Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Nov 1994

Vol. 446 No. 7

Written Answers. - Grant Payments.

Seymour Crawford

Ceist:

34 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when it will be possible for farmers to deal directly with and obtain up-to-date information from their local offices regarding their cattle headage and premia. [279/94]

John Connor

Ceist:

85 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the proposed time of payment to farmers of the various headage and premia payments due to them under the 1994 schemes; and if he will give an undertaking that the unacceptable levels of delay and chaos that characterise payments due to farmers in 1993 will not be repeated again this year. [2484/94]

Minister for Agriculture Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 85 together.

To assist local offices in answering farmers' queries and to ensure that the most up-to-date information is available at local offices, an on-line computer system has been installed in local offices during the year. This system is now up and running and allows those offices to be linked to the central computer, to input pay directions directly to that computer without having to forward batches in the post to Dublin and to access that computer directly to see how each pay direction input is progressing and when payment is completed.

Farmers have of course been dealing with their local offices for years past and in most cases are able to get the information they require on their headage and premia payments. I am confident this new system of direct access by my Department's local offices to the mainframe computer in Dublin will enable those offices to improve their service to farmers in future.

I would not accept and indeed would most strongly refute the suggestion that the payment of 1993 headage and premia grants by my Department was characterised by any undue delay.

In a situation where the number of applications under the headage and premia schemes arose from 370,000 in 1992 to some 640,000 in 1993 and where new EU regulations of great complexity were introduced in 1993 my Department did have some difficulties in making payments in as timely a manner as I would have wished. Ireland was not alone in having these difficulties. It was a feature in all member states but the facts show that in Ireland we managed to cope with the difficulties as well as, or better than, other EU member states.

At the end of 1993, for example, my Department had paid out some £50 million to suckler cow and special beef premium applicants while no payments had been made in up to half of the other member states. Considerable levels of payment were also achieved under other 1993 schemes by the end of 1993 with up to 85 per cent of headage claimants in receipt of payments. Ireland's delivery of 40 per cent balancing payments under 1993 schemes was also creditable and well ahead of the performance in a number of member states. I believe that my Department's performance in making payments in 1993 would be judged in a favourable light by any reasonable and objective commentator. The payment level of £377 million achieved in 1993 was an all-time record. That is not to say, however, that I was satisfied with the progress that was made. Given the increased importance of headage and premia payments to farmers' incomes, I am committed to the continued improvement and streamlining of the systems within my Department.

Extra resources amounting to £4.8 million have been made available by the Government this year with this in mind and major investment in computerisation has been carried out in the local offices as I have already indicated and additional staff have been put in place. The improvements introduced in our payments programme for 1994 will ensure the delivery of the CAP compensatory payments this year in line with the commitment entered into with the farming bodies in theProgramme for Competiveness and Work. The additional resources for headage payments provided by the Government this year again in fulfilment of the Programme for Competiveness and Work commitment is allowing 85 per cent advance payments to be made by comparison with the norm of 60 per cent in 1993. The improvements have already borne fruit with some 98 per cent and 95 per cent of applicants under 1994 ewe premium and deseasonalisation slaughter premium schemes respectively in receipt of payments to date. Ireland was one of only two member states to commence 1994 ewe premium payments in July. By the end of August last, 95 per cent of Irish applicants had received ewe premium payments. At that time, only one other member state had still made any significant payments.

Payments under the 1994 arable aid scheme commenced on 18 October and to-date almost £43 million has been paid to 81 per cent of applicants. Payments have now commenced under headage, special beef and suckler cow schemes, up to three weeks ahead of 1993. Already over 122,000 payments totalling some £90 million have been made under these schemes. When payments under all 1994 headage and premium schemes, including arable aid, ewe premium and deseasonalisation premium are taken into account, some £212 million has now been paid. These figures should give assurance of my commitment to the earliest delivery of payments to farmers.