Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2006

Thursday, 14 December 2006

Ceisteanna (323)

Joan Burton

Ceist:

319 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the annual cost of the rural environment protection scheme, on an annual basis from the date the scheme started; if she will quantify the activity generated by the scheme for each year for which figures are supplied; the smallest, the average and the largest individual payment made in each year under the scheme; the projected cost of the scheme in 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43413/06]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mary Coughlan)

The information requested is as follows:

Year	Cost	Participants
	€million
1994	1.5	336
1995	37.4	8,415
1996	70.9	18,194
1997	127.6	29,132
1998	167.9	36,300
1999	183.2	41,092
2000	205.6	44,802
2001	164.8	34,293
2002	172.6	43,643
2003	183.9	38,493
2004	208.9	42,697
2005	284.6	47,483
2006 (Projected out-turn)	323	58,500

The size of the average farm in REPS is 34 hectares. Since the scheme was introduced in 1994, a farm of that size would have qualified for €5,406 per annum under REPS 1 (1994-99), for €5,134 per annum under REPS 2 (2000-04), and for €6,450 per annum under REPS 3 (2004-06). Some €328 million has been provided for REPS in the 2007 Estimates.