asked the Minister for Agriculture if he has approached the EEC Commission with a proposal to include the Slieve Felim area, County Tipperary, in the disadvantaged areas scheme; and if so, the result of that submission.
8.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.
7.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will make a statement on the up-to-date position regarding the extension to the disadvantaged areas boundaries.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 8 together.
The examination of additional areas, including the Slieve Felim area, for inclusion under the disadvantaged areas scheme has been completed here. The matter now rests with the EEC Commission and, where a sustainable case is accepted by them, it will have to go to the Council of Ministers for final decision. The procedures involved in Brussels may not be completed until later in the year and in the meantime I do not wish to prejudice the outcome in any way by disclosing details in regard to particular areas.
When was the submission made to Brussels?
I would say about a month ago.
Is the Minister aware that I protest at the undue delay in forwarding the case to Brussels? Members of the Minister's party before the election gave a solemn undertaking to the electorate that they would immediately include the Slieve Felim area.
"Is the Minister aware?"—the Deputy is asking a question?
(Interruptions.)
The people will be even more aware by 7 June.
Is the Minister aware of a statement which appeared in the Tipperary Star of 20 January 1979 by the Minister for Foreign Affairs who told the people that the Government had already made a submission to the EEC for inclusion of the Slieve Felim area and that the smallholders of the Slieve Felim area are most disappointed at the out-come? The Minister must be aware that they are thoroughly disappointed that they are not already included, because they were given a solemn undertaking by members of the Fianna Fáil Party before the election that their case would be immediately taken by the Minister.
I accept that the solemn undertaking was given by the Fianna Fáil Party in their pre-election manifesto that the review of the disadvantaged areas would be carried out and this has been done. As the Deputy knows, that takes considerable time, because every area which made application for an extension of the severly handicapped areas had to be considered and the necessary information had to be compiled and then submitted to the Government. I have myself met a deputation from the Slieve Felim area and had a very useful discussion with them, and I think they fully appreciate the problem that exists in that area. At this stage I cannot say, nor can anybody else until such time as the case is finalised in Brussels, whether the Slieve Felim or any other area will be included under this scheme. A review has been carried out, the case has been processed by the Government and duly submitted to Brussels, and that is where it lies at present.
Could the Minister tell the House whether his officials have advised him that the Slieve Felim area in Tipperary meets all the criteria necessary to qualify for inclusion in the disadvantaged areas scheme?
I do not think it would be advisable for me at this stage to say what area is going to be included. As the Deputy knows, the EEC Commission laid down certain criteria which have to be followed very closely, and we are trying to define from that what areas should be included. I am hoping that the Slieve Felim area will be one of the areas which will be finally accepted.
Is the Minister aware that I was advised that the Slieve Felim area did not qualify or meet the criteria and their application could not be submitted because of that?
I am not aware what advice Deputy Clinton has got, but I was informed that Deputy Clinton should have included it when he carried out his last review when Minister for Agriculture.
Since this is a question that appears regularly on the Order Paper, does it take two years to submit details and to get a decision from Brussels on any extension to the disadvantaged areas? I am speaking from the point of view of Cork, in respect of which we have submitted an application at least three times.
I do not think that this is right. A considerable amount of work is involved in any review. We gave an undertaking in our election manifesto that a review would be carried out. The review started in September after the election and, in my opinion, has not taken too long. It is not just something that you can push a large number of civil servants into and get done overnight.
The Minister of State has all the details.
I accept that, but when the Deputy's party were in power they said that they would not carry out any further reviews.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
Deputies can check the records of the House.
It is an untrue statement.
It is not an untrue statement. The records of the House will bear me out.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
I am surprised at the Minister coming into the House and making an untrue statement.
It is not untrue. The last review Deputy Clinton carried out the said would be the final review. It is on the record of the House.
Give me the reference.
I will find it for the Deputy if he wants it.
Could the Minister tell the House how the publication of the areas that have been submitted would prejudice negotiations in view of the fact that the criteria which applications must meet and the data upon which applications would be based are already public?
I am not prepared to decide on an application of this kind. As the Commission in Brussels have the final say, it would be unfair of me——
I am asking about the Minister's final submission.
——to tell any area that they were included at this stage. Brussels might decide otherwise on the basis of information supplied to them.
Why will the Minister not publish his submission in view of the fact that his submission must be based on data and criteria that are already publicly available?
A final supplementary. Could the Minister inform the House how a Government decision to rescind the National Coalition decision not to include the Slieve Felim area could be arrived at when no such decision was taken by the National Coalition to exclude this area?
We cannot revise the boundaries.
The local elections are coming up and the Government are not putting in a lot of places that they would like to pretend they are putting in.
If I were to publish our decision at this stage it might mean that we would win many more council elections.
(Interruptions.)
When the Minister is speaking others should not be.
There are probably only one or two areas' applications submitted to Brussels.
We will keep you in suspense for a few months more.
If Deputies continue to ignore the Chair, the Chair will have to take action.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Will the Minister of State undertake to do his best to implement the manifesto promise to have further areas of Cavan-Monaghan included in the scheme?
It is coming up to the elections.
Is the Minister aware that the previous Government made a concreate decision not to submit a scheme to Brussels which would involve extending the disadvantaged areas scheme to the areas that have been mentioned, in-cluding Slieve Felim? In view of the fact that the Government have now reversed that decision and submitted a scheme to Brussels, would he use his good offices to ensure that the decision would be made as speedily as possible?
I will do that.
Why does he not publish the submission?
We will keep you in suspense for another while.
(Interruptions.)
Order.
How many areas did the Coalition Government include? Was it three or four the last time?