Michael Ring
Question:369 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive suckler cow premium and cattle headage payment for 2000. [1199/01]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The person named applied for 2000 area aid on a new parcel of land. To date he has not supplied all the correct mapping details to enable the parcel concerned to be entered onto the Departments electronic database. The applicant has been contacted again for clarification in this regard. When this clarification has been received his application will be processed with a view to ensuring that any payments due can be made as soon as possible.
Michael Ring
Question:370 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the amount that was paid nationally and in County Mayo under the supplementary measure five of the REPS 1 package; and if this measure can be restored to REPS 2. [1200/01]
Some 543,000 – £427,000 – has been paid nationally under supplementary measure 5 of the REPS 1 of which approximately 46,300 – £36,400 – was paid to beneficiaries in County Mayo.
Unlike the regulation governing the previous scheme, Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999, under which the new REPS is implemented, includes no provision for a public access measure as part of the EU co-funded agri-environment programme. Nevertheless my Department, in an effort to secure the continued availability of public access as part of REPS, made proposals to the European Commission for the inclusion of the measure in the new scheme as a State aid fully funded by the Exchequer. However, the Commission have indicated that a public access measure was not admissible under the agri-environment title of Regulation (EC) No.1257/1999, even as a State aid.
Michael Ring
Question:371 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive cattle headage and premia payments for 2000. [1201/01]
The person named included commonage in his 2000 area aid application but did not provide proof of his entitlement to claim this commonage. The area aid unit has contacted the person named and requested him to submit the relevant proof. Until this matter is resolved no area aid related payments can issue.
Michael Ring
Question:372 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary will receive cattle headage and suckler cow payments for 2000. [1202/01]
No application has been received from the person named under the 2000 cattle headage scheme.
Payment totalling £2476.15, representing 80% advance under the suckler cow scheme has issued to the person named. The final balancing payment will issue shortly.
Michael Ring
Question:373 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is entitled to compensation for the reduction of his sheep quota on joining REPS in 1997. [1204/01]
The person concerned joined the rural environment protection scheme on 1 July 1997. Under the terms of the scheme, to qualify for the destocking payment in question all or part of the lands included in the agri-environmental plan had to be commonage land. The agri-environmental plan concerned includes no such land and he did not therefore qualify for the destocking payment.