Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 7

Written Answers. - Ewe Premium Scheme.

Seán Doherty

Question:

129 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of people throughout the country who have been disqualified, fined or otherwise penalised in relation to their applications under the ewe premium scheme for each of the years from 1995 to 1997. [6991/98]

Seán Doherty

Question:

130 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the policy of his Department in relation to taking prosecutions under the ewe premium scheme; the number of prosecutions taken throughout the country; the number of prosecutions taken on a county by county basis; and the extent to which those prosecutions have been successful for each of the years from 1995 to 1997 under the scheme. [6992/98]

Seán Doherty

Question:

131 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food whether the sheep premium scheme is on a statutory basis; and the regulations and sanctions, if any, which apply in relation to errors made in making the application. [6993/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 129, 130 and 131 together.

The legal basis for the ewe premium scheme is set out in EU Council Regulations 3013/89, 1323/90, 3493/90 and 3508/92 and EU Commission Regulations 2385/91, 3567/92, 2887/92 and 2700/93. The sanctions which apply in respect of applications are as follows.

A 1 per cent penalty is applied for each working day that an application is received after the closing date subject to the application being received within 25 days after the closing date. Applications received later than 25 days are rejected unless the applicant can show that, due to extenuating circumstances, he was unable to lodge the application on time. In the case of applications covering not more than 20 ewes, where fewer eligible ewes are found during checks than the number declared on an application form, or the quota, whichever is the lower, the premium payable on the eligible ewes shall be reduced by the percentage difference where the difference is not more than two ewes or twice the percentage difference where the difference is greater than two ewes but not more than four ewes.

If the difference between the number of ewes declared or the quota, whichever is the lower, and the number of eligible ewes found during checks is greater than four, no premium shall be paid.

In the case of applications covering more than 20 ewes, where fewer eligible ewes are found during checks than the number declared on an application form, or the quota, whichever is the lower, the premium payable on the eligible ewes shall be reduced by the percentage difference where the difference is not greater than 5 per cent of the number found eligible or the quota whichever is the lower, or by twice the percentage if the difference is more than 5 per cent but not more than 20 per cent of the number found eligible or the quota whichever is the lower.

If the difference between the number of ewes declared or the quota, whichever is the lower, and the number of eligible ewes found during checks exceeds 20 per cent of the number found, no premium shall be paid.

Applicants who are found to have made a false declaration in their applications or to any officer of the Department, (a) through serious negligence — will be excluded from the current year's scheme; or (b) intentionally — will be excluded from both the current year's scheme and that of the following year.

The policy of my Department in relation to taking prosecutions under the ewe premium scheme is that, where the Department considers that an applicant has attempted deliberate fraud, the matter is referred to the gardaí for investigation. No prosecutions have taken place under the ewe premium scheme in the years 1995 to 1997 inclusive.

Details on the number of cases fined, disqualified or otherwise penalised under the 1995, 1996 and 1997 ewe premium schemes are set out in the following table:

Year	Number disqualified	Number of cases where payments were reduced due to shortfall in sheep numbers	Number of cases where payments were reduced due to submission of late applications
1995	98	241	885
1996	192	436	878
1997	306	416	1,335

John Browne

Question:

132 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when area aid will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford. [6995/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

Payments have issued to the person concerned in respect of cattle headage amounting to £1,050.00, special beef premium, £4,672.30, suckler cow premium £841.38 and ewe premium, £1,774.37.

The 1997 area aid application for the person concerned has now been fully processed and any outstanding payments should issue shortly.