Dinny McGinley
Ceist:128 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a framework plan will be completed for an area (details supplied) in County Donegal. [25454/98]
Written Answers - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.
The revised REP scheme requires that a framework plan be drawn up for each commonage. The preparation of the framework plans will be carried out under the supervision of my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. As there are over 8,000 commonages it will take some time before framework plans will be available for all commonages.
In the meantime, as I announced recently, interim arrangements have been agreed between my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands to put a national commonage framework plan in place pending the completion of individual commonage framework plans. The national plan involves a 30 per cent reduction of the quota held in 1998 for flock holders who use commonage in six counties, including Donegal. This means that the farmers concerned who are already in REPS or who join, on the basis of the national framework plan, can avail of the higher rates of compensation of £80 per acre for the first 100 acres with additional payments for the next 200 acres.