asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if in view of the great success of the west Cork pilot area scheme he will be prepared to extend it and take in the Beara peninsula.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - West Cork Pilot Area Scheme.
79.
The report compiled by my Department's western regional officer on "Agriculture in the West of Ireland" which was published recently contains a detailed review of the operation of the pilot area development programme during the five years 1965 to 1970. Future policy in regard to the pilot areas is being examined in the context of this report and of evolving farm structure policy in the EEC. Pending completion of this examination, it is not proposed to extend the existing pilot areas.
In view of the Minister's reply, in view of the length of time this pilot scheme has been in operation and the wonderful success of the pilot area in west Cork—I am glad to see that it is the best area in the 12 western counties—is it not time to extend the area to take in the Beara peninsula, which is suitable for it?
The Deputy will appreciate that any measures such as he contemplates will necessarily have to be considered in the context of the farm structure policy within the EEC. It may well be possible that areas like Beara will come in for special assistance from Brussels on our accession to the EEC. This is hardly the time to extend the area.
The pilot scheme has been in operation for ten years and surely the Department must have made up their minds now whether it is a success.
It is not as simple as that. Deputy O'Sullivan seems to be ignoring what I said about the special assistance provided by Brussels on our accession to the EEC.
Am I to understand from the Minister that areas such as Beara have been more or less abandoned by the Government in so far as development is concerned? We are told here we must wait for Brussels to develop them. Have we abandoned all hope of developing the West of Ireland or is the only hope now through Brussels? What in the name of heavens does Brussels care about places like Beara? The Minister said he would leave Beara over until we get Brussels to deal with it and he has satisfied himself that Brussels will deal favourably with it. I want to know the source of his information.
That is another question.
Can the Minister tell me——
We cannot spend the whole afternoon on Question No. 79.
Deputies Murphy and O'Sullivan seem to be unaware that a great many measures to assist farming areas like Beara have been taken as recently as the last couple of months by way of the farm bonus incentive scheme. The pilot area scheme was designed for a different purpose. What Deputy Murphy appears to suggest is that areas like Beara are being abandoned totally. He knows perfectly well that the special measures being employed in the western areas have been extended progressively and the most recent evidence of it was the farm bonus incentive scheme.
Has the bacon factory which the Government promised 40 years ago been opened in West Cork?
I cannot see any relationship——
The question applied to the pilot area scheme.
I think the pilot area scheme relates to whether there should be a bacon factory in West Cork which the Government promised 40 years ago.
All I can say is that I can see no relation between it and the question on the Order Paper.
Is it open or not? That is all I want to know?
Will the Deputy cease his clowning?
It is not clowning. I object to the Minister calling it clowning. He turned out to be a real clown.
When Deputy O'Donovan was in the Fine Gael Party or whichever party he was in before that——
I was never in Fianna Fáil.
I must humbly tell him that I am 47 years old and that at seven years of age I did not promise anything to the people of Beara.