James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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My apologies for being late this morning. I meant no disrespect to the House or the Minister. I got badly delayed in traffic while coming in.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Ceart go leor.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, for being here to deal with the issue of targeted agriculture modernisation scheme, TAMS, grants. It has been raised by many of my colleagues. My constituency office has been getting several queries on the matter. TAMS has been very successful in providing to farmers additional capital resources from the State and European funding to enable them to carry out key construction and improvement works on farms. The range of projects included is vast. Timing, however, is critical in a farming calendar, as the Minister and Minister of State are well aware. The summer period is optimal for the construction of new facilities for the winter months. In addition, however, coming into the winter months, particularly on dairy farms, many herds are dried off and that gives farmers the opportunity to make preparations for spring, such as new calving sheds and other facilities for the expansion of dairy herds, including milking parlours, slurry tanks and so on. Such projects require a significant amount of capital and forward planning. There is a need to secure planning permission and get one’s consultants to design the new farm infrastructure and sheds.

There are significant delays, however. I think the office is based in Wexford but I stand to be corrected in that regard. There are significant delays due to IT problems and other matters and this needs to be dealt with urgently. My office is getting calls from all over my constituency and beyond to try to get this matter addressed. The Minister is aware this is a serious problem and needs to be addressed. Thousands of people working in agriculture in Cork East as primary producers - farmers - need clarity on this matter, as do farmers nationally.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the availability of these significant supports for on-farm investment. It is of importance for farmers throughout the country, particularly in his constituency. The Government and I, as Minister, are committed to delivering on this. The new TAMS 3 commenced in February with the launch of the solar capital investment scheme and then opened up for different items all the way up to when it closed at the end of June. Overall, €370 million is profiled between now and 2027 for TAMS. The Deputy will be aware of the range of supports that is offered and some of the key steps we took, particularly in respect of new developments relating to the 60% grant aid for female farmers and the launch of a new separate ceiling for solar TAMS.

I recently announced we would be accepting 100% of all those who applied and meet the criteria. In the past, approximately 85% of applications were approved. Many missed out. All applicants who meet the criteria will now be approved. In addition, we have given forward approval to applicants for mobile TAMS investments to go ahead and purchase. Approximately half of all applications received are for mobile investments. Those applicants can now go ahead and make their purchase under TAMS.

We opened it up in order that applicants who need to finish work by this winter, such as those who need slurry storage or sheds for animal welfare, could apply for urgent approval. We received a number of those applications before 15 September and we are providing those grants in order that people who want to do work this winter can do it.

We received the largest number of applications ever. This tranche is by far the largest number of applicants we have ever had. Obviously, that has created a big administrative burden in terms of working through the approvals. After we have given the immediate urgent approvals for those who want to do work this winter, the next step will be to give approval to applications under solar TAMS and, thereafter, to step it out, item by item, to ensure applicants get approval in the coming months.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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That is very helpful information. I reiterate that the waiting lists and the backlog that is occurring in the TAMS administration office within the Minister’s Department needs to be reduced urgently. It is great to hear of the work that is being done in terms of prioritisation of cases. May I bring a couple of cases to the attention of the Minister? These are people who are very much caught up in the delays. There is urgency to these cases. The Minister rightly referred to animal welfare. These improvements are about providing infrastructure for the proper care of animals on farms. In addition, there has been growth on many farms throughout the country in recent years in the context of the post-quota era. That puts additional stress and strain on existing and older farm infrastructure. It is why the continuation of TAMS is critical and the scheme has been so successful in its take-up. I would like that to be explored further.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We are trying to sequence this. It cannot all be done in one go. It should be borne in mind that it opened up through a number of months and only closed on 1 July. A record number of applications were made and we have to work through them in the most efficient way possible. We have given authorisation to half of all applicants to go ahead and make their purchase. That relates to the mobile TAMS. In addition, we have pulled out the urgent applications relating to work that needs to be done this autumn. Such applicants should have notified us by 15 September, and had the option of doing so. If there are other applications of which the Deputy is aware, he should please bring them to me. The applicants would need to show the applications are urgent in order that they can get dealt with now. We wish to ensure that anybody who needs to do work in winter to be ready for spring can do so. That is the objective. Once we have all those applications approved, we will work our way through the others in as effective and efficient a way as possible. It would not be fair to characterise it as a backlog. The scheme was open until 1 July. We have stepped it out and approval has been given to half of all applicants to now make their purchases. In addition, we are giving approval to those who need to get builders on site and we are working our way through all the other applications. The first in the line to get approval in that regard will be applications under the solar TAMS.