Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for taking the time to raise this important issue. As already stated, approximately €736,000 of the €800,000 has been paid out. That shows how seriously the Government has taken this issue. Farmers were paid promptly under the scheme.

I will raise the issues about the SAC that the Deputy put forward to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. The Deputy also raised an issue of one authority. It is an area with which I am familiar. It can be easy to ask for another authority to be set up in the hope it will solve everything. However, this is a pretty complex area. The Government has done a considerable amount of work to protect Athlone town from flooding caused by the River Shannon. That is a multimillion euro project that is approximately 97% complete in my constituency. That is furthering investment in Athlone town as a regional growth centre and underscoring the area's capacity to grow in the future. A wastewater scheme costing more than €100 million will also put us in a very strong position to attract investment into the future.

It is important for farming and agriculture that farmers in the Shannon Callows get intervention swiftly, as those who qualify for the scheme have. I will raise with the Minister the points the Deputy brought to the House this evening.

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