Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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781. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 161 of 29 April 2021, if he will increase the rate of payment under TAMS to reflect the increasing construction costs particularly of materials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57384/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There are a wide variety of items available under the suite of seven measures under TAMS II. To date, total expenditure under the seven measures of the TAMS II, including transitional expenditure, has reached in excess of €380m with commitments of an additional €117m made to scheme participants who have yet to draw down those commitments.

The rate of grant aid for TAMS II is set at 40% except in the case of qualified young farmers where the rate of grant aid available to such farmers is increased to 60%.

In relation to TAMS 3, changes to the support for capital investments are subject to a Rural Development Plan (RDP) amendment and Commission approval. It is proposed to reset the investment ceiling to €90,000 and include proposed increased grant rates for specified investments that will form part of TAMS 3 in 2023. These proposed changes were formally submitted to the European Commission for approval on the 25th of October 2022. The terms and conditions of the scheme and the investment list for grant-aided items are currently being finalised. All reference cost for new and existing investments are also being reviewed.

Once the RDP amendment is approved by the Commission grant rates, investment lists and terms and conditions relating to schemes can be finalised and published