Vol. 507 No. 4
100 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a decision will be made on the application under the farm retirement scheme for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17096/99]
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 29 April 1999. Due to the volume of work a backlog has arisen in the processing of applications. Applications are dealt with in order of receipt and this case will be processed 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.
