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

The Deputy will be aware that there is a specific commitment in the programme for Government to restore some of the ANC cuts made in previous years to the tune of €25 million in 2018. This is a welcome step in the right direction.

It does not travel the full road of recovery from the cuts inflicted at that time by a Fianna Fáil-led Government but we are committed to making some redress.

The challenge we face in terms of ANC is to hold what we have. I am committed to that. We have to operate within the biophysical criteria that the Commission has laid down. That analysis is under way. We will have maps and will engage in consultation in due course. It is very early to talk about categorisation within areas designated as suffering from a natural constraint according to these biophysical criteria. My primary objective is to retain classification as we have it. That is not to be underestimated because the criteria have changed from socioeconomic factors to biophysical criteria. Thereafter, we can consider, with the assistance of the €25 million extra that will be available in 2018, classification within areas deemed to have constraint.

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