John Ellis
Question:112 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will make an organic REP scheme payment to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim. [18392/01]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
My Department is not in a position to pay the person named under supplementary measure 6 – Organic Farming – of the rural environment protection scheme – REPS – as a valid application has not been made.
EU Commission Regulation (EC) No 2603/1999 laid down transitional rules to cover the period from June 1999 to the commencement of the new programming period under Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/1999. In accordance with the transitional rules, existing participants in REPS whose current plan had been accepted prior to 1 June 1999 and who intended to convert to organic production could have been approved for the organic farming supplementary measure – SM6 – for the remaining period of their plan under certain circumstances but a valid application for SM6 had to be made prior to 31 December 1999. All approved REPS planning agencies were notified of the transitional arrangements by way of a circular dated 14 July 1999.
As the amended plan in this case was not received until 31 October 2000, my Department was not in a position to accept it and make payment under SM6. The person named may however make an application under the terms of the new rural environmental protection scheme.
Liam Aylward
Question:113 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 67 of 14 June 2001, he will indicate the reason he has not responded to the question regarding the legal entitlement of his Department to withhold payment of subsidies due to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [18393/01]
My Department is satisfied that it was legally entitled to offset payments due to the person named under the livestock premium schemes against overpayment made to him under the rural environment protection scheme. The bulk of grants mentioned by the Deputy in Parliamentary Question No. 67 of 14 June 2001 were not due to the person named as he ceased to be the registered herd owner on 18 November 1998.
The question of payment of grants applied for in respect of 1999 and 2000 by the current registered herdowner is being considered.