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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Oct 1998

Vol. 494 No. 4

Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

85 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the continuing delay in making SAC compensation payments to farmers under the REP scheme; and the action, if any, he will take to overcome these problems. [14535/98]

REPS has been revised recently to include new provisions for the conservation of natural heritage areas including SACs, and commonage areas. This revision was approved by the EU Commission on 6 August 1998.

The new measure entitled supplementary measure A replaces the existing supplementary measures 1 and 2 which deal with NHAs and commonages. For NHAs and SACs, excluding commonages, participants will be required to farm in accordance with agreed conditions for those areas. Where commonage land is included in the NHA and SAC, a framework plan must be drawn up under the supervision of my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. Planners are currently being trained in the drawing up of these framwork plans and steps are being taken to facilitate the earliest possible participation of farmers in the new measure, allowing them to avail of the increased payments for these areas.

As a result of the new provisions, the REP scheme document and the detailed agri-environmental specifications have had to be amended. This work is progressing and I expect the revised documents to be published within a few weeks when the new provisions can be put in place.

In the meantime, existing REPS participants with land in an SAC area can continue with their existing plans up to the year 2000 and there are no delays in making payments to them. New applicants or existing participants who wish to avail of the new measure, including the higher increased payments, must submit a new REPS five year plan and comply with the conditions as set out in the new measure.

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