Vol. 510 No. 3
166 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a farm retirement pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick in view of the fact receipt of his application on 20 July 1999 was confirmed by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22326/99]
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 20 July 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.
In no case does the processing time result in a financial loss to a retiring farmer. The operational procedures for the scheme specifically ensure the date of receipt in the Department of a valid application determines the date from which payment is made.
