Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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177. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the fact that there was €80 million in the TAMS Scheme and €20 million has been drawn down, the action he is taking to ensure that no money will go back to Europe and that all of this money will be put to good use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40109/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As TAMS applicants generally have two years from the date of issue of Department approval to complete the investment works concerned, actual expenditure lags very significantly behind the financial commitments made by my Department under each Scheme at any particular time.

I am, of course, conscious of the important role played by the TAMS in ensuring that on-farm investment takes place in a number of specific sectors such as animal welfare, dairy equipment and sheep handling. My Department keeps the application levels, expenditure trends and Scheme provisions under constant review in order to ensure that the maximum benefit will be obtained from this part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme. As part of this process I have recently announced changes to the Sheep Fencing/Mobile Handling Equipment Scheme involving an increase of Reference Costs for the erection of certain types of sheep fencing in mountainous areas to take effect from 1 October 2013.