2694. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount from Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 budgets that was paid to and or retained by his Department for administering all of the schemes, broken down by each scheme listed under Pillar 1 and for each scheme listed under Pillar 2, in each of the years 2022 to 2025, and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61274/26]

Member States do not receive a general administration fee from the EU for the administration of CAP schemes. However, EU legislation provides for Member States to retain a proportion of certain monies recovered in the course of administering CAP expenditure. The period 2022 to 2026 spans two CAP programming periods. The previous CAP legislative framework continued to apply in 2022 under the transitional arrangements provided for in Regulation (EU) 2020/2220, with the current CAP Strategic Plan framework applying from 1 January 2023.

Notwithstanding the change in legislative framework, the principle regarding the retention of certain EAGF (Pillar I) recoveries remained broadly unchanged.

• Under the previous CAP framework, Member States are permitted to retain 20% of sums recovered following irregularity as flat-rate recovery costs.1

• Under the current framework, Member States are permitted to retain 20% of sums recovered following irregularity or non-compliance as flat-rate recovery costs. 2

Separately, specific provision is made in EU legislation for cross-compliance/conditionality.

• Under the previous CAP framework, Member States could retain 25% of amounts arising from cross-compliance reductions and exclusions. 3

• Under the current CAP framework, similarly Member States may retain 25% of amounts arising from reductions and exclusions relating to conditionality. 4

The CAP financial year runs from 16 October to 15 October of the following year. The Annual Accounts are submitted to the European Commission by 15 February following the end of the financial year and are cleared by the Commission by 30 April. Recoveries are reported on a specific EU budget line in the Annual Accounts, not by scheme. Any retention amounts due to the Member State are subsequently paid, generally in September of that year, following the clearance of accounts.

The amounts retained by Ireland in relation to EAGF (Pillar 1) recoveries in each of the years 2022 to 2026 are set out below:

A different treatment applies to EAFRD (Pillar II) recoveries. Unlike EAGF (Pillar 1) recoveries, Member States do not retain a percentage of EAFRD (Pillar II) recoveries as flat rate recovery costs. Under Article 57 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116, amounts recovered, together with any related interest, are generally reallocated to other rural development operations within the same CAP Strategic Plan. Under the previous CAP framework, the equivalent provisions were set out in Article 56 of Regulation (EU) 1306/3013.

1 Article 55 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013

2 Article 56 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/2116

3 Article 100 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013

4 Article 86 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/2116