Vol. 517 No. 3
49 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the status of the Government's plans to establish a separate independent agency to disburse FEOGA payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9692/00]
My Department is proceeding with a reorganisation of its structure which will involve dividing the Department into three "pillars", catering respectively for policy development, FEOGA payments, and food production and safety.
The FEOGA pillar, to be called the agricultural payments office – APO, will be responsible for the administration of virtually all moneys disbursed in Ireland under the Common Agricultural Policy, amounting to a total of almost £2 billion per annum, of which approximately 75% derives from EU funds. The agricultural payments office will be organised in a structure allowing it subsequently to be established as an organisation separate from the Department if the Government should in due course decide this is what should be done.
My objective is to have the re-organisation in the three pillars completed by the end of the year.
