According to the Act, except in very limited circumstances relating to a particular project, it is beyond the scope of the Western Investment Fund to spend money on infrastructure. This is not an infrastructure fund.
With regard to the other issue the Deputy raised, the current position is that at the beginning of this year we provided more than €6 million in the Estimate. However, it emerged at my meeting with the chief executive of the Western Development Commission last week that it is unlikely that even €1.35 million will be spent this year. Given this small outturn compared to the level of money provided, it would have been foolish, particularly in a time of tight finances, to allocate money that would probably not be drawn down. I decided not to over-provide next year in light of the inability of the Western Investment Fund to draw down the current allocation. The reality is that the money drawn down is not determined by the amount of money I provide, but by the ability of the fund to find projects which will draw down the money in the calendar year.