Jim Higgins
Question:217 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason for the delay in the payment of area aid, headage and a 22 month premium to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [4784/99]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Most applicants including the one named received preprinted application forms. The information on the form was provided to assist farmers in line with the customer services action plan. All applicants were advised to check and confirm that the preprinted details were correct before they submitted the forms. The applicant named declared he had no changes on the application form, which was his confirmation that the details on the form were correct. It subsequently transpired that the applicant was not entitled to claim one of the parcels on the form. The effect of this overclaim was a 100 per cent penalty. In the light of all the circumstances the case will be reviewed. The person concerned will be notified of the results as soon as possible.
Michael Ring
Question:219 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food further to Parliamentary Question No. 287 of 27 January 1999 when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be paid 1998 cattle headage in view of the fact he was promised payment within seven days. [4812/99]
The response to the original question about the area aid application from the person concerned was based on the assumption that the digitisation of his three extra plots would be strightforward. Unfortunately, it uncovered an unusually large overclaim of almost 40 per cent which under EU regulations prevents any area aid related payments being made.
However, my Department has afforded the applicant a further opporutnity to clarify his area aid position and relevant maps have been issued to assist him in this.
Enda Kenny
Question:220 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason an application under the 1998 cattle headage scheme resulted in a reduced payment to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [4814/99]
The applicant applied for a total of 25.10 hectares. Following processing in the area aid unit, the actual area determined was 22.39 hectares. As the difference between the area claimed and the area found is greater than 3 per cent EU regulations require that the penalty to be applied be double the difference between the area declared and the area found. This resulted in payments being calculated on a reduced area of 16.97 hectares.
My Department is sending maps to the person concerned outlining the differences between the areas claimed and the areas found in order to afford him a final opportunity to examine and, if appropriate, correct the areas determined by the Department.