Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 May 2013
194. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of outstanding payments due to farmers in County Tipperary under the various agricultural schemes; the number subject to appeal and the length of time it takes to process same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25966/13]
View answerUnder the 2012 Single Payment Scheme (SPS), a total of 6,891 applications were submitted by Tipperary applicants and, to date, 6,872 of these have been paid, while under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (DAS), the corresponding figures are a total of 4,537 applications were submitted by Tipperary applicants with, to date, 4,263 of these having been paid. The unpaid SPS cases involve substantive issues concerning Court cases, inheritance issues, etc. The DAS cases largely concern cases where the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements have not been satisfied.
There is a formal system of appeal in place for both the Single Payment Scheme and the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, with applicants entitled, in the first instance, to seek an internal Departmental review of a decision they are not satisfied with; this review is conducted by a more senior official, not previously involved in the case. Thereafter, the applicant has the right of appeal to the Agriculture Appeals Office, which is statutorily independent of my Department; should the applicant so wish, an oral hearing of the appeal is an option. If necessary, applicants may then complain to the Office of the Ombudsman, should they remain dissatisfied with the appeal process at that stage. Appeals under both Schemes are dealt with as expeditiously as possible, mindful of the particular details of individual cases; while appellants to the Agriculture Appeals Office are required to lodge their appeal with that Office within three months of having been notified of the unsuccessful outcome of the internal review within the Department, there is no regulatory time limit on subsequent appeals to the Office of the Ombudsman.
With regards to other schemes, 1,483 eligible herdowners in Tipperary registered 46,669 animals under the Suckler Welfare Scheme in 2012. Full or partial payment has been made to 1,224 herdowners in respect of 30,518 animals. This Scheme provides that payment is made as each animal becomes eligible and given the nature of the Scheme 9,126 of the animals born during 2012 have not yet met all of the criteria of the Scheme. Accordingly they have not yet become eligible for payment.
Where all required information has been received 1,114 herds have one, or more, animal which have been found not to be in compliance with the Scheme. Currently 127 herdowners in Tipperary have requests for reviews of negative decisions submitted and 1 herdowner has sought an appeal to the Director of the Appeals Office. The length of time required to process reviews and appeals is subject to a number of factors, including the overall volume of these cases received from all Counties and the complexity of the cases which of their nature require individual review.
In relation to AEOS I payments outstanding in respect of 2010, 2011 and 2012 Scheme were 7, 8 and 23 respectively. For AEOS II, payments outstanding for the 2011 and 2012 Schemes were 88 and 30 respectively. Some 47 REPS payments remain outstanding.
