Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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527. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funding will be increased for areas of the natural constraints scheme to reverse cuts in previous budgets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28345/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Total allocated funding in respect of payments under Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme is €1,370m, or €195 million annually. The 2016 Revised Estimates have committed an additional €7m in funding for the ANC scheme in 2016 .

The Programme for a Partnership Government sets out the commitment to increase the budget for the ANC Scheme by €25m in Budget 2018.  In parallel, the Rural Development Regulation requires all Member States to designate eligible areas under the ANC Scheme by reference to new biophysical criteria by 2018.  The technical work underlying this process is currently underway, and the additional €25m will be integrated into the resultant scheme design process in 2018.