Vol. 505 No. 3
52 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the progress, if any, being achieved in the delivery of direct payments to producers; the way in which Ireland compares with other member states in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13620/99]
The position is that Ireland's performance in delivering the direct payment schemes is among the best in the EU and compares very favourably with that of other member states. For most schemes Ireland rated between one and five among the 15 member states in terms of early payment in the 1997-98 scheme year. Ireland was first in the arable aid and ewe premium schemes, third in the suckler cow scheme and fifth in the special beef premium scheme.
I am satisfied that considerable progress has been made in implementing the Department's customer service action plan in using modern technology and in keeping documentation as simple as possible for these schemes. Application forms and helpsheets have been simplified each year in consultation with the farming bodies. In a recent oral presentation to the all-party committee on the strategic management initiative, the European Commission indicated that the forms used in Ireland were easier to understand than those used by other member states.
