Written Answers Nos. 240-254
240. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an inspection will be carried out in connection with the single farm payment at a farm (details supplied) in County Limerick. [45189/14]
View answerA review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme /Disadvantaged Areas Scheme revealed that a number of the land parcels declared by the person named contained ineligible features. This resulted in reductions of 0.85 hectares being applied to the area based payments due to the person named. The reductions were for ineligible features including buildings, areas of scrub, farm roads and a river, which were included in the claimed area of the person named, and which resulted in a reduction between 3% and 20% to the area payable under 2013 Single Farm Payment scheme.
The person named was notified of this over-declaration by letter of 14 June 2014 and sought a review of the decision. Following the review of my Department's decision a visit by a Department official to verify the position on the ground is necessary. The person named will be informed, in writing, of the outcome of this verification inspection when it has been processed. If at that point the person named is not satisfied with the decision she has the right to appeal same to the Independent LPIS Appeals Committee.
241. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 297 of 19 December 2013, the outcome of the appeal for the single payment scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45190/14]
View answerAn application under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 25 April 2013. Following processing, an overclaim was discovered in respect of one land parcel. My Department issued a letter to the person named regarding this matter on 15 November 2013 offering the opportunity to appeal this overclaim. To date, no appeal has been received by my Department. Officials from my Department will contact the person named.
242. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 346 of 6 May 2014 regarding the 2013 single payment and disadvantaged areas schemes in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick, the outcome of the appeal with the Agriculture Appeals Office. [45191/14]
View answerThe person named lodged an appeal with the Agriculture Appeals Office on 28 January 2014 in relation to the 2013 Single Payment Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. A decision, to disallow the appeal, was notified to the person named, in writing, on 7 May 2014. The person named was also advised of the option to raise the matter with the Office of the Ombudsman if they felt they were treated unfairly.
243. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 138 of 18 June 2014 regarding an appeal in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Limerick which was lodged on 8 January 2014, the outcome of the appeal following the oral hearing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45194/14]
View answerThe person named lodged an appeal with the Agriculture Appeals Office on 8 January 2014. The person named requested an oral hearing, which was held on 16 July 2014. It is understood that the appeal was disallowed and the person named was notified of this decision in writing on 7 October 2014. The person named was also advised of the option to raise the matter with the Office of the Ombudsman if they felt they were treated unfairly.
244. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 156 of 10 April 2014 regarding a single farm payment in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Limerick the outcome of the appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45214/14]
View answerAs detailed in my reply to the previous Parliamentary Question on this case, the persons named failed to cooperate with a Bovine IDR inspection under the 2013 Single Farm Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas schemes, which resulted in a penalty of 100% being recorded against the relevant 2013 payments.
The persons named requested a review of this decision. The outcome of this review was to uphold the original decision and the persons named were informed of this decision on 29 May 2014.
I understand that the persons named have appealed this decision to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office and that an oral hearing was recently held on the appeal. The persons named will be notified of the outcome of the appeal as soon as possible.
In the event that the persons named consider that the appeal has not been dealt with fairly, they can bring the matter to the attention of the Office of the Ombudsman.
245. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 374 of 9 July 2014, the position regarding the review of an application under the dairy equipment scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45215/14]
View answerThe person concerned is an applicant under the TAMS Dairy Equipment Scheme.
As outlined in the response to the PQ in July I arranged for the grant application to be reviewed in this case. The original application was for an auto washer retrofitted to a bulk tank and a replacement compressor. The auto washer is ineligible for aid and the applicant was advised of this. Approval issued on the 13th August 2014 for the replacement compressor.
246. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 358 of 1 July 2014 regarding outstanding moneys due under the disadvantaged areas scheme for 2013 in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick, the update of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45216/14]
View answerI can confirm that officials from my Department are in contact with the person named regarding eligibility under the 2013 and 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Schemes. My Department is currently awaiting the submission of outstanding documentation in relation to equines on the holding of the person named. As soon as this documentation is received by my Department, the case will be further reviewed and the person named advised directly of the outcome in writing.
247. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Donegal has yet to receive their payments under the single farm payment scheme and the disadvantaged areas payments scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45273/14]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 10 April 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The EU Regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.
The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. Initial processing of this inspection identified a requirement to verify the eligibility of land declared by means of a field inspection.
On completion of this inspection the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payment due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.
248. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Donegal has not yet received their payments under the single farm payment scheme and the disadvantaged areas payments scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45274/14]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 24 March 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The EU Regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.
The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. Initial processing of this inspection identified a requirement to verify the eligibility of land declared by means of a field inspection.
On completion of this inspection the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payment due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.
249. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether the delays which are being encountered by farmers in County Donegal who have been chosen for satellite inspections as part of having their applications for single farm payments processed are acceptable; if he will provide the total number of satellite inspections which have been carried out in county Donegal since the start of the year; if he will provide, in respect of this same period, the number of inspections which have been processed and the number of inspections currently awaiting to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45275/14]
View answerEU Regulations governing the administration of the Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Schemes, and other area based schemes, require that full and comprehensive administrative eligibility checks, including in some cases either Ground or Remote Sensing (satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue. Eligibility checks are required to ensure that the actual area claimed in the application form corresponds to the area farmed by the applicant, that there are no dual claims of land and that ineligible land or features are not included for aid purposes.
