Written answers

Wednesday, 25 May 2005

Department of Agriculture and Food

Farm Retirement Scheme

9:00 pm

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to implement the recommendations of the report on the early retirement scheme of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17442/05]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I received the committee's report formally on 7 April and my officials are currently examining it. This report arises from an investigation by the committee of a complaint by a group representing retired farmers. My Department provided the committee with a comprehensive formal written response to the complaint and also attended a meeting of the committee in July 2003 to answer questions from members. The report covers a range of issues, including taxation issues, which are outside my remit. I will address the issues shortly in a formal response to the committee.

I am naturally anxious that the early retirement scheme delivers maximum benefits to retired farmers. However, this is an EU funded scheme and I am constrained by the regulations under which it was introduced. The same group of retired farmers made an identical complaint to the European Commission but the Commission did not uphold it. In other words, the Commission concluded that my Department is administering the scheme correctly and in accordance with the governing EU regulations.

My Department has recently conducted an expenditure review of the current early retirement scheme and copies were laid before the House on 13 April. The expenditure review process was established by the Department of Finance in 1997 in the context of the strategic management initiative. The purpose of the review of the early retirement scheme is to analyse systematically whether the scheme is meeting its objectives and to inform future decisions regarding priorities on expenditure programmes. My Department's review includes a number of conclusions and recommendations that will help to inform my response to the report of the joint committee.

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