Vol. 510 No. 4
97 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason an application has not been processed under the farm retirement scheme for a person (details supplied) in County Meath who made her application on 25 February 1999 and is awaiting a decision from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22766/99]
The initial application from the person named was received on 25 February 1999 but was defective and a revised application was received from her on 1 March.
She applied for admission to the scheme under the joint management arrangement with her husband. It is a condition of the scheme that in a joint management application, a participant or a participant's spouse must apply, on reaching their 66th birthday, to the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs for both the contributory and non-contributory old age pension. If a pension is awarded it must be offset against the farm retirement pension. Evidence of the application and the reply from that Department must be submitted to my Department before payment of the farm retirement pension can be approved.
This applicant's spouse has reached 66 years of age and has recently been informed of this requirement by letter. When the necessary reply from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs is submitted, the application for the farm retirement pension can be processed and payment made backdated to 1 March 1999, the date of valid application.
