| Posted on October 15, 2012 at 4:40 AM |
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Agriculture, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, has criticised the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for refusing to give replies to simple questions raised in the Dáil.
Deputy Ó Cuív said that last week the Minister refused to give an estimate of the expenditure in the existing Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015, even though no new members can join the scheme and the Department is aware of the likely number of members to leave the scheme each year.
“This Government promised openness and transparency but is acting in a totally contradictory manner, refusing to give the most basic information to Teachtaí Dála. I now call on the Minister to give the information requested. It would appear that the Minister is afraid in relation to the AEOS and REPS schemes and the amount of money that will be paid out under the REPS and AEOS combined over the next three years will decline rapidly.
“The Minister has put farmers through a huge bureaucratic exercise to no avail and is now trying to hide these facts from the people. I would urge him to furnish the required information so farmers can have an idea of the added challenges they face,” concluded Deputy Ó Cuív.
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