Vol. 409 No. 9
57 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Finance if any financial assistance is available from either his Department or from the EC to assist concerned groups and individuals with the cost of acquiring areas of wilderness in order to protect threatened habitats that are currently being devastated by modern agricultural trends.
There are no funds available from my Department for the purpose of aiding private groups and individuals to purchase land for reasons of environmental protection.
The EC under its ACE Programme (Action Communicautaires Pour I'Environment) has assisted a private non-government organisation in their land purchase programme for purposes of protection of birds. This instrument is now terminating, but may be replaced by further funding mechanisms in the future.
