Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the way he plans to keep the substantially greater matching funds that are now accruing to REP scheme three and REP scheme four in view of the fact that he has recently announced a new agri-environmental scheme which will cost €50 million and assuming that half of the money will come from the EU; his plans to let the matching funds be returned to the EU and not drawn down; his further plans to assign this funding to another scheme which will require matching funds to be provided by the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14319/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Rural Environment Protection Scheme remains in operation. Almost 30,000 farmers have applied to join REPS 4 since it was launched. All existing REPS 3 and 4 participants will be allowed to remain in the scheme until the end of their existing contracts, the last of which will finish at the end of 2015. This year, my Department will spend €330 million on REPS. All EU funding provided for REPS in the current Rural Development Programme will be drawn down in full.

I launched the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme on 30 March. EU funding for that scheme comes from modulation funds arising from the CAP Health Check and from the European Economic Recovery Package. The Minister for Finance agreed in December last to provide additional funding from the national exchequer, allowing for the launch of the new scheme at a rate of up to €5,000 for approximately 10,000 participants.