Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to announce changes in the payment level for REP scheme three participants; if on the basis of the work undertaken by his officials to date in processing REP scheme four payments, he envisages there will a change in REP scheme three; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26018/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I indicated on 7 April, following the presentation of the 2009 Supplementary Budget, that I would review the payment level for REPS 3 participants once I have determined the ongoing financial obligations arising from the number of REPS 4 applications submitted by the closing date of 15 May. The total number of applications received was in the region of 17,000. The precise number will be available shortly, together with an estimate of their cost, when the applications received in each of the local offices have been entered on my Department's computer system.

I am carrying out the review of the scheme in the context of the overall level of participation, the funding which is likely to be available to me in the future, the flexibility provided by the additional funding which I negotiated in the recent CAP "Health Check" and also the preparation of a revised Rural Development Programme which must be submitted to the European Commission by the 15 July. I will be making a statement on the matter at that stage.