Vol. 465 No. 8
13 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the number of farmers who have been approved for grant aid under the control of farmyard pollution scheme; the estimated total amount of money due to these farmers; and when it is proposed to pay the moneys due. [10384/96]
When I came into office I was seriously concerned to discover that the funds available for the operation of this scheme were inadequate. Following negotiations with the Minister for Finance and the European Commission, revised funding arrangements were put in place to meet potential demand from applications on hand at 27 April 1995, the date the scheme was suspended. These involved the transfer of additional resources from elsewhere in the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry as well as the bringing forward of substantial funds, already available in the operational programme, into 1996 and 1997 from later years.
My Department was thereby able to expedite payments in 1995 and 1996 to existing approved applicants as investment works were carried out, and also to issue approvals to outstanding applicants on hands, on the understanding that the grants in such cases would be paid in 1997 when further funds became available. This represented a substantial improvement on the position which such applicants would otherwise have had to face.
Up to the end of April 1996, some 9,800 farmers had been approved to carry out investment works under the scheme, with a grant commitment of some £87 million. Of these some 4,720 have been paid a total of some £39 million. As indicated above payments in respect of works approved prior to April 1995 are being made according as investment works are carried out to specification, and subsequent approvals have issued on the basis that grants will be paid in 1997.