Both the administrative and inspection checks ensure that the Land Parcel Identification System, underpinning the direct aid payments worth in excess of €1.5bn annually, is accurately maintained. In addition, these checks are required to protect the annual drawdown of the EU funds and to avoid disallowances.
My Department is required to carry out an annual round of inspections, both in the field and by means of Remote Sensing, to ensure the eligibility of land declared to drawdown payments. The basis of these inspections is governed by EU legislation and there are minimum numbers that must be conducted each year.
Land eligibility checks must be carried out on at least 5% of applicants. In response to concerns about the impact of on-the-ground inspections on farmers, 6,715 cases or some 85% of the required 2014 inspections are initially being carried out without the need for a farm visit as the information needed is acquired using the technique of remote sensing via satellite.
The EU Regulations governing Remote Sensing inspections also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.
Of the 6,715 cases selected for a Remote Sensing inspection, 484 cases are in Co Donegal, which equate s to 7.2% of the overall number selected. To date, the inspection results have been received and processed for 210 of these cases.
The remaining 274 cases require a field inspection to verify the eligibility of land declared. On completion of the required inspection s the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payments due as soon as possible. In the event that any issue arises on an individual case officials in my Department will be in contact with the applicant concerned.
250. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive payment of their single payment scheme and disadvantaged areas scheme grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45291/14]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 28 March 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The EU Regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.
The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. Initial processing of this inspection identified a requirement to verify the eligibility of land declared by means of a field inspection.
On completion of this inspection the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payment due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.
251. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department, or any agency of his Department, has awarded any contracts to a company (details supplied) since 9 March 2011. [45339/14]
View answerMy Department has not awarded any contracts to the named company during the lifetime of this Government.
The awarding of contracts to the named company by the State Bodies under my Department's aegis is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves.
252. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in the single farm payment for 2013 in respect of a person (details supplied) in county Mayo; if it will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45358/14]
View answerAn application under the 2013 Single Farm Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 8 April 2013. The advance payment issued on 16 October 2013 with the balancing payment issuing on 02 December 2013 directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
253. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm the recent announcement by the Irish Greyhound Board that all greyhounds which ran in the Irish Derby on 13 September 2014 have tested negative for prohibitive substances; if he will provide a copy of the laboratory reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45359/14]
View answerBord na gCon is a commercial State body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, charged with the regulation and development of the greyhound racing industry, which has been estimated to support 10,000 jobs and €0.5bn in economic output.
Bord na gCon has augmented its management team with the appointment of a Director of Racing Governance and Compliance.
The issue to which the Deputy refers is an operational matter for Bord na gCon. Accordingly the Deputy should direct his question to Bord na gCon who, as regulator, is the appropriate authority to respond.
254. Deputy Tom Barry asked the Minister for Defence if he will acknowledge that a person (details supplied) was not medically assessed by an Army medical doctor and therefore their discharge is invalid; if this matter will be investigated; if the person's medical discharge papers will be located and forwarded to this Deputy. [44930/14]
View answerI refer to my reply to Question Number 526 on the 17th of September 2014. I am advised by the military authorities that the individual in question was discharged from the Defence Forces on the 22nd of June 1989 at his own request after 12 years of service. The discharge documents (LA89) were issued to him at that time. The LA89 is an original document and cannot be replaced.
Subsequent to that reply, and following representations made by the Deputy on behalf of the individual in question, the military authorities have provided my officials with a copy of the relevant extract from his Medical Book, LA30, which shows that he was medically examined for discharge purposes on 20th March 1989. It also shows the medical classification code awarded to him on foot of that medical examination. This will be forwarded to the individual.
I am advised by the military authorities that due to the unavailability of a serving Medical Officer at the time of his discharge, the individual's medical examination was carried out by a civilian medical practitioner. I am further advised that this doctor had been a Defence Forces Medical Officer until his retirement in 1985. On this basis, the military authorities advise that they are satisfied that the doctor had the requisite knowledge and experience to carry our medical examinations to Defence Forces' standards.
Defence Forces Regulation A10 requires that, when an individual is being discharged from the Defence Forces, a medical examination should be carried out by a Medical Officer of the Medical Corps. However, situations arise where military Medical Officers are not available. Paragraph 1306 of "A" Administrative Instruction Part 12, in catering for such situations, provides that "medical examination of personnel of the Permanent Defence Force should as far as possible be carried out by a Medical Officer of the Medical Corps and not by a civilian Medical Practitioner..."
Notwithstanding the fact that the individual in question was examined by a civilian medical practitioner who was a former Medical Officer, I am advised by the military authorities that his discharge at his own request remains valid and is in accordance with Regulations. The individual has not been subject to military law since his discharge in 1989.
