James Leonard
Ceist:4 Mr. Leonard asked the Taoiseach the number of times the task force to co-ordinate the various Border area programmes has met. [6924/96]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Task Force on Border Funding.
The task force reviewing funding arrangements for the Border counties has met twice.
A significant amount of information has been gathered and is being analysed. I expect to submit a report to Government by end April.
Does the Minister agree that this should be dealt with as a matter of urgency? It is disappointing that despite the availability of funds for cross-Border projects progress has been slow. The 1994-99 operational programme, INTERREG and the peace and reconciliation programme have run half their course.
There is little scope for going beyond the statistical nature of the question as framed.
We must make progress in that area.
The Taoiseach asked me on 7 February to draw the various strands together. The task force has met twice, on 22 February and on 12 March. I expect to have a comprehensive review to submit to Government by end April. There are 18 potential sources of European funding available for the Border region together with the IFI. The committee brought the Departments together to find out what has been allocated, what has been spent and what remains to be allocated. Some categories of spending are demand led and depend on applications being received while other spending is by Government agencies and Departments. I am glad good progress is being made.
Will Members have an opportunity to discuss the report?
We will consider that.
Some time ago we asked the Minister of State to consider the possibility of designating peace initiative funds for the provision of infrastructure for industrial purposes along the Border areas. Has any progress been made in that area?
I have met representatives of the regional authority and the IDA. Virtually all funds have been allocated. They were designated by the previous Government. The points raised by the regional authority will be considered by the committee.
I am referring to the peace initiative funds. They were not designated by the previous Government. The Government added ADM and the Combat Poverty Agency to the existing agencies. Additional funds are available which could be used to provide infrastructure for industrial purposes which Government Deputies are exhorting the Government to do.
I am concerned about proceeding with policy matters under this question which is framed as a statistical one.
The bulk of the programme is being implemented by intermediaries with whom the Commission finalised a global grant last December.
It was not designated by the previous Government.
The Combat Poverty Agency and ADM have opened offices in Monaghan. Application forms have been made available. When applications are received, decisions will be made quickly and money will come on stream.
Is the Minister aware of the concerns of those in the Border area? Fifteen bodies were nominated to allocate this money and the Minister has now added three more. Will the Minister give the names of those on the task force and state its objective? He stated in his reply that it would find out how much money had been allocated and what remains to be allocated, but surely more than that is necessary if people are to see a worthwhile return from all the funding and the various agencies involved.
Those on the task force are Dermot McCarthy, Department of the Taoiseach; Deirdre Carroll, Department of Social Welfare; Séan O'Sullivan, Pól O Duibhir and Paul Fleming, Department of Finance; Brendan McNamara, Department of Foreign Affairs; Paul Cullen and Damien Cannon, Department of Enterprise and Employment; Pat Dowling, Department of Education; Tony Burke, Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; Julie O'Neill, Office of the Tánaiste; Hugh Frazer, Combat Poverty Agency; Tony Crux, ADM Limited and myself.
The Deputy is on his own.
The gender balance is not correct.
We would not mind if we got some money.
Most of the measures were agreed and it was a matter of processing them in the Departments. Since the task force was set up each Department has been given final dates on which to announce the measures. I expect that when the report goes to Government at the end of April much of the money will be released.