Liam Aylward
Ceist:114 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the progress on the application made by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny for an EU farm retirement pension. [20213/99]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
This applicant applied to join the scheme under the joint management arrangement with her spouse.
It is a condition of the scheme that in a joint management application, a participant or a participant's spouse on reaching their 66th birthday must apply to the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs for both the contributory and non-contributory old age pension. If such a pension is awarded it must be offset against the farm retirement pension. Evidence of the application and the reply from that Department must be submitted to my Department before payment of the farm retirement pension can be issued.
This applicant's spouse has reached 66 years of age and has been informed of this requirement by letter. When the necessary reply from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs is submitted the application for the farm retirement pension can be processed and payment made backdated to 8 February 1999, the date of valid application.