Vol. 516 No. 1
56 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will deal immediately with the correspondence (details supplied) regarding a REP scheme payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7095/00]
The person named joined REPS on 1 March 1996 and obtained payment for the first and second years of his agri-environmental plan. In January 1999, arising from a query from my Department, he informed the Department that he had ceased farming in August 1997 and disposed of his land to two other farmers, both of whom are also REPS participants.
To date, neither of the two farmers to whom the person named disposed of his lands has included them in their REPS plans. As a result these lands are no longer in REPS. For that reason, and also because the person named had not completed three years of his REPS plan, my Department has no option under the scheme conditions but to seek to recoup the aid paid to him since he joined REPS.
