Vol. 509 No. 6
203 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when headage grant and premia payments will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21094/99]
There were a number of plots of land on the 1999 area aid application of the person named and the applicant was requested to submit maps for these plots. The relevant maps were received recently and have been entered on the Departments electronic database. Any payments due will issue as soon as possible.
204 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason an area aid problem relating to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo, arising from the issue of two different official maps by his Department and resulting in the applicant not receiving 1998 or 1999 grants, has not been resolved. [21099/99]
The applicant submitted 32.63 hectares on his 1998 area aid application. Following processing of his application only 30.33 hectares were determined. This represents a difference of 2.30 hectares or 7.58 per cent between the area claimed and that determined. Under Article 9 of EU Regulation 3887/92, no penalty is applied when the difference is less than 3 per cent, the penalty is based on double the difference when it is between 3 per cent and 20 per cent and when the difference is over 20 per cent, a 100 per cent penalty must be applied. Therefore in this case payments issued on an area of 25.73 hectares.
The 1999 area aid application for the person named was randomly selected for inspection. This has now been carried out and the application is being processed with a view to making any payments due as quickly as possible.
205 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1999 cattle and sheep headage. [21101/99]
The applicant named increased the size of his claim on one of the parcels in his 1999 area aid application from 6.00 hectares in 1998, to 6.19 hectares in 1999. The details on the map supplied were entered on the Department's electronic database, and it was found to contain only 5.25 hectares.
This represents a difference of 0.94 hectares or 17.90 per cent between the area claimed and that determined. Under Article 9 of EU Regulation 3887/92, no penalty is applied when the difference is less than 3 per cent. The penalty is based on double the difference when it is between 3 per cent and 20 per cent and when the difference is over 20 per cent, a 100 per cent penalty must be applied. Any payments due will issue as soon as possible based on an area of 3.37 hectares.
206 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the forage area on area aid applications as digitised by his Department for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo for the past three years in view of the fact that the area is being reduced each year on digitisation and the land boundaries have not changed. [21102/99]
The above named applicant included one single parcel of land totalling 22.78 hectares in his 1996 area aid application. Subsequent amendments to the Department's electronic mapping database showed the correct area of the parcel to be 22.70 hectares.
In 1997 the area aid unit pre-printed this figure of 22.70 hectares on the applicants form as the gross area, and the applicant himself reduced the net area claimed down to 22.50.
In 1998 and in 1999 a pre-printed application form was supplied to the applicant using the area claimed by him in 1997. In both instances he signed and returned the applications without making any change in the area claimed.
207 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason for the non-payment of headage to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo whose area aid has always been satisfactory and accepted by his Department and where there is no change for 1999. [21106/99]
The 1999 area aid application for the person named was randomly selected for inspection. This inspection has now taken place and the application is being processed with a view to making any payments due as quickly as possible.
211 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1999 cattle and sheep headage. [21110/99]
The person named was paid his full entitlement of £2,000 under the 1999 sheep headage scheme on 29 October 1999 and his full entitlement of £2,000 under the 1999 cattle headage scheme on the same date.
While the person named applied on 26 beef cows and eight other animals under the 1999 cattle headage scheme, giving a gross grant payable of £2,316, clause 26 of the terms and conditions governing the 1999 cattle headage scheme provides that "An applicant qualifying for disadvantaged areas beef breed suckler cow and/or equine and/or sheep and/or goat headage grants may not receive in respect of such grants more than .. a total combined headage grant of 5,078.95 euro/£4,000". As the person concerned had already been paid £2,000 under the 1999 sheep headage scheme his entitlement under the 1999 cattle headage scheme was limited to £2,000.
212 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when headage grants will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [21162/99]
The person named was paid his full entitlement of £1,780.81 under the 1999 cattle headage scheme on 18 October 1999. Payment was made in accordance with clause 26 of the terms and conditions governing the 1999 cattle headage scheme which provides that an applicant qualifying for headage grants may not receive in respect of such grants more than £89.62 per forage hectare subject to an overall stocking rate of 1.4 livestock units per forage hectare.
The person named declared 19.87 forage hectares under his 1999 area aid application which, multiplied by £89.62, gives a total payment entitlement of £1,780.81.
The person named submitted two applications under the 1999 special beef premium scheme. The first application was for two ten months old animals and two bulls and the second application was for one bull. Payment will issue in respect of both of these applications within the next seven days.
