Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Jackie Cahill for submitting this question. I acknowledge that the Minister of State, Deputy Andrew Doyle, is working on this issue but speed is of the essence here. As the Minister knows, this is the busiest time of the year for nurseries in terms of fulfilling orders. They are busy taking orders from customers while at the same time, they are trying to salvage their nurseries. The Minister spoke about grants being made available but what will qualify for such grants? One of the biggest outlays will be the provision of bamboo substitutes, which will have to be imported. It is fine to talk about capital grants but would items like bamboo qualify for grant aid? An immediate answer is needed on that because that is one of the major costs that will be incurred by the nurseries.

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