Vol. 510 No. 4
115 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath under the REP scheme; when this appeal will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22822/99]
An appeal on behalf of the person named, who is a participant in REPS, has been submitted to my Department. The case was considered by the REPS appeals committee on 3 November 1999. The committee noted however that the case involved the eligibility of lands under the REPS regulations rather than the imposition of specific penalties for non-compliance.
The matter was deemed not appropriate to the appeals committee as the case involves an administrative recoupment of moneys paid out in respect of land which the applicant was not farming and had let to another party. The land in question would be ineligible under the scheme regulations which clearly set out the eligibility criteria and the procedures to be followed in such cases. The case is being followed up within my Department and the person named is being informed directly of the outcome.
