Vol. 500 No. 4
212 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if further to Parliamentary Question No. 339 of 27 January 1999, cattle headage payments for 1997 and 1998 will be released for a person (details supplied) in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4290/99]
Without a valid area aid application for the relevant year, headage payments cannot issue to a herdowner. An area aid application was not received in my Department from the person named under the quoted herd number in 1998 and consequently payments cannot issue in respect of a 1998 cattle headage application.
No application under the 1997 cattle headage scheme has been received from the person named.
213 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan will receive a suckler cow payment and ten and 22 month premia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4305/99]
There were a number of parcels of land on the area aid application of the person concerned which were also being claimed by another applicant. Contact with the applicant failed to resolve the matter and the file has been referred to the local inspector for examination. Any payments will be dependent on the outcome.
214 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason his Department has been unable to acknowledge receipt of a corrected area aid map for a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon, a further duplicate of which was forwarded to the area aid unit and for which the applicant has certificates of posting. [4306/99]
The person in question submitted a 1998 area aid application which was not accompanied by maps of his holding. A letter requesting a map of the areas claimed was issued to the person on 17 December 1998. The area aid unit has no record of having received the maps which were posted by the applicant on the same date. Following further contact with the applicant, a set of maps completed for the areas claimed was received in the area aid unit on 5 February 1999. These maps are currently being processed and any outstanding payments due will be made as soon as possible.
215 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when cattle headage will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [4314/99]
A forage area of 2.99 hectares was declared by the person named on his 1998 area aid application. To qualify for the cattle headage scheme, an applicant must claim a minimum of three hectares of disadvantaged land. The person named did not fulfil this requirement and conse quently cattleheadage is not payable to the person named.
216 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a REP scheme payment. [4340/99]
This application was subject to a detailed plan examination and on farm inspection. This has now taken place and was found to be satisfactory. Payment will issue shortly to the person concerned.
217 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1998 ten and 22 month special beef premia payments. [4341/99]
Payments under the 1997 special beef premium scheme were made to the person concerned on the basis of summary information on her 1997 area aid application. Subsequent digitising of maps from the applicant in April 1998 revealed overclaims which were recouped from 1998 payments.
Further digitising of maps in respect of the 1998 area aid application from the person concerned has established that the person did not have an overclaim in 1997.
All moneys recouped from 1998 payments will be paid to the person named at the earliest possible date.
218 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1998 suckler cow premium. [4342/99]
An application was made on 29 May 1998 by the person named under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme in respect of 43 animals.
Payment has issued in respect of 42 animals only as the tag number of one animal was entered twice on the application form, consequently this animal has been deleted without payment.
219 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1998 headage and premia in view of the fact that he wrote to the area aid section several weeks ago to clarify the overclaim problem on the commonage holding. [4344/99]
The problem on the area aid application of the person named is due to the commonage shareholders cumulatively claiming an area in excess of the gross area of the commonage. My Department has taken the matter up with all the applicant shareholders in this case. A letter was received from the person named stating his share. However, the necessary documentation requested to support his claim on the commonage has not been submitted to date. Consequently, the area aid application for the person named cannot be finalised until this is received.
220 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a fodder allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [4345/99]
In order to qualify under the 1998 winter fodder scheme a producer had to have a herd number in one of the designated DEDs. The DEDs were designated on the basis of an examination by Teagasc of areas most affected by the bad weather.
The herd number referred to by the Deputy is not in any of the designated DEDs. Therefore, the person named was not entitled to payment under the 1998 winter fodder package.
A new fodder scheme has been agreed by the Government details of which are now being finalised and will be announced shortly.
221 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a fodder allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [4346/99]
In order to qualify under the 1998 winter fodder scheme a producer had to have (a) mountain grazing and have an application submitted under the 1998 sheep headage scheme or (b) a herd number in one of the designated DEDs and have lodged an application under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme and hold a suckler cow quota or (c) have a permanent milk quota of 35,000 gallons or less on 1 April 1998 and be active in milk production in the 1998-99 season.
The person named has a herd number in a designated DED, but did not lodge an application under the 1998 suckler cow premium or sheep headage schemes and did not have a milk quota at 1 April 1998. He did not, therefore, qualify for aid under the 1998 winter fodder package.
A new fodder scheme has been agreed by the Government details of which are now being finalised and will be announced shortly.
222 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if headage ewe payments will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford in line with a commitment in a previous parliamentary question; if not, the reason therefor; and if this matter will be reviewed. [4347/99]
The area aid of the person named was processed but due to incomplete information on the application form a reduced forage area was processed. The correct information has now been recorded and payment of headage payments due to the person named will issue on the amended area as soon as possible.
223 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork did not receive a grant under the fodder grant scheme. [4404/99]
In order to qualify under the 1998 winter fodder scheme a producer had to have (a) mountain grazing and have an application submitted under the 1998 sheep headage scheme or (b) a herd number in one of the designated DEDs and have lodged an application under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme and hold a suckler cow quota or (c) have a permanent milk quota of 35,000 gallons or less on 1 April 1998 and be active in milk production in the 1998-99 season.
The person named has a herd number in a designated DED, but did not lodge an application under the 1998 suckler cow premium or sheep headage schemes and did not have a milk quota at 1 April 1998. He did not, therefore, qualify for aid under the 1998 winter fodder package.
The Government had decided to provide further aid to alleviate the fodder crisis. The details of this measure are being finalised and will be announced shortly.
225 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason area aid, headage, premia and other grants have not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [4454/99]
Maps were not received for a number of plots of land declared on the area aid application of the person concerned. The matter has been taken up with him and maps have issued in order to resolve the matter so that any payments due may issue as soon as possible.
