Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 1991

Vol. 412 No. 1

Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.

Ivan Yates

Ceist:

79 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the inspections under the disadvantaged areas appeal extension will commence; whether adequate staff will be made available by his Department for this purpose; the length of time it is expected that the surveying procedure will take; when it is expected that final decisions will be made in this regard; whether the data in relation to individual areas carried out by the appeals panel will be made available to local farming and community groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. O'Kennedy)

I will not be in a position to furnish the information requested and to assess the full extent of the staff resources required and the estimated length of time to process survey data relating to all areas under appeal until early in the New Year when the results of the present appeal applications will be available to me.

As in the previous reviews of the disadvantaged areas, the survey data are the same for both extension and reclassification purposes and it would not be possible to fragment the two aspects without duplication of effort and unnecessary extra expense.

As regards publication of survey results, I can assure the Deputy that information will be made available to groups subject to the usual requirements of confidentiality common to Government census work.

Michael Moynihan

Ceist:

80 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will outline the progress, if any, which has been made in the review of the criteria for reclassification of marginal areas to more severely handicapped status, as was promised in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. O'Kennedy)

Areas were reclassified from less to more severely handicapped status on the basis of poor quality of land, low farm incomes and heavy dependence on agricultural employment. As regards the latter two criteria, areas were required to have less than 40 per cent of the national average family farm income per farm worker and have more than 40 per cent of the working population engaged in agriculture.

Appeals in respect of areas not included in the recent reclassification are at present being received by the appeals panel. Full consideration cannot be given to a review of the above mentioned criteria until after the closing date of 6 December when all of these appeals will have been received and processed to the stage where a clearer picture emerges of the additional areas seeking reclassification.