Vol. 500 No. 3
55 Mr. Yates asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will expedite payments under an INTERREG II initiative to a voluntary organisation (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if all outstanding moneys will be paid forthwith. [3932/99]
Following various contacts with the UK authorities and the European Commission, a further application for funding Irish projects in INTERREG, Ireland/Wales, was submitted by our Department to the Commission in recent weeks. It has since indicated that this application had been accepted and I expect, therefore, that funds will be issued within two months. On receipt, the moneys due to the projects will be expedited immediately by our Department.
As I have said in reply to other recent questions from Deputies on this matter, our Department had attempted to find an interim solution to provide for payments to the projects involved including the Wexford case raised by the Deputy. This involved proposals for the use of Exchequer funds pending receipts from Brussels. However, following discussion with the Department of Finance this was not considered to be possible.
Our Department is fully cognisant of the delays which have occurred here, of the effect this has been having on the progress of the Irish partners in the joint projects and of the need to inject funds as quickly as possible. Every effort will continue to be made by our Department within its powers to correct this situation with the minimum of further delay.
