John Fahey
Ceist:58 Mr. J. Fahey asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of a farm development scheme grant will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Payment of a grant in this case cannot be considered until the local office of the farm development service has been notified that the work in question has been completed to specification.
John Fahey
Ceist:59 Mr. J. Fahey asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of a farm modernisation grant will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
It is hoped to have this grant paid within the next few weeks.
John Ellis
Ceist:60 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will pay a land improvement scheme grant due to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
The grant will be paid as soon as possible.
John Ellis
Ceist:61 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will pay a farm improvement grant due to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
The grant will be paid as soon as possible.
John Connor
Ceist:62 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will make a statement on the payment of the flood damage grant established earlier this year to assist victims of last winter's floods and storms; (a) the number of applicants who have received payments to date (b) the number of applicants who remain unpaid and (c) the total number who applied for the assistance; and if he will outline the criteria used to render eligible and ineligible the applicants who sought assistance under the scheme.
The flood damage relief scheme 1990 was introduced to assist farmers who suffered hardship as a result of livestock, fodder and grazing losses arising during the adverse weather conditions of the winter and early spring.
Qualification for aid was confined to farmers whose non-farm income did not exceed £10,000 in the tax year ending 5 April 1990 and where livestock and fodder/grazing losses were in excess of pre-set percentages differentiating between farmers of up to and over 60 livestock units.
As a general principle, 50 per cent of losses were considered, with upper limits of £1,200 for fodder/grazing losses and £1,500 for livestock loss subject to a maximum of £2,000 in any individual case. In addition several cases of produce loss were considered as well as some cases where extreme hardship occurred.
Approximately 1,500 applications were received of which 1,250 qualify for payment. To date 1,100 payments have been processed, with the remaining ones being currently processed.