Vol. 420 No. 5
20 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will outline the implications of the recent European Courts of Justice decision on Mulder quota applicants; if he will give details of the number of Irish beneficiaries and the amounts involved; whether assistance will be offered to these applicants to process their claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The decision of the European Court in the case for compensation which was brought by J. M. Mulder and others was handed down on 19 May 1992. This judgment, which refers specifically to these five producers, obliges the Council and Commission of the European Communities to make good the damage suffered by these producers as a result of the original quota regulations. The court must be informed within 12 months of the date of the judgment of the amounts of damages payable, arrived at by agreement between the parties. It would be inappropriate for me to anticipate the outcome of this matter at this stage.
Could the Minister confirm that the Commission are considering all other applicants who would be, by precedent, also entitled to compensation under the Mulder quota? Now that the court has found in favour of three or four individuals, does the Minister know that the Commission are considering all other equivalent applicants?
I do not have that information in my brief but I shall seek it out and communicate directly with Deputy Ferris.
Does the Minister have any idea——
Unfortunately, I do not. I shall communicate with the Deputy.
Taking account of the fact that a small number of farmers have now spent years fighting the courts in Europe on this issue, does the Minister intend to help in any way to ensure that the matter is brought to a finality as early as possible?
I should like the matter to be tidied up as quickly as possible because the present position does not serve any useful purpose.
Does the Minister have any idea about the number of people in Ireland who are involved, which was not part of his reply?
The European Court judgment found against the Commission decision and Mulder producers were subsequently awarded additional quota. In Ireland's case generally, 90 per cent of the original production, about 1,600 Mulder quotas, has been allocated, representing about 30 million gallons in the Community as a whole. I do not have the specific number of Irish Mulder quotas.
