asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries why a grant in excess of 25 per cent was not sought for grant applications under the FEOGA guidance fund.

There was no provision for grants in excess of 25 per cent at the time our applications were submitted to Brussels. It is true that in previous years the Council of the Six had authorised the Commission by special regulations made each year to give grants up to 45 per cent for production projects of a long-term nature where certain exceptional circumstances applied. No such special regulation was made in respect of the 1973 financial allocation until 15th October, 1973, that is several months after our applications had been forwarded to Brussels. We could not have assumed that such a regulation would be made in view of the enlargement of Community membership and the intention to phase out the scheme and to replace it by a system of common measures. In any event, as the Deputy will appreciate, our total grant applications are considerably in excess of our expected allocation of funds and an increase in individual grants would result in fewer applicants benefiting.

Are we to understand that this regulation was introduced after the deadline for submission of our applications under the FEOGA scheme?

That is correct.

When was it submitted?

Our application had to be in some time in June and the regulation came in on 15th October.

Is the Minister aware that the Minister for Foreign Affairs gave a different impression last week in the House when he stated that the 45 per cent related to regions?

I am not clear on what the Minister said but the position appears to be that this was something which was operated each year by a special regulation in a small number of countries and applied in very special circumstances. Unless it was brought in specially each year, the scheme was not available.

It was not available to each member?

It was available for 1972. I believe it was available for three or four years previously but each year the regulation had to be made afresh.

Do I gather that this regulation whereby an application could qualify was not in force for 1972?

We were not in the EEC in 1972 and therefore it does not apply to us.

What about 1973?

Our application had to be in by some date in June and the amendment was not brought in until October of the same year, 1973.