Phil Hogan
Question:135 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a suckler cow grant and a special beef premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The file in this case is with field staff at present. My Department will be in contact with the Deputy shortly when the file is returned to the local office.
Phil Hogan
Question:136 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when special beef premia for 1991 and 1992 will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
In accordance with the EC regulations governing the scheme the person named has been deemed ineligible for grants under the 1991 special beef premium scheme as he applied for premium on an animal which was not in his possession at the date of application. He was therefore deemed to have made a false declaration. He has also been debarred from the scheme for 12 months from 20 September 1991 again in accordance with the EC regulations.
He has already been paid his grants under the December 1992 special beef premium scheme.
Charles Flanagan
Question:137 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when payment of beef premium will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
The person named has already been paid a 60 per cent advance, as provided for in the EC regulations, under the January/February 1993 special beef premium scheme. His application for grants under the June 1993 special beef premium scheme is being processed at present and if found in order a 60 per cent advance will be paid shortly.
Charles Flanagan
Question:138 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when payment of beef premium will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
The applications of the person named for grants under the January/February 1993 and June 1993 special beef premium schemes are being processed at present and if found in order 60 per cent advances, as provided for in the EC Regulations, will be paid shortly.
Charles Flanagan
Question:139 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when payment of beef premium will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
The applications of the person named for grants under the January-February 1993 and June 1993 special beef premium schemes are being processed at present and, if found in order, 60 per cent advances, as provided for in the EC regulations, will be paid shortly.
Phil Hogan
Question:140 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when the 22 month special beef premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The application of the person named for grants under the January-February 1993 special beef premium scheme is being processed at present and, if found in order, a 60 per cent advance, as provided for in the EC regulations, will be paid shortly. He did not apply for grants under the special beef premium scheme in the June 1993 application period.
Phil Hogan
Question:141 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when special beef premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The applications of the person named for grants under the January-February 1993 and June 1993 special beef premium schemes are being processed at present and, if found in order, 60 per cent advances, as provided for in the EC regulations, will be paid shortly.
Ivan Yates
Question:142 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a suckler cow grant and disadvantaged areas headage payments will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The person named has already been paid 60 per cent advances under the 1993 beef cow and equines headage and suckler cow premium scheme.
John Bruton
Question:143 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if headage payments will come within the amber box in the GATT agreement; and if these are subject to a 20 per cent reduction under the agreement.
I have been given repeated and specific assurances by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development that the disadvantaged area subsidy payments, including headage payments, will be exempt from the domestic support reduction commitments in the proposed GATT agreement.
Paul McGrath
Question:144 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the amount of money spent on overtime on the administration of all headage and premia schemes for each of the years from 1990 to 1993 inclusive.
The system used for recording amounts spent on overtime for the years in question does not facilitate the compilation of amounts spent in various years on individual schemes in the short time available.
However, it is estimated that overtime payments for personnel engaged on headage/premia schemes are approximately £860,000 to date in 1993.
Paul McGrath
Question:145 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reasons for the overtime payments on administration of payments to farmers while 180 inspecting officers working on these schemes have little or no work for four months each year.
My Department regularly reviews the operation of the livestock and premia schemes and related fieldwork operations.
As a consequence of the reform of the CAP the number of schemes and the volume of applications relating to the livestock schemes increased from 369,000 in 1992 to 640,000 in 1993. The increase in the work of administrative staff relating to the schemes has necessitated overtime working in local offices.
As there is a certain degree of seasonality in the work of field staff which arises from the application and retention periods laid down in EC legislation, my Department endeavours to reassign these staff to other duties as and when required for example, in meat plants at peak slaughtering periods. The level of activities in meat plants this year has been somewhat lower than in earlier years and the need to utilise livestock staff in meat plants was diminished. The administration of these schemes, including the levels of inspections, is being reviewed at present.
Michael Finucane
Question:146 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if an advance payment of 60 per cent of premium payment has been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; the amount outstanding to this person as he feels the amount paid does not reflect 60 per cent of his premium entitlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The EC Regulations governing the disadvantaged areas schemes provide for restrictions on the amounts payable per forage acre devoted to various categories of livestock. In this particular case the maximum payable to the person named is £22.66 per forage acre. As he has 32.69 acres his maximum grant is £740.75 and 60 per cent of that was paid to him on 27 November 1993.
The person named was not an applicant under the 1993 suckler cow or special beef premioum schemes.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:147 Mrs. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a ewe premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
There is no record of an application having been received in the local office of my Department from the person named under the 1993 ewe premium scheme or sheep headge scheme. In fact he has not been applicant under either scheme since 1987.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:148 Mrs. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a sheep headage grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
A further check has to be carried out in this case before a 1993 sheep headage grant can be cleared for payment to the person named. I have made arrangements to have this matter expedited.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:149 Mrs. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when a ewe premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
The person named is not entitled to any premium under the 1993 ewe premium scheme as he has no quota and he did not apply for a quota from the national reserve. The closing date for receipt of applications for quotas from the reserve was 17 September 1993.
He was paid his 1993 sheep headage grants on 29 November last.