asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of farmers who have failed to qualify for grant aid under the farm modernisation scheme in the development category due to not having lodged form F.M.3B. in the local FDS office in County Cork; and if he will detail the background which has given rise to this situation in all cases.
Written Answers . - Farm Modernisation Scheme .
895.
: I understand that the ACOT offices in Cork have on hands 144 applications for supplementary farm plans the processing of which has not been completed in accordance with revised procedures for supplementary farm plans introduced by my Department in June 1982. The revised procedures were necessary as a result of an EEC ruling that all investment necessary to attain the comparable income should be shown on the original plan and that supplementaries could be allowed only in exceptional circumstances.
896.
asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of farmers in County Cork and particularly the East Cork electoral area who have failed to qualify for grant aid under the farm modernisation scheme due to the withdrawal of grants in the budget; the number of approvals completed prior to the budget; and if he will allow all farmers who had work on hand to complete it and have the grants paid to them.
: The number of cases in County Cork where applications for grant aid had been received by the Farm Development Service but approvals had not been issued up to 9 February 1983, for items for which grant aid was suspended or terminated on that date was 791.
The number of approvals completed and paid in County Cork since the introduction of the Farm Modernisation Scheme in 1974 up to 9 February 1983 was 31, 741.
Separate data are not available for the East Cork Electoral Area.
Farm modernisation works, which were approved by my Department up to and including 9 February 1983, will be paid on completion of the works to specification and provided the terms of the scheme are complied with. Applications on hands on 9 February 1983 for which approvals had not issued will not be processed further.