Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am Chairman of the Joint Committee on Rural and Community Development. On behalf of the committee members, I thank the Chairman for extending an invitation to us to attend to consider the audit reports on rural development programming. I welcome the witnesses from the ECA. I wish Mr. Cardiff all the best as his term in office draws to a close. I congratulate Mr. Tony Murphy on his nomination to the court. I thank Mr. Janusz Wojciechowski, who has a challenging name, for his presentation.

My committee is new and we had our first meeting on 29 November 2017. Rural development support is the second pillar of the CAP and my committee is interested in several elements of this policy. The EU plans to spend almost €100 billion on rural development in the period 2014-20 through the European agricultural fund for rural development. Ireland plans to spend €4 billion of public money on the RDP during this period. Given the expenditure involved and its importance in supporting a vital part of our economy, I welcome the report's conclusions and recommendations and the focus on performance and results. However, no one can foresee the future. There are plenty of potential shocks such as Brexit and the recent threats to international trade and the effects of climate change. How would the witnesses evaluate Ireland's performance when compared with that of other member states? What were the main lessons learned in terms of performance and the process for Pillar 2 of the CAP? Overall, how satisfied are they with the RDP?