Farm Retirement Scheme.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 April 2004

Thursday, 1 April 2004

Questions (65)

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

65 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if there are inhibitions on a person in the farm retirement scheme giving up the farm retirement pension in a situation in which the social welfare contributory pension and adult qualified dependant allowance for their spouse is greater than the amount payable under the farm retirement scheme. [10433/04]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

My Department will consider such cases sympathetically provided five years participation has been completed in the scheme and there is no outstanding debt owing to the Department. The retired farmer remains bound in all cases by his or her undertaking to cease commercial farming definitively; this undertaking can be waived only if all pension payments are refunded.