Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012
1131 Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when 25% of the 2011 REP scheme payment will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18850/12]
View answerThe person named commenced REPS 4 on 1st September 2009 and has received payment in full for the first two years of his REPS contract. REPS 4 is a measure under the current 2007-13 Rural Development Programme and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before any payments can issue. Administrative checks in respect of 2011 payments have been completed and the 75% year 3 payment amounting to €4,433.58 less a penalty deduction of €184.73 for non-compliance issued on 12th March 2012. The balancing 25% year 3 payment will issue shortly.
1132 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will receive their payment; the reason for the delay in same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18867/12]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2010. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. During these checks a query arose in respect of land parcels declared which require digitisation of the areas concerned. This is being dealt with by my Department at present and once the digitisation process is completed, the application will be processed with a view to making payment at the earliest opportunity.
Payments in respect of the 2011 Scheme year are subject to a similar administrative checking process which includes verification of capital investments related to approved AEOS actions. These checks have now been completed and following the payment of year 1, the payment in respect of year 2 will be finalised.
1133 Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will arrange all outstanding payments under the single farm payment and disadvantaged area scheme to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18869/12]
View answerAn application under the 2009 Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 14th of May 2009. The application was subsequently the subject of a Cross Compliance Cross-Report from the Special Investigations Unit of my Department. The report concerned an inspection carried out on the 7th of July and detailed serious breaches of cross compliance regulations, specifically relating to Food Hygiene, that resulted in a 60% penalty being recorded against the person named direct payments for 2009. The person named was informed of this decision on the 25th of October 2011 and of his right to seek a review. He was also informed of his right to appeal the outcome of a review to the Independent Agriculture Appeals office. To date, no such review request has been submitted.
As payments under the 2009 Disadvantaged Area Scheme and Single Payment Scheme had already issued my Department initiated a process to recover the relevant overpayment and a letter issued on the 14th of November 2011 informing the person named of the overpayment and how it could be repaid. As no repayment was made, the overpayment was subsequently recovered from payments made under the 2011 Direct Payments Schemes in November and December of 2011.
