Jim Higgins
Ceist:320 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the status of the commonage framework document. [15846/01]
Written Answers. - Commonage Framework Plans.
Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera): The preparation of commonage framework plans being carried out jointly by my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is well advanced. Work has been completed on plans covering almost 350,000 hectares of commonage or 71% of the total. For upland commonage in the six western counties to which the interim 30% destocking was applied, work is 90% complete. Completion of the plans has been delayed over the past few months, due mainly to the foot and mouth disease restrictions.
In the meantime, pending the availability of these plans, the interim 30% reduction in stocking from 1998 levels continues to apply in Counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Kerry and Donegal.