Vol. 408 No. 9
4 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that he has given enough time for grant applications under the LEADER Programme announced recently by him; the number of applications he expects from each region; and whether the programme is open to ordinary individuals.
63 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give details of the mechanisms which have been put in place by his Department to operate the EC LEADER Programme.
The general arrangements relating to the operation of LEADER were announced in my press statement of 6 May and in my Department's advertisements which appeared in the national papers on 7 May.
I am satisfied that the public is fully aware of the LEADER Programme. Apart from my press statement and the advertisement, a comprehensive information note has been prepared and circulated by my Department to all groups and individuals who have expressed an interest in the matter. In addition, a series of information sessions has been arranged around the country for the benefit of potential applicants.
The deadline of mid-July for the receipt of plans in my Department is necessary because of the EC Commission's requirement that proposals from member states must be submitted to them by mid-September.
Was knowledge of the contents of the programme made known to organisations before the Minister lodged it?
The whole concept of rural development has been discussed at length for a considerable time. The 12 pilot areas have been in place for some time and the whole idea has been cultivated. The Government find considerable awareness of the possibilities and potential that exist in the LEADER Programme for rural development generally.
Is the Minister satisfied that ordinary individuals will have an opportunity to apply through the programme and to be successful in obtaining grants? Is it not the case that big organisations, such as the co-operatives and Teagasc, are putting together particular proposals, and will the fact that only two programmes are to be accepted from each region not mean that the ordinary individual has no chance to be approved for any of these proposals?
The Government are proceeding on the basis that there will be about 12 plans for Ireland generally, with about 100 groups in the communitywide scheme. Individual projects will have to be incorporated and integrated into a business plan for each of those 12 regions. As I said in my original reply, the process of creating awareness and informing community groupings generally of what is involved and what is necessary for them to have their projects included is actively under way. Countrywide there is considerable awareness about what is needed to participate.
It is evident from the Minister's reply that people who have prior knowledge will be in a position to submit applications before 12 July, whereas ordinary individuals will not have time to have programmes up and running and on the Minister's desk before the deadline.
The Deputy has now made a statement rather than ask a supplementary question.
It is a fact.
It may be, but that is not in order at Question Time.
On a point of order, I ask why a Priority Question of mine that asked for a direct answer from the Minister for Agriculture and Food about the effect of global warming on agricultural products was transferred to the Minister for the Environment. I do not understand how any Department other than the Department of Agriculture and Food could deal with the effect of global warming on agricultural produce. If the Minister had made no assessment, all he had to say was "No". The answer would then have been provided.
As Deputy Kavanagh well knows, it is the normal practice for Ministers to group questions in the House.
I can only assume that the Minister for Agriculture and Food dodged the issue.
The Chair has no control over such matters.
On a point of order, I should like to talk about Question No. 1. I had a series of substitute questions. If I had realised that Question No. 1 would not be answered, then I would have requested a substitute question be answered. That is very unfair.
