The person named joined the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS 4) in April 2009 and received payments for the first two years of the contract period.
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. It is a requirement of REPS 4 that an applicant must submit a Single Payment Scheme application. During the administrative check on the 2011 scheme year, it was discovered that the person named failed to submit a 2011 Single Payment Scheme application and, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme, is ineligible for REPS 4 in 2011. This issue is currently the subject of an appeal to the Single Payments Scheme Division in the Department and I expect that a decision will issue shortly to the person named.
In the meantime, the REPS 4 payment in respect of 2012 is being finalised and payment will issue shortly to the person named.