Mr. Brendan Gleeson:

We do not know what the average payment will be because that has not been decided yet. The Deputy referred to a commitment in the programme for Government and while I do not want to get into the implementation of governmental commitments, it is true that the programme for Government commits to a €1.5 billion agri-environmental fund, the money for which will come from carbon taxes. The current scheme, the REAP, is really a vehicle for testing some concepts and ideas, particularly the results-based idea, so that we are not forcing measures on farmers and then penalising them if they do not meet them. Instead, we are offering farmers the opportunity to volunteer for things under the results-based scheme and to decide what level of payment they want. That is the idea behind the new scheme. It is not intended to replicate what will happen after 2023 but is intended to trial a few ideas for people who are not already in environmental schemes.