Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2009
354 Deputy Jimmy Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when area aid, REPS 4 and single farm payments will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46627/09]
View answerAn application in respect of the 2009 Single Payment Scheme received from the person named on 6 May 2009 has been fully processed, and payment due under the scheme will issue shortly. My officials are about to complete the initial administrative processing of REPS 4 applications and I hope to be in a position to start making payments on valid applications later this week.
355 Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, further to previous parliamentary questions, the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will be examined by a deciding officer of his Department in view of the fact that they claim that they are actively farming the 92 acres for the past 12 years approximately and have stock on the land; and if the matter will be expedited. [46629/09]
View answerThe Deputy is aware of the background to this case following replies to previous Questions on the matter. The person named established 24.47 entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme, but these entitlements reverted to the National Reserve, as the person named did not submit an application under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme. A subsequent appeal of this decision to my Department's Agriculture Appeals Committee proved unsuccessful. The person named then appealed to the Agriculture Appeals Office and, during an oral hearing, undertook to furnish my Department with medical evidence in support of his claim for force majeure in 2005. The medical evidence, which was subsequently furnished to my Department on 21 August 2009, was deemed to confirm the claim of the person named for force majeure, on foot of which the 2005 application form, submitted by the person named to my Department on 26 August 2009, was accepted. However, as the person named had not included a map of the land declared on the application, a letter, requesting an appropriate map, issued on 28 August 2009.
The person named lodged the map in question with my Department on 11 September 2009. Following initial processing, it transpired that some of the land being claimed by the person named had also been claimed by another scheme applicant under the 2005 Scheme. It is necessary, therefore, to establish who had use of the land and, in this regard, both parties were written to in order to clarify the matter. I can confirm that, in the interim, payment has issued to the person named in respect of that portion of the land included in his application not under dispute.
