I propose to take Questions Nos. 357, 359, 385 and 386 together.
As the Deputy may be aware, the REAP terms and conditions state that the land being selected for the project should not be nominated until after the REAP-trained advisor and the farmer have had an opportunity to walk the holding. Similarly, participants will not be able to decide on an appropriate use of the budget for complementary actions (such as tree planting) until the land has been walked.
It is important to note that REAP is a pilot project with specific aims as outlined in the terms and conditions and should not be regarded as a full scheme. One such aim is to raise farmer and Adviser awareness of results based assessments and the potential value of biodiversity and other ecosystem services on their farms. The entire project, including the tree planting complementary action, will be monitored, and evaluated to inform the next national agri-environment scheme.
The project was developed using existing resources available within the Department. As part of the development of the project, a public consultation was held offering any potential stakeholder the opportunity to give their views on the project. Over 1,580 submissions were received during the consultation process.