Vol. 571 No. 1
1311 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question no 194 of 8 May, 2003, if the working group has held a meet ing; the conclusions from such a meeting; the further steps to be taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21011/03]
The working group met on 23 May 2003 in Portlaoise, when the report of the expert group was formally presented. That report had been communicated to all concerned well in advance of the meeting. The farming groups were not in a position at the meeting to confirm their agreement with the recommendations of the expert group on compensation and undertook to revert to the official side when they had fully considered the report. A further meeting, at which it would be intended to finalise this matter, is expected in the near future.
