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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 11 Oct 1995

Vol. 456 No. 7

Written Answers. - Headage Schemes.

Brian Cowen

Question:

139 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the results emanating from a review of the headage schemes as they affect Ireland; and whether the scheme is meeting its objectives in the designated areas of the country. [14689/95]

Brian Cowen

Question:

140 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the input he is having into a major review of the headage schemes currently being undertaken by the EU Commission. [14690/95]

Brian Cowen

Question:

141 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when he will publish the consultants report on the future of the headage system which was compiled by Dr. Brendan Kearney and Associates. [14691/95]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 139, 140 and 141 together.

Under the Community Support Framework for Ireland, 1994-99, it was agreed that an independent evaluation of the compensatory allowances scheme would be carried out "to examine the balance between income support and development measures with a view to ensuring that farming can become more self-reliant and integrated into the rural economy". This evaluation was requested by the Commission as it felt that the share of funding being devoted to this scheme was very high — £642 million — as against a total of £1,122 million in the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry as a whole.

The consultant's report is currently under examination in my Department, prior to discussion with the farming organisations and the Commission. It is not envisaged that the report would be published.

On the question of whether the scheme has achieved its main objective of maintaining the population in the less-favoured areas, the consultant states that it is possible that the widespread rural population decline in the 1980s would have been even greater if compensatory payments had not been available. He also points out that the scheme has made a significant contribution to increasing farmers' income levels and that this must have had the effect of at least slowing down the rate of decline in population.
I understand that the horizontal study envisaged by the Commission across all member states has not got under way.
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