Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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395. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the positive initiatives in the budget for young farmers to inherit land and the top-up agreed for the new CAP for single payment entitlements for young farmers, his plans to increase places for farmers to pursue the Teagasc green certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41007/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the Agricultural (Research, Training and Advice) Act, 1988, Teagasc has statutory responsibility for the provision of education and training programmes to the agriculture sector. It is a matter for Teagasc to prioritise activities in the delivery of education services and to allocate resources in accordance with these priorities. They work in partnership with other education stakeholders including Universities and Institutes of Technology to deliver quality-driven education courses in agriculture, food, horticulture, forestry and equine studies.

The configuration of the new Single Farm Payment Scheme to prioritise support for young farmers has resulted in additional applications for part time and distance Teagasc Green Cert courses this autumn. My Department in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has agreed that Teagasc can recruit 20 temporary teachers to enable young farmers undertake the Green Cert and thus qualify for payment. Teagasc is committed to maximising the number of available places for the Green Cert and is exploring other options to meet demand including the use of education sub-contractors to deliver specific course modules. In addition to the above posts, my Department has approved a number of other mission critical appointments in the Teagasc education function to maximise participation in agricultural education.