John McGuinness
Question:99 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his Department will expedite an application by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny under the early retirement scheme. [20835/99]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 27 September 1999. Due to the volume of work a backlog has arisen in the processing of applications. The backlog is being addressed by local office staff 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.