asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the number of applications received in his Department up to the latest available date, under the farm buildings improvement scheme and if he will say when applicants can proceed to carry out work under this scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Improvement of Farm Buildings.
The answer to the first part of the question is 25,295 up to the 29th May, inclusive. The necessary preliminary steps to organise the administration of this scheme are only now in process of being taken and this fact, combined with the shortage of building supplies and the necessary priority granted to schemes for building houses, make it unlikely that construction work under this scheme can be started in this year.
Can the Minister say if any schemes for work on farm improvements, as apart from improvement of buildings, work such as drainage and fencing, will be sanctioned this year?
Certainly. The two schemes are quite distinct.
Is the Minister aware that in former years——
It is a separate question.
It arises out of the reply.
This relates to farm buildings.
To farm improvement schemes.
No.
It is all the one scheme.
There are two separate schemes.