Michael Creed
Ceist:44 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive his 1996 and 1997 cattle headage grants. [9676/98]
Written Answers - Grant Payments.
A query arose with the application from the person concerned and details were issued to him. No response has yet been received from the person named and until this matter has been clarified no payments can issue.
John McGuinness
Ceist:45 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the query, if any, in relation to area aid for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; the reason his grants have not been paid since 1996; his views on the inspection which took place in December 1997 regarding his area aid; and the date when all outstanding grant payments will be made to this person. [9677/98]
Arrangements have been in place in the area aid unit for the examination of all outstanding cases within the coming three to four weeks. Within this process, priority is being given to applicants for whom payments are outstanding. The above named applicant's case will be dealt with as a priority within the next week.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:46 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a ten month beef premium payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9681/98]
According to the area aid application submitted by the person named, he is in an official milk recording scheme. Before the beef premium payment can issue to the person concerned, he must submit the certified average milk yields for 1996 or 1997 for use in the calculation of stocking density levels.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:47 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when an outstanding suckler cow premium payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9683/98]
The processing of the area aid application will be finalised within the next two weeks and outstanding payments will then issue.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:48 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a headage grant payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9684/98]
The area aid application received from the person concerned was incomplete and contained insufficient detail to allow digitising and validation of the area claimed. The area aid unit of my Department is making contact with the person named with a view to resolving the difficulties.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:49 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when equine headage payments will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9685/98]
Payment in respect of equine headage will issue within the next two weeks.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:50 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a REP scheme payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9686/98]
The applicant concerned joined the REP scheme on 1 December 1996. On receipt of his second year application he was randomly chosen for inspection to ensure that he was complying with the terms of his agri-environmental plan. The inspection took place on 27 February 1998. A 10 per cent penalty was imposed as the applicant had not maintained hedgerows as specified in his plan.
The applicant was informed of this decision by letter dated 22 March 1998 and afforded the opportunity to appeal it, in writing, within 14 days. He telephoned his local farm development service office on 13 March to inform it that he intended to appeal. However, to date no appeal has been lodged. His application will now be processed for payment, less the 10 per cent penalty, and payment should issue within the next two weeks.
Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:51 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a beef premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9687/98]
According to the area aid application submitted by the person named, she is in an official milk recording scheme. Before the beef premium payment can issue to the person concerned she must submit the certified average milk yields for 1996 or 1997 for use in the calculation of stocking density levels.
Ivan Yates
Ceist:52 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of premia and headage payments outstanding to farmers across the country due to the delay on the digitisation of maps; if he will allocate extra resources and staff to deal with this problem in order that people can have their entitlements paid without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9700/98]
I have made arrangements for the area aid unit to prioritise the processing of the remaining 19,700 outstanding 1997 application forms. Those involving outstanding payments will be dealt with first. These mainly represent the balance of the special beef premium payments. I am making arrangements, which will be announced within the next few days, for the area aid unit to ensure that all of the outstanding cases are examined within the coming three to four weeks to facilitate clearing of all cases for payment. Where a specific difficulty cannot be resolved within the unit, the applicant will be contacted directly.
Michael Creed
Ceist:53 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has not received his 1997 cattle headage. [9702/98]
Maps have been received from the person concerned and the necessary digitising should be completed within the next two weeks. The processing of the area aid application will then be finalised and any outstanding payments will be issued.
Michael Creed
Ceist:54 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive his 1997 suckler cow and headage grants. [9703/98]
My Department has been in correspondence with the person named in connection with an invalid tag number listed on his 1997 cattle headage application form. In a letter from the person named, received in the local office of my Department on 17 April 1998, he stated that the animal, which was appearing as an invalid tag number, was now retagged and he submitted the new tag number. Following further office checks it could not be established that any animal had been retagged in the herd of the person named. He is now being informed of this position and that the original animal applied on will be rejected. Payment will be made, with the consequent reduction penalty, on the remaining eligible animals within the next two weeks. My Department has no record of an application from the person named under the 1997 suckler cow premium scheme.