Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 September 2014
224. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide funding of €200 million for AEOS-GLAS programmes with the early opening of GLAS places for 30,000 in the first year and payments made in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35934/14]
View answerThe new GLAS Scheme is currently with the European Commission for approval, as part of the Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020. Once such approval is granted, my Department will move to open the Scheme for applications. I would hope to be able to do so before the end of the year, but this is entirely dependent on approval being secured in time from the EU. However, I am confident that the scheme will be open to applications in 2015 and I am making provision for up to 30,000 applicants in the first year. Payments for 2015 will be in respect of a part-year only, as is normal with the commencement of a new scheme like this, but contracts will then run for their full five year term from 2016. This means that entrants into GLAS next year will benefit from an additional part-payment in respect of 2015, on top of the usual five year contract.
