Vol. 561 No. 3
102 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of applications for farm retirement pension received since the reintroduction of the scheme; the number approved and pending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4209/03]
A total of 1,755 applications have been received under the current early retirement scheme since it commenced in November 2000. Of these 1,427 have been approved for payment; 56 have been refused; 264 are currently being processed and eight were withdrawn. A number of the applications that were refused may yet be successful if the deficiencies identified in them are rectified.
