Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The amount for installation aid is only €10,000, whereas the figure for early retirement is approximately €10 million. In regard to Deputy Penrose's question on whether we will introduce a new installation aid scheme, we investigated how we can spend money to the maximum effect. When installation aid was introduced, there was no requirement on young farmers to spend it in any particular way. The money was given to young farmers, supposedly to get them started. That was a good principle but they could spend it on anything. There was no requirement for them to spend it on agriculture.

We will continue to positively discriminate in favour of young farmers by giving them a top-up of 25% on their single farm payments which means €16,000 over five years to someone who claims the maximum available under the scheme. Obviously that figure varies according to how much land is being claimed. They also have access to preferential capital supports under Pillar 2. Under the rural development programme, a young farmer who wants to invest in capital infrastructure on his or her farm can get 60% grant aid, whereas his or her parents would get 40% grant aid. These capital grants amount to a significant amount of money. They can also get support for establishing partnerships or producing artisan food. There is a strong package for young farmers.

I made what I think was the right judgment call, as I explained to Macra na Feirme at its annual meeting. We cannot be in the business of giving out money without understanding how it will achieve value for money. There are strong incentives for young farmers and for generational change within the new RDP.

We will not give them a huge lump-sum, no questions asked, and let them spend it however they want. Those days are over. We can no longer afford that luxury. That does not mean we have not allocated very significant sums of money for young farmers. We have.

Licensing for aquaculture has been one of my great frustrations since taking this job. We are getting through it and are trying to fast-track it as best we can while staying within the agreed EC regulations. Last year I approved approximately 140 aquaculture licences, maybe more. I can get the exact figures. It is a slight increase on the previous year. We are assessing bays as quickly as we can. If a bay or harbour is a special area of conservation, SAC, we have to go through a process of environmental assessment before we can even accept an application for an aquaculture licence. That means our Department, working with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Irish Marine Institute, getting the science done on those bays before we can assess the aquaculture applications.

This is a very important area for me but we must do it in a way that is sustainable and environmentally acceptable. We have an obligation to do that and the Commission will require it, and that is right. That does not mean we cannot get on with the job as quickly as possible. People who seek aquaculture licences or licence extensions in some bays are waiting for their bay to be assessed, and that is very frustrating for them. We have to try to get around to assessing those bays as quickly as we can. We are prioritising the bays that have the most applications or potential applications to try and get as many of them dealt with as possible.