Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 625: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of capital investment funding which has been allocated to the food and agricultural sector under the national development plan to date; if she will provide a list of the projects funded and the amounts allocated to each to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34286/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is responsible for a number of capital investment measures under the national development plan. The table sets out the details of public expenditure under these measures for the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 626: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of funding to the food and agricultural sector which has been allocated to the research, technology and innovation measure under the national development plan to date; if she will provide a list of all the projects funded and the amounts allocated to each to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34287/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004, public expenditure of €71.95 million has been allocated in the food and agriculture sector under the research, technology and innovation measures of the national development plan. The measures concerned are:

Details of the projects funded and the amounts allocated are set out in the attached appendices.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 627: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of funding to the food and agricultural sector which has been allocated to the marketing and promotion measure under the national development plan to date; if she will provide a list of all the projects funded and the amounts allocated to each to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34288/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004, public expenditure of €28.69 million has been allocated and funded in the food and agriculture sector under the marketing and promotion measure of the national development plan.

The measure is administered by Bord Bia and covers grant assistance to companies to improve their individual marketing capabilities and the board's generic market development activities. These activities include marketing promotion and advertising, market research studies and information publications, development of marketing skills, quality and training.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 628: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of funding to the food and agricultural sector which has been allocated to the human resource development measure under the NDP to date; if she will provide a list of all the projects funded and the amounts allocated to each to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34289/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004, public expenditure of €66.57 million was allocated in the food and agriculture sector under the human resource development measure of the national development plan. The table below sets out the details of the expenditure under the relevant measures.

The expenditure under the various measures covers training and human resource development programmes and is therefore not project based. In the case of Teagasc, the training measures under the national development plan relate to sectoral entry and ongoing training in the agricultural sector. The overall aim of the sectoral entry training is to ensure that entrants to farming acquire the technical and managerial knowledge and skills required to compete in the market place, and that entrants to part-time farming have access to appropriate training in agriculture as well as access to training for other income-generating activities.

The overall aim of the ongoing sectoral training is to update the technical and business knowledge and skills of practising farmers and horticulturists and to meet the specific training needs of rural women and of people engaged in or considering diversified rural enterprises.

The role of the International Equine Institute at the University of Limerick is to support the continued development of the Irish horse industry through its education and training programmes; the provision of in-service and continuing education opportunities for professional and other categories of employees in the industry; the promotion and commissioning of relevant research; the application and dissemination of research information and outcomes and the further development of the industry's international network. This measure provides aid towards the establishment, administrative, teaching and associated costs incurred by the institute in developing and delivering third level non-degree courses in equine science including taught-on-campus and distance learning courses to certificate or diploma level as well as other information courses, seminars and conferences.

Funding for in-company human resource development in the food industry is administered by Enterprise Ireland. Support is targeted at client firms with the capacity and ambition to significantly grow their sales and exports, within the context of support packages for agreed business plans. Significant funding is also allocated to address transectoral priority areas such as food safety, management development and information technology The key areas addressed by the programme are: food safety, competitiveness and improved productivity, management development, innovation management, information technology and logistics, food core skills, food marketing skills and micro food companies.