asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of meetings held to date by the working party, consisting of officers from his Department and representatives from the mart bodies, which was set up as a result of a meeting on 21 November 1985 with representatives of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society Limited, who wish to ensure that FEOGA grant aid would be available for livestock marts; the estimated number of meetings required to finalise the production of the draft sectoral programme covering livestock marts; when this report will be submitted to the Commission; if the submission will make provision for Government enabling grant aid; and if finance will be available to fund such projects approved in 1986.
Written Answers. - Livestock Marts Grant Aid.
138.
The working party, which has met four times so far, is essentially a support group to facilitate the compilation of the comprehensive data required for inclusion in the draft sectoral programme which is being prepared by my Department. The draft programme will be sent to the EC Commission as soon as it is completed but it is not possible to say yet when that might be. The question of national funding for specific individual projects will arise only when the sectoral programme has gone through formal EC approval procedure.