Would the Minister not agree that there is a restriction on many projects which do not qualify on the criteria laid down? It is about time that the Minister examined the criteria used so that there will be a spread between projects submitted by individuals, communities or groupings and those which have been examined and approved by the Department of Finance. We had several laudable projects which would have given great benefit and required very little Exchequer input. It has been accepted by European Parliament officials who came here that projects from individuals and communities should be examined.

If the Deputies opposite are going to start off with this old claptrap about Ministers for Finance and the Department of Finance, they might as well forget about it and go home because they are only obstructing the giving of a proper answer to Deputy Leonard. It is not true that there are projects which have been turned down and which would have benefited from assistance from the Regional Fund with very little input from the Exchequer. It is a condition of qualification for assistance from the Regional Fund that there be a substantial Exchequer contribution from the recipient country. There is no case where it can be said that projects have not been assisted from the Regional Fund although they would not have cost the Exchequer money. That cannot happen under the regulations. Given the fact that we always have enough projects to use up our total entitlement, if we were to switch from one project to another or bring in a project which had not been foreseen for participation, the result would be that a similar project would be pushed out. As long as we produce enough projects to use up our total entitlement from the Regional Fund, it does not particularly matter which projects are in and which projects are out for the purpose of the Regional Fund.

It matters for the counties we represent.

It does matter whether those projects are in the Public Capital Programme. That programme is bigger each year by the amount we receive from the European Regional Development Fund.

May I ask a very short question.

I am sorry, Deputy, I have discretion on this. I must have regard to the other people who were lucky enough to draw questions. There is no use in their drawing questions if they are to be obliterated.