Vol. 472 No. 4
149 Mr. M. Brennan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will consider making advance headage and premia payments prior to Christmas to the 5 per cent of farmers who have been randomly selected for area aid inspections. [23455/96]
Under EU Regulations, before making advance payments, my Department is required to carry out administrative and on-the-spot checks in such a way as to ensure effective verification of compliance with the terms under which aids and premiums are granted. The number of cases selected for on-the-spot checks in relation to area aid applications is the minimum number required under the regulations. I regret that payment of advances cannot be made until such time as the results of those checks are known. I wish to confirm however that cases subject to on-the-spot inspection are released for payment as soon as the results of inspection are available.
