Vol. 561 No. 3
74 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of appeals which have been heard by the new appeals board; the number of these which have been successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3979/03]
The Agriculture Appeals Office was established on 13 May 2002. To the end of 2002, 518 appeals were received. As of 11 February, 416 of these have been closed with the following outcomes: 143 cases were either allowed, partially allowed or revised by the Department in the appellant's favour; 34 cases were either withdrawn, not valid or out of time; one case involved the director of agriculture appeals giving advice to the Department under the approval and registration of dealers and dealers' premises scheme; and 238 cases were disallowed.
In 2003, 93 appeals have been received. As of Tuesday, 11 February, three of these have been closed with the following outcomes: two cases were either allowed, partially allowed or revised by the Department in the appellants favour; and one case was disallowed.
The mission of the office is to provide an independent, accessible, fair and timely appeals service for persons who make application under the Department of Agriculture and Food direct payment schemes, and to deliver that service in a courteous and efficient manner. One important element of the appeals process is that appellant's are entitled to an oral hearing and as of 11 February, some 215 have taken place.
