I approved the organisation in question some 426,667 ecu in European Social Fund support under the NOW strand of the EU employment initiative in January 1998 towards the cost of a project to be completed this year. In June 1998 this same project was approved a further 189,873 ECU, this time in European Regional Development Fund support, from that same EU initiative towards the building and fitting-out of an associated resource centre for women.
I am not aware of an application for a further £200,000 in support from my Department for the organisation in question but I should also point out that if such an application was made the Department would not be in a position to consider it. There are a large number of ongoing projects under a range of EU initiatives managed by the Department whose implementation depends on the promoters' ability to provide matching funding from other sources. Both the ESF and European Regional Development Fund approvals in this case, as is normal for other such projects under EU initiatives, were made expressly on the basis of the promoter securing a minimum of 25 per cent in matching funds from non-EU sources.
