Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can give a statement of my ambition, but there are clearly defined European Commission criteria that officials in my Department are obliged to apply in respect of lands across the country.

Of course it is my ambition that what we have, we hold. There will be a consultation process and engagement with stakeholders. We hope we will be in a position to ensure that everybody who has a payment at the moment will hold it. However, as to whether I can guarantee that, of course I cannot, but I suspect it is highly likely that the overwhelming majority of people will retain the payment. That is the premise from which I started on this process. The Commission has set down revised criteria and we must apply them to the process that is under way across the entire European Union. We are working to ensure that people who have a payment and designation will hold them.

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