Vol. 518 No. 3
115 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the number of applications received for the farm retirement scheme since its introduction on a yearly and county by county basis; and the number of applicants who qualified for the scheme. [11404/00]
Since its introduction in 1994, 9,973 farmers have participated in the scheme of early retirement from farming. At present 8,854 of those are active participants. The remainder are largely accounted for by participants who have died and by those who have left the scheme because their period in it has ended. Others have been suspended or have withdrawn. My Department does not have details of the number of applications made in each year on a county by county basis. However, the number of cases approved for payment in each year ended 31 December is set out in the following Table A.
The breakdown on a county by county basis of the 8,854 current participants is set out in Table B.
Table A – Number of Cases Approved for Payment under the Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming for each year ended 31 December from 1994 to date
|
Year ended 31December |
Number of cases approved |
Cumulative total |
|
1994 |
1,423 |
1,423 |
|
1995 |
2,304 |
3,727 |
|
1996 |
1,666 |
5,393 |
|
1997 |
1,719 |
7,112 |
|
1998 |
1,221 |
8,333 |
|
1999 |
1,242 |
9,575 |
|
Up to 31 March 2000 |
398 |
9,973 |
|
County |
Number of Participants |
|
Carlow |
143 |
|
Cavan |
287 |
|
Clare |
370 |
|
Cork |
1,786 |
|
Donegal |
121 |
|
Dublin |
64 |
|
Galway |
383 |
|
Kerry |
670 |
|
Kildare |
139 |
|
Kilkenny |
369 |
|
Laois |
243 |
|
Leitrim |
57 |
|
Limerick |
647 |
|
Longford |
108 |
|
Louth |
110 |
|
Mayo |
173 |
|
Meath |
288 |
|
Monaghan |
154 |
|
Offaly |
218 |
|
Roscommon |
213 |
|
Sligo |
127 |
|
Tipperary |
919 |
|
Waterford |
258 |
|
Westmeath |
207 |
|
Wexford |
652 |
|
Wicklow |
148 |
|
Total |
8,854 |
