Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 20 Feb 2002

Vol. 549 No. 1

Written Answers. - Objective One Status.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

202 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the advantages under her Department's remit that have accrued to County Donegal and the north west region arising from the Objective One designation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6042/02]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

From January 2000 to October 2002 in excess of €18.8 million was spent by my Department on projects in County Donegal under the national development plan.

The main areas of expenditure were:

Údarás na Gaeltachta	€16.34 million
An Ghaeltacht (Roads, Piers, Village Renewal)	€2.236 million
Heritage Conservation	€0.207 million
Habitat Protection and Conservation	€0.038 million

It is clear from the above that Donegal is benefiting significantly from my Department's NDP programme.

It is difficult to quantify the degree to which the funding for County Donegal under my Department's element of the NDP has been influenced by the retention of the Objective one designation by the Border, midland and western region. However, as the funding generally available in this region has been increased proportionately, it is reasonable to assume the level of funding to date for Donegal, and the allocations for future years, would not have been as significant had the Objective One designation been lost.