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Because we have working on the budget and looking at what we are able to fund in relation to capital, we are still to have those discussions and to finalise how that resource funding could best be utilised. In previous financial years, the islands cost crisis emergency fund contributed to that. However, we will have those discussions with local authority partners to see how best we can utilise the revenue funding going forward.

No, we have not had the same level of funding for the past five years. The funding is the same as the previous year’s, but I believe that it was less in the year before that. I do not know whether Karen Morley has further information on that.

It would be less for us. You are correct in that the UK Government has provided the same level of funding in the past financial year and this financial year.

The total for the coming financial year for agricultural support and related services is £705 million. On top of that is the rural services budget, which is £59 million. If you are looking just at the rural affairs and islands element of the portfolio, the total budget is £864.6 million, and that is for resource and capital.

I am sorry—I know that, with the way in which it has been set out, and given the announcements that we are making today, the picture seems quite confusing. The agricultural transformation fund had been capital for the past few financial years; it was part of the resource spend this year, because of the significant constraints on the capital budget, but with the £15 million being returned and with the agreement to switch that money to capital funding, we have moved the fund from the resource line to the capital budget.

First, I will outline what the budget equates to in cash terms. The total funding was £905.741 million for the previous financial year and the funding is £864.618 million for this financial year. I do not know whether that answers your question.

In relation to pillar 1, direct payments to farmers and crofters total £474.7 million. In relation to pillar 2, the funding for the less favoured area support scheme equates to £65.5 million, which is unchanged from the previous year. We have a number of other schemes that fall within that, including the crofting agricultural grant scheme. I hope that that answers your question and provides the information that you are looking for.

George Burgess wants to add to that.

Again, you are not seeing that right across the piece. There is no getting around how difficult the decisions right across the piece have been with this—

As I have said, within that and the other pillar 1 payments, we have £2.7 million going to the producer organisations that support our fruit and vegetable sector. I completely understand the concern that you have outlined, but again that has been identified as a key priority and we have been able to meet the needs of those programmes and to secure that funding for the interim while we look to transition to what future support might look like. That is where the £2.7 million will be critical.

First, it is not a case of either/or. We were talking specifically about the agricultural transformation fund, which now more accurately reflects the budget spend that we have had over previous years. Ideally, it is within everyone’s best interests for us to utilise all money and budgets that we have available to us.

I have talked about how difficult the capital funding situation has been. Trying to prioritise which schemes are funded and what level of funding they should receive has been a very difficult exercise in this budget settlement. We are providing more funding for the agricultural transformation programme than we were able to spend last year.

On how we can improve uptake, we are trying hard to increase uptake, particularly in relation to the national test programme. You mentioned carbon audits and soil tests. We also have funding available for the animal health and welfare plans. We want there to be an increase in the uptake of that support. The funding is available, and it is within everyone’s best interests for that funding to be fully utilised.

We are doing as much as possible to incentivise that. We have really tried to step up our communications during the past year, whether that was through the emails that we sent out or by increasing our physical presence in lots of places, such as at various agricultural shows and marts, where people could find out about the support that is available, as well as have the opportunity to discuss the route map and all the other information that we have published. There needs to be greater awareness raising of that.

When I was at the committee last year, I asked members whether there are any means of communication that we are not using or any ways that you thought that we could be communicating better. I am more than happy to hear suggestions as to what more we can do, because we want the uptake of those schemes to increase. The budget for the national test programme allows for increased demand and for greater uptake of the schemes that we are funding so far.

I clarify that that funding is over three years.