Vol. 481 No. 5
118 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the recent evaluation report on the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, to the effect that, in the area of specialist accommodation, virtually all of the funds allocated to this area are already committed, and that, but for a number of accommodation types specified in the Operational Programme for Tourism, little or nothing has happened. [16791/97]
119 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the findings of the evaluation report on the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, that the target for leisure centres, new and improved, has little chance of being attained; his views on the seriousness of the situation in view of the importance in generating off-season tourism; and if he will consider the transfer of funds out of other programmes in order to rectify this serious trend. [16792/97]
120 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the findings of the evaluation report on the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, that there is considerable scope for allocating additional resources to measure 5 technical services where 90 per cent of the budget is already committed and where applications currently under consideration could absorb double the existing financial allocations to facilitate improvements to conference centres. [16793/97]
121 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the findings of the evaluation of the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, which states that financial resources should be transferred from measures 1 and 2 to measures 4 and 5 and that tourism activities such as walking, cycling and genealogy are particularly badly served by the current allocation system. [16794/97]
122 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the recent evaluation of the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, which states that there is a need for an improved selection of projects and that there should be a more discriminating approach by product management boards, tighter criteria and that products should not be judged on a first come, first served basis. [16795/97]
123 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the findings of the mid-term evaluation of the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, that the operational programme is much more supportive of public infrastructure than of private product-related investment and that, of the total grant aid under sub-programmes 1 and 2, less than one fifth is directed towards the private sector; and the steps, if any, he has taken to put right this imbalance. [16796/97]
124 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the findings of the mid-term evaluation report of the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999, the measure 2 within sub-programme 2, that the heritage towns programme can be achieved for less than the budget allocated and that £4 million be transferred out of that area. [16697/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123 and 124 together.
The report on the mid-term evaluation of the Operational Programme for Tourism was undertaken on behalf of the monitoring committee for the programme in the context of the mid-term review of the Community Support Framework (CSF) for Ireland 1994-99.
Following extensive evaluation and consultation, the European Commission and the Government agreed the CSF mid-term review package in July. This package sets out the detail of changes which were considered desirable in the overall balance between the various programmes, including tourism, which go to make up Ireland's Community Support Framework (1994-99). It is intended that all issues relating to the mid-term review of the tourism programme, bearing in mind the CSF mid-term review package, will be dealt with at the tourism monitoring committee meeting scheduled for November next, including the issues of possible financial transfers within the progrmme, reorganisation of priorities and selection criteria.
