Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 5

Written Answers. - Area Aid Applications.

Derek McDowell

Question:

24 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of 1998 area aid applications to be processed; if he will appoint a mapping expert to each regional office to resolve outstanding mapping problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27860/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The position on area aid is that some 4,500 from a total of 132,000 1998 area aid applications are still under query. Of these some 1,500 will receive payments or part payments by the end of the week leaving 3,000 cases which have particularly difficult overclaim problems most of them commonage related. The area aid unit is currently concentrating all of its resources on the resolution of problems associated with these cases with a view to paying the farmers concerned at the earliest opportunity. EU Regulations require a 100 per cent check on all land parcels submitted by farmers on their area aid declarations. This ensures that farmers are not overclaiming on individual parcels of land or that two or more farmers are not claiming on the same parcel.

Of the 132,000 area aid applications received in 1998, some 85,000 required changes to the 1997 data. Many of these changes had to be redigitised on the land parcel identification system database and in some cases this process results in the creation of dual or overlap claims against a previously clear contiguous farm. This makes it necessary to establish actual entitlement to the area concerned which can be a difficult and time consuming process.

While the resolution of overclaim problems is a tedious process it would not be facilitated by mapping expertise in regional offices. Indeed, this year the vast bulk of the 85,000 area aid cases involving maps were solved quickly and without undue difficulty. Similarly, establishment of entitlement to commonage shares is difficult but does not involve any mapping or digitising process.

I am extremely conscious of the importance of headage and premia payments to farmers and their families. With this in mind, I successfully approached the European Commission early in the autumn to secure earlier and larger advance payments under special beef and suckler cow schemes. On the headage side, payments also commenced at earlier dates and I obtained additional funds in a Supplementary Estimate last week to permit me to pay the maximum number of farmers this year. The record level of payments this year is a testament of my commitment and that of my Department on this issue. Every effort continues to be made to clear remaining problem cases and make payment in time for Christmas. Farmers too can help by responding to my Department's letters thus opening the way to early payment.