975. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the funds that were unspent as part of the fuel support scheme remains in his Department; and his plans for these funds. [64192/26]

In recognition of the impact of increased fuel costs, the Government decided in April to allocate €100 million for fuel income support schemes for farmers, farm contractors, fishers and horticulture producers.

Payments under the Fuel Income Support Scheme for farmers and farm contractors commenced in July. Payments are nearing finalisation and are continuing to issue as the remaining cases are cleared.

An underspend of over €60 million on the overall €100 million allocated for agri-food and marine sector fuel supports is expected.

A number of priority areas have been identified and I am advocating for these priorities as part of my ongoing Budget 2027 discussions.