Vol. 511 No. 5
42 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the steps, if any, taken to ensure there is no repeat of the problems identified in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding the collection and refund of administration charges for afforestation grant schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24729/99]
The introduction of administration charges arose as a consequence of Government policy in the late 1980s to reduce the national debt. One of the elements of Government policy at that time was the imposition of charges for services which had until then been provided free by the State.
In 1993 the Chief State Solicitor's office and the Office of the Attorney General raised doubts about the legality of the charge. The position was not clear-cut however, with the Attorney General's office pointing out that basing the charge on actual administrative costs rather than a standard 5 per cent of grant would have a bearing on the matter.
The issue was definitively settled following a communication from the European Commission in January 1995 in which the Commission informed all member states that the imposition of offset and administration charges was unacceptable. Accordingly, there will be no repeat of these problems. Shortly after assuming my current office I decided that all administration charges should be refunded.
