Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 694: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee will be considered for the New Early Retirement Scheme Draft Development Plan 2007 to 2013 as referred to in a previous parliamentary question. [9531/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As indicated in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 418 of 12 December,2006, certain of the recommendations contained in the Report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food were precluded by the EU Regulations under which the two Early Retirement Schemes were operated. I saw merit in other aspects of the Committee's report; some recommendations have been either fully or partially implemented and others are being considered in the context of the proposal for a new Early Retirement Scheme, which has been included in the draft Rural Development Programme for the period 2007–2013. This draft Programme was sent to the Commission in late December and I continue to pursue early approval.

Following clarification from the European Commission, I announced increases in the rate of pension under both of the earlier Schemes to take effect from 1 November 2006. These increases, which are financed entirely from the National Exchequer, will cost some €33 million extra over the remaining period of the two Schemes, and some 5,000 retired farmers will benefit from them.