Vol. 559 No. 6
110 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath will have early retirement pension paid in view of the fact that all matters have been attended to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27009/02]
It was necessary to suspend the pension in August 2002 because a difficulty had arisen in relation to the transferee's undertakings. It is a requirement of the 1994 early retirement scheme that the transferee must acquire additional land and farm the enlarged holding for the period for which the pension is granted. The transferee in this case had leased the additional land but in May 2001 the lease was terminated. My Department informed the person named that the transferee must find other land so that payment of the pension could continue, but to date no such evidence has been submitted.
