Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Jan 1997

Vol. 473 No. 6

Written Answers. - Area Aid Applications.

Donal Moynihan

Question:

279 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reason landowners, who have already submitted property documented maps of their holdings with their area aid applications, are being asked to submit a further set of maps; the maps, if any, on hand in his Department which have not been associated with the relevant applications; and if so, the reason they are not being associated with the applications. [2113/97]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

As part of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in 1992, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry was obliged under Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3508/92 to establish an Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). A specific requirement of the system was the development of an alpha-numeric land parcel identification system (LPIS) for all land parcels which are the subject of an area aid application. The purpose of this system is to provide the Department with a database whereby land parcels being claimed for area aid purposes can be located, identified and have area values and land use attributed. The original deadline for implementation of the system was 1 January 1996 but this was extended recently to 1 January 1997.

The LPIS operated for the 1996 area aid scheme and is currently being updated for 1997. As part of this update, a number of applicants for area aid have been requested to supply maps because their 1996 applications contained nonunique references to one or more land parcels the location of which could not be identified. I should point out that these requests for maps arose only after all documents and maps submitted by the applicants were cross-referenced.

If any area aid applicant has been requested to submit a map which he supplied with a previous application, he should notify my Department in writing or by phone and identify the townland in which that parcel is located. I have arranged for the continued operation of the freephone number 1 800 46 47 48 which farmers can ring. My Department will then arrange for the issue of a map of the townland in question to the applicant.