Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1233. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total expenditure under the disadvantaged areas scheme in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and the total financial provision under the scheme for 2013; the total payments made to date this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38821/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Payments under the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme are scheduled to commence issuing as and from 25 September 2013, in line with commitments under the Farmers' Charter. The following table details the payments under the Scheme in each of the last three years, 2012, 2011 and 2010, as requested.

It will be recalled that, for budgetary reasons, the annual funding for the Scheme had initially been reduced to €220 million in 2009 (effective for 2009, 2010 and 2011) and subsequently to €190 million for the 2012 Scheme. However, notwithstanding ongoing severe budgetary constraints, I succeeded in obtaining agreement on an increase to €195 million for the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.