asked the Minister for Agriculture the total amount of money approved under EEC Regulation No. 355/77 for the marketing and processing of agricultural products; the actual amount of money collected under this scheme: and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - EC Agricultural Grants.
408.
Grants awarded to Irish firms under Regulation 355/77 to date amount to £60.7 million of which approximately £24 million has been paid out by the EC Commission. Grants amounting to £3 million have been either renounced or cancelled for various reasons and most of these have been reallocated to other Irish firms. Claims for a further £8 million have been lodged with the IDA and the EC Commission and should be paid out shortly. Of the remaining £25.7 million approximately £15 million relates to grants awarded in 1983 and 1984.
While the take-up of funds is not entirely satisfactory, it should be appreciated that many of the projects aided involve significant investment and take several years to complete. Work has commenced on most of the projects and I expect that the grants will be claimed over the next few years.
While the firms have five years in which to complete their projects it is the practice for my Department and the IDA to encourage them to submit their claims as rapidly as possible and the take-up of funds has improved significantly in recent years. However, the final responsibility for claiming the grants awarded rests with the individual firms.