Gerry Reynolds
Question:130 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason the farm retirement pension of a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim has been reduced. [8555/01]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The person named entered the scheme of early retirement from farming is in joint management with his wife. The regulation under which the scheme was introduced requires that the pension payable under the scheme must be reduced by the amount of any national retirement pension which becomes payable to either the applicant or the spouse/ partner in such joint management arrangements.
In this case both the person named and his wife are in receipt of non-contributory old age pensions, the combined value of which have been deducted from the early retirement pension. As the gross amount of early retirement pension is fixed, any increases in the rate of old age pension result in a reduction in the amount of the early retirement pension.