Vol. 471 No. 5
164 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the current position regarding an application by the River Suck Valley Group for designation in relation to third category of disadvantaged area. [21354/96]
A submission to establish a new category of extremely disadvantaged areas in Ireland was transmitted to the EU Commission on 3 October 1996, and was formally presented to the Commission on 9 October 1996.
All areas, in respect of which applications were received for inclusion in this new disadvantaged area category, were considered when the submission was being prepared. However, the Commission will have to carry out a technical examination of the submission, which may involve discussions with my Department. Until this process has been completed, it is not possible to say for certain which areas will be approved for reclassification as extremely disadvantaged. Therefore, I feel that it would not be appropriate to comment on the inclusion or otherwise of specific areas in the submission prior to final approval being received from the Commission.
