Vol. 573 No. 4
150 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of applications for installation aid currently being processed; the average time delay from application to approval to payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25459/03]
The installation aid scheme involves a two stage application process; initial applications for entry into the scheme, IAS 1, must be submitted within six months of the date of set up in farming. The applicant then has a further 24 months to complete the educational and other requirements under the scheme. An application for payment, IAS 2, together with all the required supporting documentation must be forwarded to my Department before the end of this period. My Department has 1,279 IAS 1 forms on hand, of which 375 have been progressed to IAS 2 stage by the applicant. This stage, which is completely controlled by the applicant, normally takes about eight months. Once the IAS 2 has been received, it usually takes about eight weeks to carry out a full examination, which may require a site visit. Once the application has been approved, my Department then issues payment within six weeks.
Question No. 151 answered with Question No. 131.
