Vol. 574 No. 2
189 Ms. Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding the Government's plans to grant severely disadvantaged area status to all of County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26840/03]
190 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans and proposals he has to grant severely disadvantaged area status to County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26841/03]
191 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when he will make an announcement that County Offaly is being granted severely disadvantaged area status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26842/03]
192 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a strong expectation amongst the people of County Offaly that the entire county will be designated with severely disadvantaged area status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26843/03]
193 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding the Government's plans to grant severely disadvantaged area status to all of County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26844/03]
194 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans and proposals he has to grant severely disadvantaged area status to County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26845/03]
195 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when he will make an announcement that County Laois is being granted severely disadvantaged area status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26846/03]
196 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is strong expectation amongst the people of County Laois that the entire county will designated with severely disadvantaged area status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26847/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 189 to 196, inclusive, together.
The Government is committed in the programme for Government, to examine, in conjunction with the Commission, the possibility of extending the disadvantaged areas classification to the whole of the BMW region which includes counties Laois and Offaly.
Officials of my Department have already informally raised the matter on a number of occasions with the European Commission. In these meetings the Commission officials have indicated that any formal request for further classification could lead to a demand for justification of Ireland's current designation and classification for all disadvantaged areas. The Commission's approach has its basis in negative comments by the Court of Auditors concerning the monitoring of disadvantaged area classification and designation in the EU in general.
Given this background, it is important that the timing and nature of any submission requesting extension of the disadvantaged areas be given very careful consideration. An independent evaluation of all CAP rural development plan measures including the disadvantaged areas compensatory allowances scheme has recently been completed. My Department will be formally submitting the evaluation report to the European Commission following the meeting of the CAP rural development plan monitoring committee later this month. In the context of the Commission's consideration of this report, I expect to have a further opportunity to raise the issue of disadvantaged areas classification with the European Commission.
