Vol. 548 No. 4
113 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if the REP scheme is operating satisfactorily and to the benefit of those living in rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5222/02]
The original rural environment protection scheme was introduced in June 1994. When this scheme closed to new applications in December 1999, there were 45,500 active participants. Direct payments to REPS farmers during this period came to some €600 million.
A successor scheme was introduced in November 2000 and overall expenditure on REPS is now approaching €1 billion. Since November 2000 over 16,800 applications have been received to participate in the new scheme. During 2001, 15,958 applications were received, the highest number of applications received in one year since REPS was introduced. More than 14,300 of these were processed in 2001.
REPS is now one of the most important schemes in Irish agriculture. The level of interest and commitment to the scheme among the farming community shows no sign of diminishing. As well as being a most important source of income to farmers, REPS also has a significant positive impact on the quality of the rural environment, which benefits the day-to-day lives of all rural communities. I am satisfied that the scheme is operating well and is very beneficial to the country as a whole and the rural community in particular. I would urge all farmers to carefully consider the advantages that REPS can offer them.
