Michael J. Noonan
Question:97 Mr. Noonan (Limerick West) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when an installation aid grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
I am advised by Teagasc that there is no record of a formal application from the person mentioned for the scheme of installation aid for young farmers.
Michael J. Noonan
Question:98 Mr. Noonan (Limerick West) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when grants will be paid under the suckler cow scheme to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
My Department is unable to trace any June 1993 suckler cow premium scheme application from the person named. He was paid his grant in respect of his 1992 suckler cow premium scheme application in early January 1993.
Ivan Yates
Question:99 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a cereal compensation cheque will be issued to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if he will expedite the matter.
A number of inspections are being carried out in County Wexford in connection with compliance requirements under the arable aid scheme. The person in question is one of the applicants due for inspection and it is expected that this will be carried out within the next two weeks.
Ivan Yates
Question:100 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when the special beef premium will be paid to farmers generally, and specifically, to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
My Department is unable to trace any applications from the person named under the June 1992, December 1992 or January-February 1993 special beef premium schemes. He has been deemed ineligible for payment under the June 1993 special beef premium scheme for animals of 21 months of age or over as he did not maintain the number of animals on which he applied for premium for two months as required under the terms and conditions of the scheme.
Under EC Regulations payments for the 1993 special beef premium schemes could not commence until after 1 November 1993 and even then only a 60 per cent advance can be paid in cases where the necessary administrative or on-the-spot checks have been carried out. Payment of these advances is now commencing.
Pádraic McCormack
Question:101 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reason a stamped deed of transfer is necessary for young farmers before they are paid the installation aid grant; the reason a receipt of stamp duty paid is not sufficient as in other such schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Under the scheme of installation aid a condition is that the young farmer be installed on the holding. The position is that this condition is only fulfilled when the applicant is registered as the owner in Land Registry. Under the scheme of installation aid for young farmers the young farmer must satisfy a number of specific criteria i.e. age, education and labour input, within two years of setting up as a full time farmer. To satisfy the labour input criterion the applicant must show that the holding has a labour requirement of 1 to 1.5 MWU. Evidence beyond the deed of transfer may be needed to show details of other lands owned or leased by the applicant which may influence the calculations in regard to the labour requirement. However, I am continuing to examine all aspects of the scheme including further possibilities for the earliest practicable payment of the grant.
Seymour Crawford
Question:102 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the number of applicants paid to date under the 1993 deseasonalisation premium; the amount of money involved; and the reasons for the delay in payment in view of the fact that applications were lodged in May 1993, and it was open to his Department to make payments since June 1993.
Many of the schemes introduced under the CAP reform measures are highly complex both from the farmers' point of view and in their administration. Processing of payments under the deseasonalisation slaughter premium scheme has proven to be particularly complex and the exercise has not been helped by the high level of inaccuracies in the applications.
Close to 10,000 of the 16,000 applicants have now been paid £3.7 million under this scheme. Additional checking is necessary in most of the remaining cases principally because of invalid eartag numbers listed on the applications. In this regard greater care by herdowners in ensuring that forms are completed correctly is to be encouraged. Every effort is being made to clear the maximum number of these cases.
Seymour Crawford
Question:103 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when he expects payment to begin under the 1993 cattle headage and beef cow headage schemes; and the estimated amount of money that will be paid out before the end of 1993 under each of these schemes.
Payments of advances under the 1993 cattle headage and beef cow schemes have commenced. It is expected that some £47 million will be paid to farmers under these schemes by the end of 1993.
Seymour Crawford
Question:104 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the number of farmers who have applied for premium under the 1993 special beef premium scheme in the January/February application period and in the June/July application period and the 1993 suckler cow premium schemes in the June/July application period, respectively; the estimated amount of money outstanding under each of these schemes since 1 November 1993; and when payments under each scheme will begin and will be completed.
Over 230,000 applications have been received from farmers under the January-February 1993 special beef premium schemes, the June 1993 10 months and 22 months schemes and the June 1993 suckler cow schemes. This brings the total number of applications received this year to date to approximately 600,000 under all the 1993 headage and premia schemes.
EC Regulations provide that 60 per cent advances under all these schemes are payable after 1 November 1993. The remaining 40 per cent cannot be paid until 1994. It is estimated that the value, based on 60 per cent advance, of the January-February special beef premium, the June 10 month and 22 month special beef premium and the June suckler cow premium could be as much as £80 million. Payments under the January-February 1993 special beef premium and June 1993 suckler cow schemes are now commencing. Payments under the June 1993 special beef premium scheme will begin early next week. The objective is to secure the maximum level of payments to farmers before the end of 1993.
John Ellis
Question:105 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will pay arrears of sheep headage and premia due to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
Under the conditions of the ewe premium scheme applicants were required to keep on their holdings for the 100 day retention period the number of sheep on which they made application for premium. A compliance inspection carried out on foot of the application made by the person named revealed that he did not meet this requirement under the 1992 scheme and consequently he was not entitled to any premium for that year. He has been paid sheep headage for 1992.