Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 November 2016
255. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an overview of the process involved, including at EU level, in transferring moneys allocated from one rural development programme scheme to another; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35688/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, financial allocations under the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020 are set out at measure and sub measure level and not at scheme level.
Under the RDP, the financial allocations by measure are detailed in the Financial Plan (section 10 of the RDP). Any changes to the Financial Plan in the RDP, including any transfer of funds between measures, are part of the official RDP amendment process. The RDP amendment process usually involves the following steps:
1. Development of the proposed amendment
2. Consultation with the RDP Monitoring Committee on the proposed amendment
3. Submission of the proposed amendment to the European Commission
4. European Commission considers the proposed amendment including inter-service consultation
5. European Commission issues official observation letter
6. Managing Authority responds to the Commission's observation letter
7. European Commission approves the proposed amendment by way of a Commission Implementing Act (as per Article 11 of EU regulation 1305/2013).
Scheme allocations are done as part of the annual budgetary process used for the exchequer (voted) funds. As information becomes available about requirements in the course of a year, scheme allocations can be adjusted by way of the usual public financial procedures. The transfer of funds may be effected by the Department itself, by virement with the permission of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, or by way of a supplementary estimate depending on the amount to be transferred and the subhead from which and to which the funds are to move.
