Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

A total of 9,236 applications were received by my Department under the agri-environment options scheme, AEOS, by the closing date of 17 May 2010. All of these applications have been recorded and examined by my Department. To date 5,706 applications have been found to be fully compliant with scheme requirements and the applicants have received notification from the Department approving their participation in the scheme.

A further 2,585 applications have been processed and my Department will be issuing the letters of approval over the next few days. In a number of cases, approval for entry into the scheme will be conditional on minor queries and obvious errors being resolved by the applicant. This will bring the total numbers approved by the beginning of December to 8,291. There are 921 applications which require more detailed investigation by my Department, some of which will have to be resolved in correspondence with the applicants before approvals can issue. The Department is working through these applications with a view to reaching a decision on entry into the scheme in each case as soon as possible. The remaining 24 applicants have withdrawn their applications. Further participation in the new agri-environment options scheme will have to be determined within the limits of the level of funding which will be available to my Department.

The Government's for year plan which was published last week sets out the expenditure ceilings for my Department for the period 2011-14. The plan does not specify the programmes or schemes to which the funding will be allocated. However, it confirms that there will be a focus on streamlining a range of programmes and that options to be considered include the prioritisation of financial support to active farmers. At this stage, no decisions have been taken about the levels of participation in various schemes during the period of the four year plan or on the payment rates that will apply. The 2011 budget will be announced by the Minister for Finance next week and, in that context, I will be giving careful consideration to the allocations of resources against the competing demands in 2011.

Substantial funding is already committed by my Department to funding agri-environment schemes, including AEOS. Total payments last year in respect of REPS 3 and REPS 4 amounted to €341 million. Total funding available this year is €330 million, to provide for payments under REPS 3, REPS 4 and AEOS. Payments in respect of REPS 3 are issuing on a continuous basis and I have urged all participants in the scheme to submit their annual claims as quickly as possible to ensure that they receive payment before year end. The administrative checks and SPS cross-checks which are required before REPS 4 payments for the 2010 scheme can issue are at an advanced stage and I expect that payments will commence in the next week or so. The Department has been concentrating on processing all applications received under AEOS and once this process is complete, arrangements will be put in place to commence payments.

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