Vol. 509 No. 1
162 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a decision will be made on an application made by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick under the scheme of early retirement from farming; if the illness of an official at his Department's Limerick office will delay a decision on this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19627/99]
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 3 August 1999. Due to the volume of work a backlog has arisen in the processing of applications. The Department official who was on sick leave has now returned to work and is dealing with the backlog in conjunction with other priority work.
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.
