criteria he will use for the election of projects for assistance from the new jobs fund; and the access which community groups shall have to assistance from this fund.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply to parliamentary questions on 11 March 1993 by the Minister for Finance about the jobs fund under the Programme for Government.
Clearly, as Minister for Enterprise and Employment, I will be making an input to decision-making at Government level on the approval of projects which will arise for consideration in the context of both the Public Capital Programme and the environmental and transport infrastructure developments to be assisted under the Cohesion Fund. Primary responsibility for the assessment of such projects will obviously be a matter for the Minister in whose areas of competence the projects will arise.
In relation to access to funding support for community groups, this will arise primarily in the context of the allocation within the overall jobs fund provision in 1993 which has been made in respect of the establishment of the county enterprise partnership boards. Arising from the transfer of responsibility for county enterprise partnership boards to the Department of Enterprise and Employment, an allocation of £25 million for spending via the CEPBs this year is being included in my Department's Vote to be published in the 1993 Revised Estimate Volume. As a voted expenditure item, all the resources released in support of community enterprise projects will be subject to standard Government statutory and accounting procedures.
