Vol. 522 No. 2
165 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason for the delay in the introduction of the new installation aid scheme, the new early retirement scheme and the new REPS scheme; when he expects to be in a position to announce same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18457/00]
Under the National Development plan 2000-2006, provision is made for a new scheme of installation aid for young farmers and an amount of £29.8 million has been allocated for this programme.
This on-farm investment measure will form part of the new regional operational programmes for the Border, midland and western region and the southern and eastern region. The operational programmes have been finalised and submitted to the Commission. The requisite negotiation process in respect of the regional operational programmes will follow. There is a formal EU Commission procedure for the approval of operational programmes. By definition, and having regard to the very significant financial proposals for spending of both EU and Exchequer moneys in the period to 2006, the procedure is complex and involves the provision of a considerable amount of documentation and detail. Having regard to the timeframes associated with clearance of past operational programmes, the process is likely to continue over a number of months. Accordingly, it in not possible to indicate at this stage when the schemes involved will commence. However, I will be doing everything possible to ensure that approval is forthcoming in the shortest possible time. Pending the introduction of the new scheme, the current national scheme of installation aid will remain in place and applications made under this latter scheme will continue to be accepted.
The new scheme of early retirement from farming and the new rural environment protection scheme are included in Ireland's CAP rural development plan for the period 2000-2006. This plan was submitted to the European Commission at the end of December 1999.
Negotiations with the European Commission began in March and have reached the concluding stage. Following this, a formal EU Commission approval procedure for all plans has to take place. The objective is to ensure that approval is forthcoming in the shortest possible time but it is too early at this stage to give any concrete dates for the likely commencement of the new early retirement and REP schemes.
