Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2014
84. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of all 2014 payments made in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork under the disadvantaged area and single farm payments to date; if he will provide details of all penalties in respect of their application which have been deducted in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47481/14]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas’ scheme application on 17 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 application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing eligibility inspection.
The inspection identified discrepancies between the areas declared by the applicant and the area found resulting in an over-declaration in area of between 3% and 20%. Under the Terms and Conditions of Single Farm Payment Scheme this resulted in the 2014 payments being based on the found area having been reduced by double the difference between the area found and the area declared.
The person named was notified of this decision by letter dated 19 November 2014. The person named was also informed of the right to seek a review of this decision.
The advance payment under the 2014 Single Farm Payment Scheme had an amount of €1,095.31 deducted in respect of the over-declaration outlined above . As a result an amount of €1,732.04 issued on 6 November 2014 in respect of the Single Farm Payment advance . Furthermore an amount €322.10 (details of overpayment below) was recouped from the balancing payment under the 2014 Single Farm Payment Scheme , resulting in an amount of €2,471.93 being issued on 1 December 2014.
A review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that a number of the land parcels declared by the person named contained ineligible features and that these features had been included on the Single Farm Payment Scheme application since 200 9 . However, while the person named was notified of this decision and of his right of appeal, to date no such appeal has been received. It remains open to the person named to appeal, should he so wish. This resulted in an over payment of €322.10 in respect of the years 2010 to 2012 inclusive and was recouped from the balancing payment of the person named as outlined above.
While the payment due under the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas’ Scheme was not affected by the outcome of the 2014 inspection or the LPIS review, an amount of €758.54 was recouped from the payment due. This resulted in an amount of €2,642.32 issuing on 6 November 2014. A sum of €537 was in respect of the Local Property Tax and was deducted as per an agreement between the person named and the Revenue Commissioners, while the remaining €221.54 related to an Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) over-payment. The person named was notified of this OFS over-payment by letter dated 17 February, 2014.
