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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Mar 1995

Vol. 450 No. 6

Written Answers. - Extremely Disadvantaged Areas.

Edward Nealon

Question:

164 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he is making a submission to the European Community for a new category of extremely disadvantaged areas where the national farm income for the area is less than 40 per cent of the national average and where particular difficulties have been experienced because of low density of population, soil type, rainfall and windspeed; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that substantial sections of the farming area of County Sligo suffer from a combination of these disadvantages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5713/95]

Peadar Clohessy

Question:

168 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the current position with regard to the extension of the disadvantaged areas, the reclassification of areas from less severely handicapped status to severely handicapped status and the introduction of a new third tier of extremely disadvantaged areas for peripheral mountain regions and areas subject to severe flooding. [5394/95]

Liam Aylward

Question:

177 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will outline the position as announced by him to the Irish Farming Association on Wednesday, 8 March 1995, in relation to the extension of the disadvantaged areas scheme, severely and less severely; the plans, if any, he has for a new third tier of extremely disadvantaged areas for mountain and peripheral areas as well as the areas subject to severe flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5552/95]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 164, 168 and 177 together.

The Irish Government made submissions to the EU Commission on the extension of the disadvantaged areas and reclassification of certain areas from less severely to more severely handicapped area status in November 1993 and October 1994 respectively. The Commission is currently examining these submissions. At a meeting with the Irish Farming Organisations on 8 March 1995, I stated that I had met Commissioner Fischler to stress the urgency of a decision on these submissions. He assured me that he will attempt to secure a decision on both extension and reclassification during the first half of 1995.

When these proposals have been finalised, it will be possible to move to the designation of a third category of disadvantaged area — extremely severely handicapped. However, although some background work on this has been carried out within my Department, it is not possible at this stage to be precise as to the areas under consideration, the specific criteria which such areas will have to meet, or to say when a submission will be ready for transmission.

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