Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With the replies I am given sometimes, I do not know whether to cry or to laugh at the total effort to not answer a simple question. In the committee today, the Department statement highlighted that the draft rural development regulation refers to a general co-funding rate of 53%, but went on to clarify that not all measures within the rural development programme will be co-financed at that rate, as there will be a number of derogations from the general rate.

The impression given was that different rates would be applicable to perhaps 5% or 10% of measures. In fact, the derogations cover more than 90% of the spend, which means that fewer than 10% of measures will be eligible for the 53% rate. Since the Minister trumpeted his great achievements in Brussels in June, for which, we are repeatedly told, the whole world is grateful, the story was that there would be a general co-funding rate of 53%. That is bunkum. In reality, that rate applies to fewer than 10% of measures; for the other 90%, the applicable rate will be either 20% or 25%. Irish farmers are not grateful for that.

I am asking a simple question today. Can the Minister of State confirm whether it is the intention of the Government to co-fund the European money of €330 million per annum at a rate of 53%? If the Government chooses to hedge its bets the second time around, the logical conclusion must be that the intention is to avail of the very low co-funding rates, which were negotiated by the Minister in the full knowledge that his colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, would take advantage of them and, in so doing, take more money out of farmers' pockets. That will have a particular impact on people farming poor land, which is 75% of the land in this country, and those dependent on agri-environment schemes.

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