Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

It depends on all kinds of factors, carry-overs and so on. Last year we tried to ensure that the building was done on time and we paid for them all. I am confident that some new measures can be introduced. Some of the measures introduced previously have a certain shelf life, for example, the three phase electricity conversions for businesses. Obviously there was a big demand in the beginning but it appears from the number of applications now being received that most businesses that needed these conversions have converted. Therefore, the demand for that scheme is slowing down.

There is a number of other small schemes that do not require the same amount of money this year as in previous years. It is a question of using the money to best effect. We are looking at a number of schemes. Given that discussions are taking place, I do not want to pre-empt those discussions. One of the golden rules of CLÁR is that nothing is agreed until the relevant State agency or Department has come on board and agreed the projects. In general, there are small issues of public infrastructure in typical low-population rural areas, relating to leisure and other kinds of infrastructure.

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