Aquaculture Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 October 2016

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Ceisteanna (585)

Pat the Cope Gallagher

Ceist:

585. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of successful applications received and processed to date in 2016, for grant aid under the sustainable aquaculture and the knowledge gateway schemes for aquaculture; if successful applicants under these schemes are obliged to complete, pay and audit all eligible expenditure within the calendar year; the estimated total amount of funding which will be allocated to aquaculture in 2016; if any unspent funds under these schemes will be rolled over to 2017; and the areas in which any unspent funds will appear in his final Department's budgets and Estimates for 2017. [30357/16]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My Department approved funding of €3 million to Bord Iascaigh Mhara in 2016 for investment in aquaculture as part of Ireland's European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational Programme, which was launched in January 2016.  

To date in 2016, seven applications have been approved for funding under the Knowledge Gateway Scheme and seventeen under the Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme. All except one project concern investments that will be completed in 2016 and will be paid in 2016 from monies voted to my Department and its agencies. One project applied for and received approval to be completed over three years, with annual stage payments. 

While any funds unspent in 2016 cannot be rolled over into 2017, the EMFF Programme provides for total investment in aquaculture of €30 million over the course of the Programme. The 2017 EMFF funding for aquaculture will form part of the current and capital votes to BIM.