Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 12 Dec 1995

Vol. 459 No. 6

Written Answers. - Cavan/Monaghan Fisheries Funding.

James Leonard

Ceist:

180 Mr. Leonard asked the Minister for the Marine the amount of funding under the operational programme 1994 to 1999 for inland fisheries for lake development; and the expenditure under this programme for development in counties Cavan and Monaghan. [18661/95]

Minister for the Marine (Mr. Barrett)

The Tourism Angling Measure of the Operational Programme for Tourism provides for total investment of almost £19 million in the development of the tourism angling product over five years. I have already announced 34 projects, involving total expenditure of some £4 million, under this measure.

Indicative investment of almost £4 million in the Border region, including the Cavan/Monaghan area, has been provided for under the Tourism Angling Measure. The extent to which this indicative investment is realised will depend on the number, eligibility and quality of projects submitted. While specific projects in the Cavan-Monaghan area have not to date been finalised, I fully expect that there will be investment in that area in future tranches of projects.

The Central Fisheries Board and the Department of the Marine have responsibility for the administration and implementation of the Tourism Angling Measure. The Central Fisheries Board is responsible for the day to day administration of the measure with the Department having overall responsibility for its implementation. All applications for funding under the measure are subject to detailed technical, operational, management and financial assessment by the Central Fisheries Board. I will ask the Board to advise the Deputy directly about applications on hand in relation to projects in the Cavan/Monaghan area.

Scope for significant investment in the Cavan/Monaghan area, and in the Border region generally, also exists under the Fisheries Measures of the INTERREG Programme, 1994 to 1999, under which £2.5 million has been made available, and under the recently announced Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.

A number of inland fisheries projects submitted under the INTERREG Programme are undergoing evaluation at present while arrangements for the administration of inland fisheries measures under the Peace and Reconciliation Programme are being discussed at present.