Vol. 510 No. 1
102 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if an application by a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath for participation in the scheme of early retirement from farming will be dealt with immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21957/99]
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 27 September 1999. Due to the volume of work a backlog has arisen in the processing of applications. The backlog is being addressed by local office staff in conjunction with other priority work.
I would point out, however, that in no case does the processing time 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.
