Austin Deasy
Ceist:50 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Marine the reason Ireland receives only 50 per cent grant-aid for its ports whereas Northern Ireland receives 75 per cent grant-aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Grant Aid for Ports.
The EC aid which was available for port projects under the current Operational Programme on Peripherality covering the years 1989 to 1993 was approximately £34 million. It was decided on the basis of this allocation that the optimum level of total investment in harbours would be best achieved by an aid rate of 50 per cent. This aid rate allowed all the key priority -projects to proceed and achieved a balanced regional spread of investment. Had the aid rate been fixed at 75 per cent, the volume of investment would have been significantly lower.
Our programme provides that harbour authorities and private project promoters can received grant aid (EC aid and, in certain cases, Exchequer aid also) of up to 50 per cent of their approved project's total costs. Under the programme 11 ports (Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Dundalk, Dun Laoghaire, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Rosslare and Waterford) have had projects approved for grant aid. If the programme had provided a level of EC grant aid comparable to that which obtained for some ports in Northern Ireland in the 1989-1993 period, fewer of our ports would have benefited from the limited EC funds available. Responsibility for the EC aid rate made available to port projects in Northern Ireland rests of course with the United Kingdom authorities.
The optimum rate of EC grant aid to be made available to port projects under the next round of Structural Funds is a matter for consideration by the Government in the context of the forthcoming National Development Plan.