Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 24 Mar 1994

Vol. 440 No. 6

Written Answers. - Area Aid Applications.

John Browne

Question:

12 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

P. J. Sheehan

Question:

16 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the delay by the Ordnance Survey office in meeting the demands of farmers throughout the country for ordnance survey maps in connection with area aid applications which must be submitted to his Department before 31 March 1994; the steps, if any, he is taking to rectify this situation; and if he will consider a request for an extension of the closing date.

Paul McGrath

Question:

17 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary marketings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for their area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Charles Flanagan

Question:

22 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary marketings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Ivan Yates

Question:

23 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Edward Nealon

Question:

29 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Michael Noonan

Question:

33 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Frank Crowley

Question:

38 Mr. Crowley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Michael Lowry

Question:

39 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Paul Bradford

Question:

47 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications; if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

John Connor

Question:

69 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Pádraic McCormack

Question:

70 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the confusion and delay surrounding the delivery and boundary markings on the Ordnance Survey and Land Registry maps required by farmers for area aid applications if this confusion and delay exists; and if he will make an order extending the final application date for area aid beyond 31 March 1994.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

I propose taking Questions Nos. 12, 16, 17, 22, 23, 29, 33, 38, 39, 47, 69 and 70 together.

I have already announced an extension to the closing date for receipt of simplified area aid applications from farmers who are livestock producers only because of difficulties experienced by those farmers in obtaining maps or drawing the boundaries of their holdings on those maps. This extension brings the closing date up to Friday, 29 April 1994, practically a full month after the original closing date of 31 March 1994.

I would stress that the original closing date of 31 March 1994 still applies to farmers submitting combined EU area aid applications covering both tillage and livestock schemes. As those farmers submitted maps in 1993 they should have no great difficulties in relation to maps in 1994 and there is no need, therefore, to extend the closing date for submission of their area aid applications this year.

I would stress also that any farmers who are livestock producers only who are in a position to submit their area aid applications before the original deadline of 31 March 1994 should do so. The sooner any farmer submits an area aid application the sooner it can be processed and the sooner 1994 livestock aid can be paid to that farmer later this year.