Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In many respects, GLAS accurately paints the picture of the rolling programme of payments that happen under the rural development programme. The Deputy is aware that we are paying out in the calendar year of 2017 what would have been considered 2016 liabilities in some respects. Therefore, we are paying out some of 2016's liabilities from the envelope of money provided for in 2017 and we will also pay out applications for 2017 from it. People may not get 100% of their 2017 payment. We have increased the number of applicants by 13,000 this year, taking the figure to more than 50,000. It is the most successful environmental scheme. There is a rolling element to it. All applicants, it is envisaged, will get an advance payment. Whether or not they will get 100% of their payments, from Deputy McConalogue’s assessment of the figures, it is likely that the balancing payment will slip into 2018, just as the 2016 payment is being paid to some in 2017. That is the nature of all the schemes the Department runs.