Ivan Yates
Question:69 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if an agriculture installation aid premium application for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has been approved; and if so, when it will be paid.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
This application, which is currently being processed by Teagasc is at an early stage of consideration. If the applicant is found to be eligible payment will be made as soon as possible.
Ivan Yates
Question:70 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will confirm that an application for payment for the construction of a sheep shed for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has been approved; and if so, when it will be paid.
This grant will be paid within the next four to five weeks.
Enda Kenny
Question:71 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a cattle headage grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
This applicant's 1992 cattle and equines headage scheme grant is being processed at present and, if found in order, payment will issue shortly. Her December 1992 special beef premium scheme application will be processed as soon as possible.
Enda Kenny
Question:72 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a cattle headage grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
Due to a clerical error the person named was paid only part of his 1992 cattle and equines headage scheme grant in mid January 1993. This error has now been rectified and he will be paid the balance due to him under that scheme shortly. He was paid his 1992 suckler cow premium scheme grant in mid January 1993. He did not apply under the 1992 special beef premium scheme.
Edward Nealon
Question:73 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the fact that grant applications estimated at more than £200,000 have been held up at the Sligo District Office of the farm development service because of the transfer of clerical staff to the headage offices; if he will ensure that, in view of the fact that the applications are being processed by clerical staff back at their offices, special arrangements will be made to ensure that priority of payment is given to the grants held up for several months; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Edward Nealon
Question:74 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if, in view of the major hold up of documentation for grants that took place in the farm development offices in a number of centres because of the transfer of clerical staff to headage offices in the same towns, he will ensure that the applications now being processed with the return of the clerical officers, will get priority treatment for payment because of the difficulties created for farmers caught up in the dispute; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 74 together.
In the light of the extra money provided in the budget to augment resources available to this Department to deal, inter alia, with the new schemes arising from the common agricultural policy reform, the staff of all the Farm Development Service Offices, including Sligo, who had been temporarily withdrawn, have now returned to their normal duties. This should allow grant payments to be dealt with in the normal way. In line with usual practice, payment claims are processed in the order of receipt.