Vol. 502 No. 6
170 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of the application for farm retirement for a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; if she is eligible under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9117/99]
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 25 September 1998. On examination of the file a number of queries arose which were raised with the applicant's solicitors on 25 February 1999. Replies to these queries have not as yet been received. Until replies to these queries have been received, the processing of this application cannot be finalised.
I would point out, however, that in the case of a genuine application the processing time does not result in a financial loss to a retiring farmer. The operational procedures for the scheme specifically ensure that the date of receipt in the Department of a valid application determines the date from which payment is made.
