Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 April 2014
205. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason an overpayment of €910.44 was assessed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the amount and the scheme years it relates to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15763/14]
View answerThe overpayment was made up of €767.14 REPS 4 and €143.30 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Area Scheme. The REPS overpayment was a multi annual sanction. A Multi-Annual Sanction (MAS) arises where an applicant makes an over–declaration of area in the following circumstances:
(a) Where there is an over-declaration of greater than 50% of the found or determined area; or
(b) Where there is an intentional over-declaration of greater than 20% of the area found.
The person named was informed in writing by the Department on 7 October 2013 of the details of the Multi- Annual Sanction (MAS) and how it was calculated. A Multi-Annual Sanction (MAS) was applied in relation to this over-declaration on crop group (designated), REPS 4, Scheme Year 2011 on the 9 October 2013 for €767.14 this was deducted from his Single Farm Payment on 16 October 2013.
An application under the 2013 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Area Scheme was received from the person named in my Department on 9 May 2013. Following processing, over-claims were identified in respect of four land parcels declared on the application. The person named was notified of the position in a letter dated 11 September 2013. However, he recently contacted my Department and advised that the said letter was never received by him. The letter was re-issued on 20 March 2014 and my Department is awaiting an appeal/clarification.
