Mr. Colm Hayes:

It is not true to say that the entitlement model that we have means that what one had 20 years ago is what one has now. We have a number of policy changes in the current CAP, specifically convergence, which has seen the transfer of €100 million. This is the year in which we reached 60% convergence. Before the Deputy arrived, we talked about the proposal to increase that convergence. The requirement and the regulation is 75%. It is an evolving situation. I do not think anybody gets what he or she got 15 or 20 years ago. There is a maximum unit value of €700 per hectare which is in place for this year. Deputies raised the incorporation of salaries or off-farm income into a farmer's entitlement to direct payments. We addressed this earlier, oppose it and have opposed it in meetings in Brussels for a number of reasons. Administrative complexity is a very obvious reason. It will be extremely difficult to implement. It is still on the table as a proposal but we will continue to oppose it as long as it is there. I flagged it in my opening remarks as an issue for Ireland.

Deputy Ó Cuív raised issues relating to funding and Ireland's contributions and benefits from the EU. I will leave it to my colleagues in the Department of Finance to argue with the Deputy. The €47 million is a figure that Commissioner Hogan presented as what would be required from Ireland to make up the shortfall in the proposal for Pillar 2.

Senator Grace O'Sullivan raised stakeholder consultation. As I mentioned earlier, I expect we will make some announcements on the format of the stakeholder consultation from here on. We will consult our own assessment. The consultants will consult with regard to the needs analysis. There will be an ex anteevaluation and strategic environmental assessment. These will all be made available for anybody who is interested to comment. We have had formal and informal consultations with six public meetings around the country. The door is always open for anybody who wants to contribute with an opinion. I am not sure if the Senator was here but the two Ministers met before Christmas to discuss the environmental pillar and what it might look like.

We were asked what evaluations we have done or are doing of the current rural development programme, RDP. The current RDP has been the subject of a number of evaluations. In 2017, the annual implementation report, which we submit to Brussels, included an evaluation of GLAS. GLAS has been evaluated in what we call a longitudinal study, which measures the contribution of GLAS to biodiversity, water, soil and climate change objectives. The results of this will be very useful for everybody but will be especially useful in informing the designs of the next agri-environment schemes. We published a spending review on the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, last year, which is a public document. We are undertaking a similar spending review on the beef data and genomics programme, BDGP, which I suspect will be published this year. We are also undertaking a mid-term evaluation of the rural development programme, mentioned by Senator O'Sullivan, which Indecon is doing.

The results of that will be very useful in informing any adjustments we might have to make to the current regional development programme, even if it is getting late in the day for that, and to the design of the post-2020 scheme. INDECON is engaging with stakeholders on this. The firm is holding a workshop in Athlone next week and is surveying the beneficiaries of the scheme. It is all part of the stakeholder input.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae mentioned the 80:20 rule in regard to forestry. It is not marginal land; it is unenclosed land. I think that is what the Deputy is referring to but I would be happy to have a separate discussion on that. There are environmental regulations which inform that. We have answered the capping question. The capping proposal is for degressivity towards €60,000 and the Minister has publicly said we are open to it. Deputies have since commented on it.