asked the Minister for Finance the reason the European Regional Development Fund allocation to Donegal County Council has been reduced from £200,000 in 1982 to £80,000 in 1983.

I presume the Deputy is referring to the Special Border Areas Programme Fund which is being aided by the non-quota section of the European Regional Development Fund.

I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Deputy O'Hanlon on 9 March 1983 when I stated that there was an unexpended balance of IR£2.4 million in the Special Border Areas Programme Fund at the end of 1982. Of this amount, IR£189,672 is available to Donegal County Council. With the additional allocation of IR£80,000 provided in 1983, the total amount available for Donegal County Council in 1983 is IR£269,672. In the years 1981 and 1982 combined expenditure on projects by the county council amounted to about £162,000.

Would the Minister accept that Donegal County Council have not been informed of anything in addition to £80,000 and would he furthermore accept that in October-November of last year the Department advised Donegal County Council to anticipate £200,000 for 1983 and that they should make plans accordingly? As far as Donegal County Council are aware, would he accept that they have been advised that there is only £80,000 available?

The position regarding Donegal County Council is as follows: In 1982, a provision of £352,000 was made for the county council, of which £162,000 — in round figures — was spent, leaving £189,672 as a balance unexpended in 1982, which is brought forward into 1983. That, together with the £80,000 allocated for 1983, brings the total available to the county council for this year to £269,672. That is the actual position as far as the allocation to Donegal County Council is concerned.

I will bring the good tidings to Donegal County Council, because they have not yet been advised about it. Arising out of that, if there are proposals to rationalise the ERDF — and this is with the Council of Ministers — at that meeting if there are such proposals ——

A question, Deputy, please.

Would he, on behalf of the people of Donegal, suggest that it is not necessary to go through the member state, that we in Donegal are prepared to pay pound for pound as against their money? Would he put the case for us on that basis, rather than putting it through the member state?

I appreciate the Deputy's suggestion. If Deputy Gallagher and, indeed, anybody else, has specific proposals to make as to how we might re-jig the operation of the Regional Development Fund, I would be happy to hear those proposals. The situation as of now is that money is still not made available to an individual project. Funding from the Regional Development Fund depends on the member state in question providing part of the funding themselves, so that it is not normally done on a specific project by project basis but on the basis of a certain number of projects put up by the member state in question.

The situation in relation to the Border areas fund is slightly different, as I explained in the last few days in response to questions from other Deputies.