Michael Creed
Question:111 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will be paid a farm retirement scheme pension. [26587/99]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The application from the person named was received on 15 October 1999. Further information was needed and this was provided on 4 November. Accordingly, the date of valid application was 4 November 1999.
The applicant sought 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 husband is over 66 years of age and my Department wrote to her on 2 December to inform her of this requirement. 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 4 November 1999, the date of valid application.