Ivan Yates
Question:99 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a special beef premium, a suckler cow grant and ewe subsidy will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
This applicant has already been paid his 1990 suckler cow premium scheme grant. Payment in respect of 25 animals accepted at inspection under the 1990 special beef premium scheme is being processed and will issue shortly.
The final instalment of the 1990 ewe premium will be paid to him within the next few weeks.
Liam Hyland
Question:100 Mr. Hyland asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will intervene with EC officials for the purpose of allowing payment of beef premia and sheep subsidies to farmers who for technical reasons have been excluded from the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
These schemes are fully funded by the EC and member states have very little flexibility in administering them. However, when I became aware late last year that many farmers would be excluded from the 1990 special beef premium scheme because application forms had not been properly completed I had my officials contact the Commission and succeeded in getting concessions which allowed many farmers who would otherwise be excluded from payment to receive payment. Unfortunately, the Commission were adamant that the two month retention period must be respected and inevitably, therefore, some farmers will not receive the premium this year because they fail to comply with this condition.
It is clear that some of the EC rules governing these schemes are causing problems which were not foreseen when these rules were drawn up and in these circumstances I intend making a case to the Commission to have aspects of the administration of the schemes changed.
Liam Hyland
Question:101 Mr. Hyland asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason for the delay in payment of livestock grants to a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
Payments to this applicant under the 1990 suckler cow and special beef premium schemes have already been made.
There was no particular delay in payment.
Jim Higgins
Question:102 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason for the delay in making headage and other livestock grant payments for 1990 to considerable numbers of farmers; the reason also that the relevant payments section of his Department will not answer telephone queries in relation to such matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Apart from the special beef premium scheme there has been no undue delay in making payments under the 1990 livestock headage schemes. Any payments still outstanding under that particular scheme relate to cases which have given rise to queries of one kind or another. Pressure of work made it necessary to devote all available resources to ensuring that payments would be made as quickly as possible. In these circumstances some restriction on the service provided to telephone inquirers was inevitable. The situation in this regard has now returned to normal.