Michael Ring
Question:903 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands when all framework documents will be completed and available for use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2443/02]
Written Answers. - Commonage Framework Plans.
Michael Ring
Question:904 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the percentage of the land in the framework documents which have been completed to date in 2002. [2444/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 903 and 904 together.
The preparation of commonage framework plans being carried out jointly by my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is well advanced. Work has been completed on plans covering in excess of 380,000 hectares of commonage, or 78% of the total. For upland commonage in the six western counties to which the interim 30% destocking was applied, work is 96% complete. These figures reflect the position as at end-2001. Plans covering a very substantial proportion of the remaining area are well advanced and are nearing completion.
For consideration of equity, preferred practice has been to defer publication of plans until they were completed for all commonage. In view, however, of the likelihood that for unavoidable and unforeseen reasons, plans for a small percentage of the total area – mainly lowland and coastal commonage – will not be completed until later this year. I am considering the possibility of putting all of the completed plans into the public domain in the coming months.