Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I expect it will be an important position over the next number of years, given the importance of the agri sector, and 40% of the budget of €860 billion over the next seven years. I expect the Commissioner, Mr. Hogan, in heading up the agri sector in Europe, will allow the different sectors to flourish and, hopefully, it will become evident in Ireland. The rural development programme was adopted and proposed during Ireland's presidency and we have submitted our programme nationally to the Commission for approval, and it included €2.2 billion. I expect the Commissioner will work with the different programmes from the different countries, have them approved, and then we need to move on so the application forms for the various sectoral interests can be sent out to the community and people can begin to draw it down. An extra €100 million was thrown into the pot for the Border, midlands and west, BMW, region because of the low level of per capita income in some of the areas there. I hope it will follow through. It is an important programme. As the Deputy is well aware, rural development throughout many of the counties here must be attended to. While the macro figures are going well for the big cities, the Government wants it to spread throughout the entire district and every county, and hopefully it will happen.

The Government took into account the legal advice received in respect of the European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, judgment decision in the case of Ireland v.the UK, known as the hooded men. At today's meeting, the Government gave authorisation to re-open the case. It must be done before tomorrow, as the Deputy knows. It is a serious matter and the advice has ranged over a number of issues. On 4 June 2014, there was a "Prime Time" documentary called "RTE Investigations Unit: The Torture Files". Today, the Government considered all the implications of it and agreed that a case should be opened in respect of a revision of the judgment. The British Government has been notified. It is not for the Government to determine the outcome of the case. The ECHR will make a decision both on the early presentation of the case involved and what it means. It goes back to a time when a case between Ireland and the UK was brought before the European Commission and the ECHR instituted proceedings in 1971. The deadline is tomorrow. The case dealt with human rights violations arising from internment in Northern Ireland. A particular focus of the proceedings was the use of the so called five techniques of interrogation involving 14 detainees. Last week, a number of these men went to the court seeking a case. This was a matter for the Government to consider and the case was argued very clearly. The Government's decision to reopen the case will be followed through by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the British Government has been notified of the Irish Government's decision.

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