Vol. 426 No. 7
28 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, which have been taken to date to draw up a comprehensive plan for the development of our natural resources in consultation with the Department of Enterprise and Employment.
Natural resources in the form of the potential of our land to produce agricultural and forestry products fall within my area of responsibility. As regards agriculture, a group consisting of representatives of my Department and of the main farm organisations is drawing up a national development programme under a Programme for Economic and Social Progress commitment and a Food Expert Group is, in line with the recommendations of the Culliton report, drawing up recommendations for the development of the food industry. There are, of course, ongoing programmes of forestry development. In both areas, development will continue to depand heavily on the input of EC Structural Funds. Plans for the uses to which those funds will be put in this country in 1994-1997 are being co-ordinated between Departments in the context of the community support Framework being drawn up for that period.
