I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 7, 26, 29 and 44 together.
The funding for the OPARDF, under which the control of farm pollution scheme is implemented, was agreed by the previous administration who negotiated the funding for the Structural Funds.
On taking up appointment I was very concerned to discover that the funds available for the operation of this scheme were seriously inadequate. It was necessary as a result to suspend the acceptance of new applications on 27 April 1995. Following negotiations with the Minister for Finance and the European Commission, revised funding arrangements were put in place to meet estimated demand from applicants on hand on 27 April 1995. These new arrangements involved the transfer of additional resources from elsewhere in the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry, as well as bringing forward substantial funds, already available in the operational programme, to 1996 and 1997 from later years.
The revised funding arrangements enabled my Department to expedite payments to existing approved applicants as investment works were completed and also to issue approvals to outstanding applicants on hands. Subsequent approvals issued to applicants were on the basis that payment would issue in 1997 when further funds became available. It is not possible at this stage to bring forward additional funding to 1996. As regards the BSE scare the Deputy will be aware of the recent package of measures agreed yesterday at the Agriculture Council in Luxembourg, details of which I have already given to the House.
The position on funding is kept under constant review. At this stage, however, no savings are envisaged which would permit the reopening of the scheme. As regards cancellations since 20 March 1996, the position is that over the months April and May 1996 some 82 applications were cancelled. This compares with 122 cancellations over the same period last year.
I emphasise that the revised funding arrangements, now covering the CFP scheme, represent a major improvement on the position which applicants would have had to face had these not been introduced and that, based on best current estimates, there will be adequate funding to meet existing applications over the period to 1999.