The only programme under the Community Support Framework for which my Department has direct responsibility is the technical assistance OP. Total funding under this programme is 12.632 mecu of which 75 per cent will come from the European Regional Development Fund.
The purpose of the programme is to support the monitoring, assessment and evaluation of the CSF, information and publicity in relation to the CSF and the EU activities of regional authorities. There have been underspends on all of the measures to date due to a combination of factors, including the late approval of the programme (July 1996) resulting in, among other things, the delayed establishment of the Structural Funds information office and the CSF evaluation unit. Reprogramming between measures will be necessary to take this into account and anticipated expenditure from 1998 onwards to provide for the engagement of consultants in the preparation of a plan for the next round of Structural Funds and to address new requirements in relation to financial control and monitoring of the CSF.
The provision for monitoring progress on expenditure in the mid-term review will apply to the technical assistance OP. A report will be prepared for the technical assistance OP monitoring committee in line with this requirement. The mid-term review envisages that such reports would be produced for the OP and CSF monitoring committees to assist them to carry out their functions. Accordingly, it was not envisaged that such reports would be published. The question of the making available of any such reports would be a matter for the relevant monitoring committee to decide.