Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 September 2008
1572 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be approved for a farm improvement grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30011/08]
View answerI assume the Deputy is referring to the applications by the person concerned for grant-aid under the Farm Improvement Scheme. Applications received under the Farm Improvement Scheme prior to its suspension on 31 October 2007 are being processed by my Department up to the level of funding provided for the Scheme in the 2006 Partnership agreement, Towards 2016.
1573 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be awarded a grant under the REP scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30012/08]
View answerPayment to the person named will issue within the next 10 working days.
1574 Deputy John O’Mahony asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the plans he has to extend the deadline for the farm improvement scheme in view of the weather this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30122/08]
View answerThe deadline of 31 December 2008 for completion of work by farmers under the revised Farm Waste Management Scheme introduced by my Department in March 2006 is a condition of the EU state aid approval for the Scheme. I have raised this issue with the European Commission, as recently as July and the Commission has since reaffirmed that it expects Ireland to respect this deadline strictly.
