Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 27 Feb 2001

Vol. 531 No. 3

Written Answers. - Capital Projects.

Jack Wall

Ceist:

163 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the capital projects funded by his Department in the Kildare South constituency during 2000; the amount of funding in each case; the capital projects proposed by his Department in 2001; the amount of funding in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5696/01]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh):

The following are the amounts of grant aid paid to farmers in County Kildare under the various on-farm investment schemes administered by my Department during 2000.

Scheme	No. of Payments
Grant-Aid
National Farm Pollution Scheme£52,000	73
Control of Farm Pollution Scheme£78,291(OPARDF 1994-1999)	8
Dairy Hygiene Scheme£9,698(OPARDF 1994-1999)	1
Alternative Enterprise Schemes£6,602(OPARDF 1994-1999)	2
Farm Improvement Programme£60,187(OPARDF 1994-1999)	8

Scheme	No. of Payments
Farm Improvement Horticulture£91,890(OPARDF 1994-1999)	15
Agri-Tourism Scheme£2,977(OPARDF 1994-1999)	1

On 1 February 2001, my Department introduced a scheme for investment aid for farm waste management, a scheme for the improvement of dairy hygiene standards and a scheme of housing-handling facilities for alternative enterprises, which were provided for in the National Development Plan, 2000-06. Some £12.3 million has been allocated for these three schemes in the southern and eastern regions during 2001.

The Leader II programme was administered in Kildare by County Kildare Leader II Company Limited, KELT. All projects had to be committed before 31 December 1999. There were no payments made on capital projects during 2000. Leader II has completed its active phase and until the new programmes have commenced operation, it is not possible to give any details on capital projects in 2001.

In respect of 2001, a new capital investment scheme for the marketing and processing of certain agricultural projects will be launched in the next few weeks. Applications under this scheme, which is funded under the national development plan, will be subject to an assessment process.