Results 15,461-15,480 of 18,347 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I will deal with the schemes that were there when Fine Gael was in government.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: More than——

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Promises made will be honoured, as they always are.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy's predecessors——

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. More than 18,000 farmers have been paid in full. Over 17,000 remain to be paid. The expenditure available to us this year will enable us to pay all the remaining 17,400 payment claims when they are processed. Of those a 40% payment will be made during the course of this calendar year, 40% of the remaining payment will be made in the first days of January...

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: This funding will amount to approximately €550 million. If one takes the coming January date, within ten months €988 million will have been paid out of a scheme that will cost the Exchequer in excess of €1 billion. This means that 90% of all eligible claimants will be paid by 3 January next. With the funding available this year we could have made a decision to pay more than 7,000...

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Another aspect of Deputy Creed's question concerned the banks. I appreciate there are farmers who have substantial commitments and bank loans. Everybody in this House knows these farmers who depend on the payments to come through.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I have spoken already to the major banks and am to meet them during the course of this week. I have asked that particular provision be made for individual farmers, in respect of their loans, to comprise a grant element. That money is guaranteed by the State even though it will not be paid as quickly as we would wish.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I have asked the banks to give particular consideration to people with loans.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I totally reject what Deputy Creed said. I was told during the course of last year, before July, when €150 million had been provided for this scheme, that no further payments would be made between July and December. A sum of €150 million was provided in the Estimates at that time. Before the year was out we had allocated €414 million in payments and we have provided——-

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I am entitled to speak. I belong to a party that believes in free speech and I should be entitled to answer.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: During the course of last year I was told that payments would cease under the farm waste management scheme during the course of the summer.

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: During the summer I was told payments under the scheme would cease. At that time we had spent €150 million. The Department put in another €32 million, a further €195 million of a Supplementary Estimate, which was regarded as an exceptional item of expenditure, and a further €30 million before the end of the year. We brought the payments practically up to date by the end of the...

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: During December more than 14,000 claims came in. We were told by plenty of people in this House that work would not be done and claims would not be made. We stated very clearly that payments would be honoured. The suckler cow scheme is a new stream of income that was paid out for the first time during December. Some €33 million was paid out before the end of the year and another €12...

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Deputy Creed brought up the supplementary measures. Some €313 million was also paid out during 2008 under REPS. All these commitments will be honoured.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I expect to be able shortly to confirm the position regarding payments under the suckler welfare scheme. More than 53,000 farmers applied for the scheme in 2008 and the estimated cost, at a rate of €80 per cow, will be some €77 million for 2008. By the end of 2008, €33 million was spent on the scheme. A further €44 million has been provided in my Department's Estimate for 2009 to...

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: This scheme was introduced with funding of €250 million to be provided over five years. In the first year of applications there was a very large take up and the total cost of the 2008 scheme amounts to €77 million. A sum of €33 million was provided in the Estimates for 2008 and this scheme, by its nature, is claimed for only towards the end of the year with calves weaning. Some €33...

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: This scheme was introduced last year——

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I indicated that the €250 million provided for the scheme was not €80 per animal. It was introduced at the beginning on the basis that there would be €250 million over five years. The intention is to honour that scheme.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: As Deputy Doyle rightly said, the number of applications was almost 54,000 and the number of beef breed calves born in the scheme last year was 974,000. The funding paid out under the 2008 scheme during the calendar year 2008 was €33 million and €44 million is provided in the 2009 Estimate to pay the remainder of the 2008 scheme. Many of the applications would come in only at the end of...