Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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63. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide bridging loan finance to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to allow it to issue the Exchequer funded element of area based compensation payments four months early to assist farmers with the purchase of fodder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21005/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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My Department has advised me that payments can only issue directly from the Central Fund (Exchequer) i.e. non-voted disbursements if there is a statutory basis for them and a credit has been granted by the Comptroller and Auditor General under the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act, 1993. There is no statutory basis for a payment from the Central Fund for the matter referred to by the Deputy. As regards payments from the Vote for the Office of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, that is a matter for that Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform who is the sanctioning authority for voted expenditure.