Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will ask one or two questions of the Minister of State. I have already said what I had to say. I ask him about the 9% cut to the CAP. As I stated earlier, it is a major concern. The Taoiseach spoke about the extra €300 million and that we have the Brexit fund but that is a one-off. We have absolutely no idea how much money we will get from that.

I ask the Minister of State about rural development payments. Farmers are supposed to meet environmental and climate targets but all they see are cuts to rural development funding. They have a biodiversity strategy with which they must comply, along with the green deal. They will incur significant extra costs and bureaucracy. How does the Minister of State see this working? The Government can significantly up the level of co-funding in Pillar 2 payments. We have not done that before and instead we have cut them back. I am not asking the Minister of State today what level or rate the co-funding rates will be increased to but I am asking if a commitment will be given to the family farms of Ireland, whose owners are listening today, that the Government will increase the co-funding rate on rural development programmes to the point where they will support farmers in meeting these climate and environmental targets.

I have a question on the just transition fund. From what I read - I may not have read it correctly - I thought I saw a cut in the fund. I heard other speakers refer to it also but I also thought I heard the Taoiseach say the transition fund had been increased. I would like clarity from the Minister of State on that. As he knows, that just transition fund is very important, especially for workers in the midlands who rely on it.

I referred to the following matter at the end of my first intervention. It concerns the conditionality, or link between the funds - whether grants or loans - and the European semester and country-specific recommendations. The Dutch got a sentence or two in the deal for what is called the Dutch brake. This means payments can be held for a short period while checks are made as to whether countries are obeying conditionality rules. It is a very significant move. In my time in the European Parliament I saw how conditionality was applied to other funds, including the European Social Fund and regional funds etc. Will the Minister of State give us some clarity on exactly how that conditionality will work if the Commission decides a member state is not staying within the rules as required, whether it is the Stability and Growth Pact or repayments etc.? I would appreciate any clarification.

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