Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

My officials have been working on them this week and draft proposals may be ready as early as next week. However, that is not to state they will be agreed at that point. Let us be clear about the process which must be gone through. I will be obliged to obtain approval from the Department of Finance to introduce a new AEOS. That will not be straightforward because it is difficult to get that Department to agree to any proposals for new schemes that will cost the Exchequer money. In order to get the proposal through, I will be obliged to identify savings elsewhere. It must be remembered that, potentially, the ceiling on my Department's expenditure for next year may lowered again. I suspect we will be considering opening a limited AEOS prior to the summer, with a view to the first payments being made early next year. The scheme will have to be contemplated within the framework of next year's rather than this year's budget.

The discussion on this matter is only in the preliminary stages. This is because I have not yet approved a proposed scheme and obtained approval from the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to proceed with such a scheme. When I obtain that approval, I will be happy to bring details of the scheme to the attention of the Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture or give them directly to the party spokespersons on agriculture.

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