Michael Ring
Question:116 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason payment of the farm early retirement scheme for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has stopped. [26048/02]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The EU regulation governing the early retirement scheme requires that the pension be paid as a supplement to any national retirement pension that the participant, or his or her spouse or partner in a joint management arrangement, receives. The Department has an obligation, therefore, to ensure that a participant does not receive full payment of early retirement pension if he or she is also entitled to a national retirement pension.
On 23 May 2002, four months in advance of her 66th birthday, my Department informed the person named that she must apply for both the old age contributory and non-contributory pensions and provide documentary evidence of the outcome of her applications. However, she had still not provided this information by the time she reached the age of 66 on 22 September 2002, and my Department was forced to suspend the payment of her early retirement pension.
In mid-November, my Department learned from the Department of Social and Family Affairs that the person named was not entitled to the normal old age contributory pension but that her eligibility for a pre-1953 contributory pension or an old age non-contributory pension was now being examined. As soon as the Department of Social and Family Affairs confirms the position to my Department, the question of her further entitlement to early retirement pension will be re-examined.
I have asked my officials to pursue the case with the Department of Social and Family Affairs as a matter of urgency.