Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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486. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the Exchequer funding allocated to the sustainability support and advisory programme in 2024 and 2025; the 2024 funding allocation, by current and capital funding; and the number of full- and part-time staff working directly on the programme in his Department, in tabular form. [41044/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) is a Government and industry funded initiative which commenced in 2018 to facilitate improvements in water quality. Supported by my Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), and by Dairy Industry Ireland, ASSAP involves both Teagasc, and industry employed advisers working with farmers in a confidential and voluntary manner to improve water quality.

ASSAP currently involves a resource of ~50 advisers of which 20 are funded by Government. In addition, Government funds two ASSAP support posts. Of the 22 posts funded by Government, my Department supports four advisers through the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP), with a further five permanent advisers working on the Programme funded from my Department's grant aid to Teagasc as well as Teagasc's own resources. The funding for a further 13 posts (11 advisers, one administrative resource, and the ASSAP programme manager) is provided by DHLGH.

Details of the salary and travel and subsistence allocated to ASSAP by my Department as well as Teagasc's own resources are detailed in Table 1. The funding for the 13 posts supported by DHLGH is a matter for my colleague, Minister O'Brien.

All funding provided by my Department is from Current Expenditure cost centres and this funding is administered and overseen by my staff as part of their normal work. My Department does not have any staff working directly on the programme.

Table 1: Funding Allocated to ASSAP by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and Teagasc

Note: Table 1 does not include posts and funding supported by DHLGH