Dinny McGinley
Ceist:202 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a sheep headage payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [22640/98]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Difficulties have arisen in processing the area aid application of the person named. When these have been resolved, any payment due will issue as soon as possible.
Dinny McGinley
Ceist:203 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a sheep headage payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [22641/98]
The area aid application from the person concerned has been processed and any payment due will issue as soon as possible.
Willie Penrose
Ceist:204 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has not received his area aid payment to date in view of the fact that everything was in order for 1997; when beef cow grants and ten and 22 month premium payments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22708/98]
Difficulties have arisen in processing the area aid application of the person named. When these have been resolved, any payments due will issue as soon as possible.
John Browne
Ceist:206 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will receive an area aid payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22710/98]
The area aid application of the person named was selected for inspection. The processing of the application will be completed on the basis of the results of this inspection and any payment due will issue as soon as possible.
Joe Higgins
Ceist:207 Mr. Higgins (Dublin West) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a REP scheme application for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be processed. [22711/98]
The applicant's REPS application includes grazing rights in a natural heritage area, the entitlement to which has recently been established. The new revised REP scheme requires that a framework plan be drawn up for commonage land and land on which grazing rights exist. The preparation of the framework plan will be carried out under the supervision of my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. A sufficient number of planners have already been trained to prepare these plans. It will take some time before framework plans will be available for all commonages-grazing rights.
Details of an interim national framework plan have been drawn up to enable farmers with commonage and or grazing rights to participate in REPS pending the implementation of commonage framework plans. Under these new arrangements this application can now be processed with a view to making an early payment.
The new payment rates in REPS are as follows: £80 per acre for the first 100 acres; £8 per acre between 101 and 200 acres; and £6 per acre between 201 and 300 acres. For the average existing REPS 80 acre farmer in an NHA, this will mean an increase in the annual payment from £4,960 to £6,400. The maximum NHA payment increases from £6,200 per annum to £9,400.
John Browne
Ceist:209 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if area aid payments due to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22713/98]
This application has been fully processed. Payment of arable aid issued to the person named on 6 November 1998. Headage and premia payments due will issue to the person named as soon as possible.