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

I have listened carefully to and noted the points the Deputy has made about County Laois. They are similar to points raised by other representatives in the Deputy's constituency, including my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan.

The Deputy asked about an extension of the time for implementation. Amendments to regulations in this area are being considered by the European Commission. In that context, an extension of the timeline beyond 2018 was sought by Austria. It was supported by us. Refinements of the regulations have yet to be finalised, but we remain hopeful there will be an extension of the timeline. Whether it will be a one or two-year extension is not clear at this stage. I envisage there will be an appeals system which will involve consultation with and the provision of information for stakeholders, including farm organisations.

On the issue of DEDs or townlands, it is my understanding the regulation, as drafted, provides for the consideration of areas by district electoral division or subsets of the district electoral division, of which townlands are one. There is a question around the scaling of information at micro level within the DED at townland level. It is something that has not yet been finalised. I understand the point the Deputy makes that a DED can cover a broad expanse and that there may be pockets within it in which there are variations of the biophysical criteria. There is a commitment to provide an additional €25 million for next year and it is a commitment the Government intends to honour.

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