Vol. 557 No. 4
123 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason for the delay in processing an application for grant aid under the aquaculture development scheme by a company (details supplied) in County Waterford; the average processing time for this scheme; and when he expects this application to be processed. [22446/02]
An application seeking grant assistance in respect of the application referred to by the Deputy was received on 30 April 2002 by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara under the EU co-funded aquaculture development measure of the Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programme of the NDP 2000-06. The application was assessed and prioritised by BIM for Exchequer and FIFG grant assistance in August 2002 to allow submission of the project to the aquaculture selection board for the southern and eastern region. The application is one of a number of applications to be submitted to the aquaculture selection board in the context of any further project approvals. A meeting of the board scheduled for October 2002 was deferred due to uncertainties prevailing with regard to the 2003 financial envelope for aquaculture development to be provided to the Department in the Estimates.
Over the coming weeks the Department will be examining the extent of financial commitments arising out of grant aid awarded to date under the scheme and will also be examining the projected demand relating to prioritised projects in the context of available funding for 2003. Decisions in regard to processing third tranche applications will be made in the light of the outcome of this exercise. The processing time from receipt of applications by the agencies to the date of decision by the southern and eastern aquaculture selection board for the two tranches to date has been five months and six an a half months respectively.
