Vol. 498 No. 5
40 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the EU is dissatisfied with the lack of monitoring of the REP scheme by the authorities here; if so, the proposals, if any, he has to rectify the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27345/98]
My Department continually monitors the operation of the REP scheme both in terms of compliance by participants with the conditions of the scheme and in relation to the effectiveness of the measures to achieve the objectives of the scheme.
Compliance checks are carried out on some 50 per cent of participants in the scheme each year. Where compliance failures are discovered appropriate penalties are applied. These can vary from monetary penalties for failure by participants to complete certain aspects of their environmental plan to suspension or expulsion from the scheme together with reimbursement of moneys paid for more serious breaches of the conditions of the scheme.
In terms of monitoring the effectiveness of the measures, I point out that as a result of the constant monitoring of the scheme a number of adjustments were proposed by my Department to certain of the measures. These adjustments were to cover issues which arose in the implementation of the measures. The Commission in two formal decisions has formally accepted these adjustments.
In addition to the continuous monitoring of the scheme, my Department intends to carry out a full evaluation of the scheme in the first half of 1999. An outline of this evaluation was submitted to the European Commission in the summer of 1998. The Commission has not indicated that it has any concerns in relation to the proposed scope of the evaluation.
