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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 14 Feb 2002

Vol. 548 No. 4

Written Answers. - Installation Aid Scheme.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

10 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will have the conditions of access to the scheme of installation aid for young farmers altered in order to remove the requirement for applications to be made within four months of the date of transfer of lands to the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4908/02]

In order to qualify for aid under the installation aid scheme, IAS, the initial application must include confirmation that the associated setting up costs, for example, stamp duty, legal and accountancy fees etc., remain to be discharged by the young farmer at the time of application. This was a specific requirement of the EU Commission when it approved the scheme.

Applicants are therefore obliged to make their initial application within four months of taking over the farm to ensure that the Department has been notified of their intention to seek installation aid before the related set up costs have been discharged.

The four month period is therefore in place primarily as a protection for applicants. I am at present reviewing the operation of the instal lation aid scheme with a view to seeing what simplification changes might be usefully made. This four month time period for the initial application is one of the items being looked at.
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