Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the amount of discretionary funding available to him in 2010 arising from the recent CAP health check; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44019/08]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the way he will distribute the €24 million underspend from the single farm payment fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43968/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 147 together.

Political agreement was achieved on the Health Check on Thursday 20 November last following long and sometimes difficult negotiations. The overall agreement represents a very good deal for Irish farmers negotiated in very challenging circumstances.

Resulting from this agreement we now have funding to the tune of approximately €24m per annum which will be available to Irish farmers. €17m from the unused Single Farm Payment funds will come on stream in 2010. The additional €7 million will come from the National Reserve and will be available from 2009 as a result of a deal I managed to negotiate for Ireland. These figures are estimates based on the level of payments under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme. Final figures will not be known until the Commission detailed rules are adopted. I am very pleased to get access to these untapped funds which heretofore could not be utilised fully due to the complexity of rules in the single farm payment system.

We need to consider carefully how these funds can best be used for the development of Irish farming in the context of the options available under the new Regulation. While no decisions have been taken yet I am acutely aware of the difficulties in certain sectors and I will be consulting widely with all stakeholders on this issue in the coming weeks. In this regard I have already said that I would welcome proposals from interested parties.

In addition to the €24m mentioned, the agreed rates of additional modulation will generate in the region of €120m in total over four years in transfers from the Single Payment Scheme to Rural Development. This money will remain in Ireland and will be used for payments to farmers under the Rural Development Programme. Again we will need to decide in consultation with relevant stakeholders how these funds can be passed back to Irish farmers within the limitations set down in the new Regulation.