asked the Minister for Agriculture the reason for the delay in the payment of first time silage grants; and the number of applications received for payment and the number paid to date in County Limerick.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
347.
The total number of applicants under this scheme at just over 30,000 exceeded all expectations. The amount of local inspection work and other processing involved was, therefore, far greater than had been anticipated. To date, since 8 November, the latest date for receipt of applications, over 9,000 of the applicants have been paid. Processing of the remaining applications is in progress and payments will be made as quickly as possible. The number of applications received from farmers in County Limerick is 860 and of these 396 have been paid.