§ Sir Biggs-DavisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the extent of the Northern Ireland participation in the Irish Institute for European Affairs in Leuven; what is the cost to public funds; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ViggersConstruction trainees from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland participated in the renovation of the institute's buildings. Since 1985 the Department of Economic Development and AnCO (the industrial training authority in the Republic) have jointly sponsored a series of European export marketing programmes training unemployed graduates to become export marketing managers. In addition, the institute is used for a variety of seminars, conferences, public lectures and business receptions by both the private and public sectors.
The cost of the institute to Northern Ireland funds in the year ended 31 March 1988 was £90,255, including annual subvention of £20,000 payable by the Department of Economic Development over a period of three years, matching a corresponding sum paid by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland.