Rory O'Hanlon
Ceist:269 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the up-to-date position of the reclassification of disadvantaged areas in County Monaghan.
Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Areas.
Rory O'Hanlon
Ceist:270 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the up-to-date position of the reclassification of disadvantaged areas in County Cavan.
Michael Finucane
Ceist:308 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when the disadvantaged areas submission will be made to Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Michael Finucane
Ceist:309 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a submission on the disadvantaged areas will be made to Brussels; the timescale for the completion of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Paul Bradford
Ceist:321 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will require a supplementary estimate to fund the expected increase in payments under the disadvantaged areas scheme in view of the expectation that extra farms will be included in the disadvantaged areas as a result of the investigations of the Disadvantaged Area Appeals Tribunal.
Paul Bradford
Ceist:322 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reason for the delay in announcing the results of the Disadvantaged Area Appeals Tribunal investigations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 269, 270, 308, 309, 321 and 322 together.
The Government is being asked to approve in the very near future the proposals for submission to the EC Commission regarding the extension of the disadvantaged areas. Once approved, the submission will be sent to the EC Commission without delay. Extensions which represent in excess of 1.5 per cent of the area of the country require the approval of the Council of Agriculture Ministers on the basis of a proposal from the Commission. As our submission will fall into that category, the procedure is, therefore, that, if the Commission accepts it, it will make a detailed proposal to the Council which must consult the European Parliament before making the final decision. This procedure, which cannot be short-circuited, normally takes up to six months or more. The question of a Supplementary Estimate in 1993 does not arise at this stage.
In regard to reclassification of disadvantaged areas, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has been reviewing the criteria to apply to More Severely Handicapped Areas, in line with aProgramme for Economic and Social Progress commitment. On the basis of a revised set of criteria, the Appeals Body will shortly begin work on reclassification of areas which have appealed their current status. It is expected that the Appeals Body should be able to complete its work on reclassification in a relatively brief period after which it can be submitted to the EC Commission at an early date. The decision-making process in the case of reclassification does not involve a Council decision.