Vol. 444 No. 6
153 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the consideration, if any, he has given to the recommendations in the report, Developing the West Together, in so far as they relate to matters for which he and agencies under his control are responsible; and the outcome of that consideration.
Following the publication in February last of the report referred to, the Government appointed a high level task force to examine and advise on the recommendations in the report. My Department was represented on the task force.
The task force, which reported in April, identified a number of key issues of strategic significance to the west and recommended that they be addressed through the appropriate development of policy at national level.
The implementation of the vast majority of these recommendations is on-going as part of existing policy or is planned as part of the measures to be undertaken in the new round of Structural Funds.
So far as my area of responsibility is concerned, I am most conscious of the need to ensure that milk quotas do not leave the region, that farm advisory services are geared to meet the needs of smaller farmers and that the LEADER II programme is available to all rural areas.
