Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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367. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 548 of 14 December 2017, the number of new entrants that commenced the green cert in 2017; the number of applications that were refused in 2017; the details of same in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14774/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Successful applicants to the 2017 National Reserve were required to have completed a recognised agricultural education course giving rise to an award at FETAC level 6 or equivalent by the closing date for receipt of applications under the scheme of 15 May 2017. Of the 146 applicants for the National Reserve under the "new entrant" category, 13 were rejected on the basis of failure to meet the relevant educational requirements.

Based on the length of time required to achieve the necessary level of qualification, none of the successful applicants to the National Reserve in 2017 would have commenced the required course in 2017.  My Department does not hold details of the number of students who commenced such agricultural education courses in 2017 across the range of course providers.

Details of the number of applications submitted to the National Reserve in 2017 under the ‘new entrant’ category, the number of those applications deemed unsuccessful and the number of unsuccessful applicants on the basis of not having met the agricultural educational qualification criteria by 15 May 2017 are set out in the following table: