Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I understand it is easy to take from the figures I gave that 10,000 will exit the scheme each year. That is not correct. There will be almost 63,000 participating in the scheme this year. The number of people who may potentially exit the scheme next year will be less than 10,000. I can provide the Deputy with the figures afterwards but I want to be clear about this to the House. In excess of 1,500 applications were received subsequent to 15 May and prior to 9 July and the REPS 4 plans of these people will begin in 2010.

We will have 63,000 participants this year and next year we will have somewhat less. However, we will introduce a new agri-environment measure and the priority category for this new scheme will be those who have exited REPS 3. The level of funding available for the scheme has not yet been determined. What has been determined is that all the modulation funds and the European economic recovery programme available to the Department has been ring-fenced in its entirety for this agri-environment measure. The supplementing and Exchequer funding that will be provided for the scheme will not be determined until the Estimates budgetary process for 2010 is complete. This year, we have almost 63,000 participants in REPS, last year it was 46,000 and 17,000 new applicants entered the scheme prior to the 15 May deadline. This is by far the highest ever level of new applicants.

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