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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 12 Nov 1998

Vol. 496 No. 5

Ceisteanna — Questions. Priority Questions. - Grant Payments.

Paul Connaughton

Question:

4 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of farmers who have not received the first instalment of the cattle headage or suckler cow scheme; the number of 1998 area aid applications to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23334/98]

The Charter of Rights for Farmers sets very specific targets for payment of grants under the headage and premium schemes. So far, those targets have either been met or indeed surpassed. The position is that in the period since 1 January 1998, £743 million has been paid to farmers under the various EU livestock and arable aid schemes of which more than £443 million relates to payments made under the 1998 schemes.

Payments under the 1998 cattle headage scheme commenced on 26 September 1998, a full three weeks ahead of the commencement date in 1997. At present 79 per cent of cattle headage and beef cow applicants have been paid in full. To date more than £93 million has been paid under the 1998 headage schemes. This compares most favourably with the position in 1996 and 1997.

Payments at the increased rate of 80 per cent under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme commenced on 20 October 1998 which is ahead of the commencement date of 4 November 1997 under the 1997 scheme. Normally under EU regulations, 60 per cent advance payments are made and may not commence until 1 November. The increase from 60 per cent to 80 per cent and bringing forward the payment date was in recognition of the bad weather and the decline in prices and income to farmers. To date more than £87 million has been paid to 77 per cent of May 1998 applicants under the suckler cow and special beef premium schemes.

More than 6,000 cattle headage and suckler cow applications have not yet been cleared at local office level because of queries with the farmers concerned. All these farmers have been contacted on one or more occasions with a view to resolving the outstanding queries. Of those 6,000 cases more than 4,500 have cleared area aid applications which means they can be paid as soon as the relevant problems at local office level are resolved.

Some 132,000 area aid applications were received in 1998. Of these, 88 per cent have been processed for payment including more than 93 per cent of arable land applications. The area aid unit is continuing the process of contacting all outstanding cases by telephone and letter to expedite payments in all these cases.

I put it to the Minister that there are approximately 10,000 files either in the area aid office in Hume House or in the DVO offices on which, for whatever reason, payment is not being made. I have appealed to the Minister many times to reopen the telephone lines into Hume House but those appeals have fallen on deaf ears. It is a disgrace that those 10,000 farmers cannot contact the Department to request to see their own files. The Minister referred to 77 per cent of payments having been made. That means——

I remind the Deputy this is Question Time. He must ask a question.

I will ask a question. I notice the Chair is very quick to intervene.

I am slow to intervene. The Deputy cannot make statements. This is Question Time.

I will put two questions to the Minister and I hope he will answer them. First, when will the area aid office open? Second, does the Minister accept that between 10,000 and 15,000 farmers have not received and are unlikely to receive payment until after Christmas unless he allows them into the area aid office in Hume House?

The record in payments this year has been outstanding. The Deputy asked when the telephone lines would be reopened. The telephone lines were terminated to allow staff get out the outstanding level of payments because I felt it was better to use those people to issue the cheques rather than answer telephones. Some tidying up remains to be done and the figure which I received from my officials, and which I stand over, is 6,025. We will be able to reopen the telephones in Hume House next week. What was the Deputy's second question?

Is it true that more than 10,000 farmers have not been paid?

That is not true. The figure is 6,025.

Where did the 77 per cent of payments go? The Minister's figures do not add up.

As soon as the relevant applicants respond to queries we will get out the payments.

The Minister's figure is wrong.

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