Seamus Kirk
Question:275 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will expedite the various headage payments due to farmers in respect of split holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4463/97]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The position is that to date some 95 per cent of 1996 cattle headage applicants have been paid in full. There are outstanding problems in a relatively small number of applications including some applications where the land is split between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged and between more severely disadvantaged and less severely disadvantaged. In most of these cases the difficulty is that my Department either has not received maps from the farmers in question or has received incomplete or illegible maps. These outstanding problems are being addressed urgently with a view to making payment in all eligible cases at the earliest possible date.