Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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253. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in the context of his budget speech in relation to the special additional allocation of €100 million in structural funds to the border, midland and western region, if an application from Ireland West Airport Knock as the leading airport in the region will be considered; the timeframe proposed for this operational plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40341/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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In the context of the agreement on the EU's Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), the Irish Government was successful in securing €1.2billion of Cohesion policy funding for the period 2014-2020.   This represented an increase of 8% in real terms over the 2007-2013 programming period.  In particular, the Government was successful in negotiating a special allocation of €100m (2011 prices) for the Border, Midland and Western (BMW) Region, in recognition that it is now classified by the EU as a more developed region.

Preparations for the new programming period, 2014-2020, have been underway in Ireland for some time. This has involved public consultations as well as the preparation of needs analyses and ex-ante evaluations.    In accordance with EU requirements, Ireland has prepared a draft Partnership Agreement with the European Commission which sets out funding priorities that take account of the Europe 2020 Strategy for Smart, Inclusive and Sustainable Growth and the National Reform Programme.  These priorities include promoting jobs and growth; combating unemployment and social exclusion; promoting R&D and ICT investment and the competitiveness of the business sector; and promoting an environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient economy.

Draft Operational Programmes, including one covering the BMW region, have been prepared in accordance with these priorities and with the relevant EU Regulations, and these have been submitted to the Commission.  The Regulations specifically exclude airport infrastructure except for measures related to environmental protection.