Dan Neville
Question:160 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a 1997 and 1998 extensification payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [18593/99]
Written Answers - Grant Payments.
On the 27 November 1998 the person named was informed that he and his father would be treated as one production unit for the purposes of scheme processing as it was established from checks carried out under Article 2.2 of Regulation 3887/92 that they were not operating separately. They were also informed that as a consequence they were overpaid under the 1997 special beef premium scheme and the money would have to be refunded. This decision was appealed but the appeal was rejected by letter dated 19 July 1999. The special beef premium unit wrote to the person named seeking recovery of £6,738.19 on the 20 August 1999.
As a reply has not been received to date the outstanding amount has been written to the overpayment file. The outstanding entitlements under the 1997 and 1998 suckler cow and extensification schemes which amount to £5,304.75 – £2,554.35 for 1997 and £2,750.40 for 1998 schemes – are being offset against the overpaid amount. Therefore this transaction will leave an outstanding over payment balance of £1,433.44.
A further letter giving details of entitlements under the 1997 and 1998 schemes, recoveries made in respect of outstanding overpayments and the existing overpayment balance will issue to the person named in the next two weeks.