Vol. 467 No. 6
40 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the progress, if any, he has made in securing the implementation of the European Council decision of October 1993, to locate in Ireland the Office for Veterinary and Plant Health Inspection and Controls. [11577/96]
On-going discussions have reached a position where the outline plans for the office requirements have been agreed with the European Commission; the site at Grange, County Meath has been selected and approved as the permanent location for the office; preliminary agreement in principle has been reached with the European Commissioner for Personnel and Administration for the erection and fitting out of the office accommodation under the direction of the Office of Public Works with the cost being borne by the European Commission; consultants have been engaged by the Office of Public Works to carry out detailed design work for the building and a formal request will shortly be made to the European Commission to conclude legal contracts to underpin the arrangements.
The European Commission envisages the temporary relocation of a small advance guard to Dublin pending the completion of the permanent accommodation at Grange. The Commission has now proposed to the Council that the new body be designated an autonomous EU agency and it is expected that this proposal will be adopted during the Irish Presidency.
