asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will make arrangements for the payment of substantial grants to farmers from the EC western package for the provision of holding tanks adjacent to silage slabs and silage layout schemes in order to eliminate the possibility of pollution from silage; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

12.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food whether he intends to introduce a nationwide scheme of grant assistance for anti-pollution measures carried out by farmers.

16.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when details of the new western package will be announced; the level of grant assistance which will apply for various schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

21.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when details of the new western package will be announced; the level of grant assistance which will apply for the various schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

22.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if grants for land drainage will be included under the new western package.

26.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the date on which the revised programme for the western package was submitted by his Department to the European Commission with a view to having it approved; if it has been submitted; if it has not yet been submitted, the proposed date for the submission; the estimated time it will take for examination by the European Commission before the plan will be finalised and sanctioned; when the provisions will be in force in the areas concerned; and whether all provisions will be brought into force at the same time or whether priority will be given to some measures like the grants for farmers for pollution control work.

35.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if it is his intention to have the 55 per cent grant aid for the control of farm pollution for silage effluent made available to all farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

37.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if farmers who exceed the quota will qualify for grant aid under the new western package.

38.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when details of the new western package will be announced; the level of grant assistance which will apply for the various schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

49.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason he has not been successful to date in extracting and putting in place the pollution control measures of the revised western package.

73.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if part time farmers qualify for grants under the new western package scheme.

74.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the new western package will come into operation.

75.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the different rates of grants under the new western package scheme; and where they will apply.

80.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the details of the revised western aid package will be given to farmers.

85.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give details of the provision of £2.69 million which has been made available under the revised western package as it relates to the following designated activities:— (1) energy-producing and energy-saving projects and (2) off-farm activities intended to increase agricultural incomes, such as investments by farmers to provide services for others engaged in agriculture.

86.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when it is expected that the details governing grants for farm effluent storage and disposal under the revised western package will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 12, 16, 21, 22, 26, 35, 37, 38, 49, 73, 74, 75, 80, 85 and 86 together.

As the House will be aware, I announced on 24 June the details of the new measure to provide grant aid of 55 per cent for on-farm pollution control and 45 per cent for animal housing and fodder storage under the revised western package. These rates will be increased by one quarter for eligible young farmers. The scheme will operate outside of a farm plan and will be implemented from 1 July. The aid for pollution control will be available to dairy farmers regardless of their position on milk quotas. Part time farmers will also be eligible to apply.

New entrants to the farm improvement programme in less favoured areas who take out an improvement plan after 1 July will also be able to benefit from these higher rates of grant. Under the farm improvement programme grant rates of 20 per cent are available in normal areas for waste storage facilities. This is higher than the rates for fixed assets generally. Again, the additional aid for eligible young farmers will apply.

The programme to implement the revised package which will now operate in all the less favoured areas was forwarded to the EC Commission on 24 May. Before this programme could be approved by the Commission it was necessary to obtain the agreement of all the other member states through the standing structures committee. I think the House will agree that, having regard to the procedure which had to be followed, the delay in having the programme drawn up and approved was minimal. In fact, the Commission expressed their appreciation of the expeditious presentation of the programme by the Irish authorities and for my part I am happy to be able to record my own appreciation of the assistance and co-operation of the Commission officials in having the matter dealt with so expeditiously as to have the programme agreed on 24 June.

The ongoing scheme of land improvement under the package will continue, but the rate of grant will be reduced to 35 per cent for new applicants. The western drainage scheme will finally expire at the end of this year and while aid for drainage as such will not be available under the western package, aid will be given for drainage where it forms an integral part of a dry land improvement project. I may say that this approach is in line with present Community policy and has the support of the Commission.

I will announce, as soon as possible, details of other schemes which are to be implemented as part of the provisions of the revised western package.