Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 April 2014
201. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 353 of 4 March 2014, which stated that 75% payment for 2013 would issue within ten days, the reason payment under the agri-environment options scheme 1 has not yet issued to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15729/14]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the 2010 Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS 1) with effect from 1 November 2010 and has received full payment in respect of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Scheme years. A letter issued on 10 January 2014 notifying the person named of the non-compliances found on inspection and giving a right of appeal to the Regional Inspector of the Department by 24 January 2014. As the case was not appealed, my Department moved to process the file for payment. It had been intended to issue the 75% payment to the person named in March and then taking whatever reductions and penalties fell due from the balancing 25% payment which would be made later. However, on preparing the file for payment it became clear that the extent of the breaches, which cover several years, was such that the amount owed by the person named exceeds the amount due for 2013 and therefore no payment falls to be made by my Department. The person named will shortly receive a letter explaining the reductions and penalties applied.
