Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 22 Feb 1994

Vol. 439 No. 2

Written Answers. - National Development Plan.

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

39 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Finance when the current negotiations with Brussels on the National Development Plan, 1994-1999 will be completed; and the amount of extra funding he expects from the community initiative programme up to and including 1997.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

Negotiations are under way between the Irish Government and European Commission officials on the proposals set out in the National Development Plan with a view to agreeing the community support framework which will set out investment proposals to be financed by the EU Structural Funds. As the formal negotiations have just commenced it is difficult to assess the timing of their completion. I am hopeful that these can be concluded over the next month or two.

These negotiations relate only to Structural Funds programmes that are included in the community support framework and not to Community initiative programmes to which a separate procedure applies. The European Commission has only recently finalised its guidelines for Community initiatives for the period 1994 to 1999. These will now be the subject of consultation with the European Parliament and a management committee of the member states. It is likely to be the summer before the Commission formally adopts any initiatives.

No allocations to member states have yet been made. The Government expect that Ireland will receive at least £400 million in aid under the initiatives in the period 1994 to 1999. The Government will be seeking to maximise aid to Ireland under the initiatives.