Vol. 557 No. 6
94 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if increases in charges to individuals, to companies or to groups have been sanctioned to be charged by agencies or units under the aegis of his Department; and the changes being made in absolute and in percentage terms. [23092/02]
With regard to State bodies which come under the aegis of my Department, the issue of charges is a day to day matter in which I have no function. The only increase in charges which my Department has sanctioned relates to seed testing. Fees for seed testing carried out by the seed testing station of my Department to determine the germination and purity of seeds are generally increased on an annual basis. The last increase was in July 2002. While there are 16 different price categories, ranging from €5 to €60, the increase applied to each category varies but the overall average increase was about 4%.
