Vol. 515 No. 5
54 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the steps, if any, he will take to expedite an application under the early retirement scheme for a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6458/00]
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 23 December 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.
