asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the pilot areas for integrated rural development will be announced; and whether he has any further policy initiatives for IRD other than the establishment of pilot areas.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Integrated Rural Development.
40.
The Government have established a task force comprising representatives at senior level of the main economic departments to advise on the development of a pilot programme for integrated rural development.
The programme will be designed to develop and implement an economic and social strategy which will focus on local resources and institutions. Its economic dimension will involve devising a programme which will initiate enterprise and developmental activity to improve job and income creation opportunities. The social aspect will concentrate on improving the quality of life in rural areas through fostering the growth of self-sustaining communities, better amenities and social improvement projects.
It is not envisaged that a comprehensive programme for integrated rural development will be introduced in the European Community until next year. The pilot programme will be unique to Ireland and we hope to get financial support this year from the Commission for this purpose. I will announce the pilot areas shortly.
A comprehensive national programme for integrated rural development will be introduced as soon as the European Community finalises its proposals.
I note that the pilot areas will be announced shortly, perhaps within the next week or two, but the approach which has been outlined by the Minister seems to be a centralised one and runs counter to what I would consider to be proper integrated rural development. Can the Minister tell us how he would define integrated rural development?
I do not see how the Deputy could come to the conclusion that it is a centralised approach; the opposite is the case. Because the EC will not have a comprehensive scheme ready until next year I obtained agreement to launch a pilot programme in this country this year to help us, if you like, to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes. At the end of this year when the European Community programme is introduced throughout the Community we will be at the head of the race so to speak. I do not know how the Deputy can say that it is a centralised approach as it will be introduced specifically in rural districts. Incidentally, any list which has been published in any journal is inaccurate. I never rely on leaks, particularly if they appear in certain newspapers. Let me say that the list which appeared in the Irish Farmers Journal today is not accurate. It is our intention to ensure that each pilot area will be unique in its own way. We intend to develop the strengths and characteristics of each of those areas. If I thought that this was going to have a centralised approach I would totally oppose it.
Does that mean that the development goals for each of the areas will emanate from the areas themselves? Does it also mean that there will be a decentralisation of the institutional structures and a devolution of decision making? I must confess that I get alarmed when I hear about task forces being set up to deal with new concepts. There should be a strong input from the rural areas concerned in the drawing up of any strategy.
Now I understand why the Deputy raised the question in regard to centralisation. Let me say that the task force will comprise representatives of senior level from the main economic Departments, at the level of assistant secretary, whose job will be to advise on the selection of the appropriate areas — it is the Government who will make the final decision — and on the range of activities which might be pursued which will vary from place to place. Once the particular areas have been selected a particular person will be given specific responsibility to stimulate and build on the strengths of each area.
I understand that there will be about one dozen pilot areas. Will the Minister respond to the criticism which has been made, which I will make myself if I do not get a satisfactory response, and that is that he has caused the withdrawal of hundreds of agricultural advisers in rural areas which are to be replaced by a dozen people who will develop these programmes.
The second point is on the implementation structures. As the Minister is aware, the Commission will insist on the involvement of local and regional authorities in implementation. What is his thinking on the structures by which programmes will be implemented? Perhaps the first point is more relevant.
The question enables me to clarify the point. The Deputy misunderstands the purpose of this scheme if he thinks it is confined to the role of agricultural advisers: far from it. It is just that some Department and some Minister has to be the promoter and that job falls to me because I have negotiated this matter in Europe. This will involve a whole range of activities that have no relationship to conventional agricultural advice.
I accept that.
Therefore the analogy the Deputy makes when he talks about disposing of agricultural advisers on the one hand and putting these people in place on the other hand is not correct. They are not related. There will be some element of agriculture advise but maybe not very much. I do not think there is anything else I should say in anticipation. I will be announcing this measure very shortly and when I do so we can have a discussion on it here. I do not want to anticipate anything that will emerge at that time. Suffice it to say that we have taken this ball and have run with it. We are the first country in Europe that is introducing this scheme and I have got agreement from the Commission that it is going to give us funding for something that is not even covered by regulation and that is no bad achievement. Let us make many mistakes — I hope we do — over the 12 months and let us learn from those mistakes. This is only a pilot experiment. Let us then put the measure in place and be ready to run faster than the other countries when the entire scheme is launched.
This is a bit of a cop out but we will give it a chance. How long does the Minister intend to wait while this pilot scheme is in operation before he actually produces a policy nationally?
Where is your policy?
If the Minister does not do it, I will, but we will give him the chance first.
You should not cut across Deputy Cowen. I was beginning to wonder what was happening over the last four or five years and why the Government did nothing about this matter but we are doing something about it now and that is the most important thing. I do not know when the European scheme will be introduced on a Community-wide basis but I hope it will be towards the middle of next year. As of that time we will have benefited from the experience of the pilot programmes. As soon as the comprehensive scheme is ready to be put into place, obviously the pilot programmes will self destruct. I cannot give a precise timetable on that basis.
That disposes of questions, both ordinary and priority, for today.