asked the Minister for Agriculture the reason for the delay in the payment of a grant under the farm modernisation scheme to a person (details supplied) in south west Cork, and when payment will issue.
Written Answers - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
208.
The grant will be paid shortly. Payment had to await lodgement of current farm accounts extracts.
209.
asked the Minister for Agriculture when payment of a grant under the farm modernisation scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The grant will be paid shortly.
210.
asked the Minister for Agriculture the reason for the delay in the payment of a farm modernisation grant to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
The three grants involved will be paid shortly. Notification of completion of the works was not furnished by applicant to the local Farm Development Service office until 1 April 1980 and the final inspection took place on 10 April.
211.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if the upper limit for assisted investment per labour unit set at 292,000 francs on 5 April 1980 in France under their farm modernisation scheme exceeds the equivalent limit in Ireland and, if so, by how much.
The maximum investment which can be aided under Directive 159 is fixed at 52599 ECUs per labour unit.
For administrative purposes this amount must be converted into the currency of each member state at the representative rate prevailing on the 1 January each year. The current amount in Irish pounds is £34,675. At the prevailing exchange rates this approximates closely to the French figure.
212.
asked the Minister for Agriculture when the financial limits set under the farm modernisation scheme for guidance premia, aid for farms accounts, launching aid for farm groups and levels of investment eligible for aid were last revised, the percentage increase of each since the introduction of the scheme, if this percentage is less than the rate of increases to date in the cost of living and, if so, by how much.
The amounts paid by member states for guidance premia, farm accounts and launching aid for farm groups and the total investment that can be aided under Directive 159 are fixed in ECUs. For administrative purposes these amounts must be converted into the currency of each member state at the representative rate prevailing on the 1st January of each year.
The amounts were last revised in this country on the 1 January 1980 following an adjustment of the representative rate in 1979.
The percentage increases in the amounts since the scheme was introduced in 1974 are as follows:
|
Aid |
Percentage Increase since February 1974 |
|
Guidance Premia |
88% |
|
Farm Accounts |
81% |
|
Launching Aid for Farm Groups |
87% |
|
Maximum Capital Expenditure per labour unit |
87% |
As these amounts can only be increased in response to adjustments in the representative rate there is no relationship with the consumer price index. The increase in the CPI between mid-February 1974 and mid-February 1980 was 132 per cent.