Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when farmers who are locked out of the farm improvement scheme will have their applications processed. [43629/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Farm Improvement Scheme was introduced by my Department in July 2007 with funding of €79 million as agreed under the 2006 Partnership Agreement, Towards 2016, and was suspended on 31 October 2007 as applications received had reached this level of funding. 12,675 applications were received from farmers prior to the closing date of the Scheme and these applications have been processed within my Department up to the level of funding available.

I have recently announced that, in the case of on-farm investment schemes, I intend to introduce support for a number of specific categories of farmers which shall be focused on supporting productive investment. Applications for grant-aid under these schemes, which are currently being considered by the EU Commission, will be subject to both eligibility and assessment criteria in order to determine those which will be approved for grant-aid. Applicants who did not receive approval under the Farm Improvement Scheme will be eligible to apply for the various schemes, when introduced, where they comply with the specific eligibility criteria laid down in the schemes concerned.