Michael Finucane
Question:85 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of applications for a farm retirement pension for a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [28221/98]
Written Answers - Farm Retirement Scheme.
Due to the volume of work a backlog has arisen in the processing of applications under the scheme of early retirement from farming. There has been considerable improvement in the situation in recent weeks and this application will be dealt with as soon as possible.
I would point out, however, that in no case does the processing time result in a financial loss to a retiring farmer. The operational procedures for the scheme specifically ensure that the date of receipt in the Department of a valid application determines the date from which payment is made.