Vol. 576 No. 2
106 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason for a reduction in the budget for Teagasc, as in the Book of Estimates for 2004, for the second year in a row; the impact this is likely to have on the services which Teagasc provides; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29198/03]
The funding my Department will allocate to Teagasc in 2004 for non-capital purposes will be close to €117 million, comprising, in round figures, €89 million for general expenses, €11 million for training purposes under the national development plan and €17 million for superannuation. This represents an 8% increase on 2003 for this funding. While no funding for capital development purposes is being directly provided from the Exchequer in 2004, Teagasc will be able to use part of the retained proceeds from the sale of its assets in 2003 and 2004 to fund its capital programme next year. These are substantial resources and will enable Teagasc to provide first class research, training and advisory services for Irish farmers and the food industry.
