Michael Moynihan
Ceist:150 Mr. M. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a REP scheme payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [4347/00]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Payment issued to the person named on 3 February 2000.
Michael Finucane
Ceist:151 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will reconsider the decision to refuse an installation grant to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick in view of the fact that he did not adhere to the two year education programme because he was unable to do so but has successfully completed it in a longer time frame; and if the grant will be paid in view of the circumstances involved. [4368/00]
It is a strict condition of the scheme of installation aid for young farmers that an applicant must fulfil the occupational skill and competence requirements at the date of setting up as a full-time farmer, or at the latest, within two years from that date. The set-up date of the person named was deemed to be 31 December 1994. As the necessary training level was not achieved within the two year period, and was not achieved until March 1997, the applicant was deemed ineligible for aid under the scheme.
Michael Finucane
Ceist:152 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development his views on the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Limerick will have to repay an overpayment over five years; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that, when the spouse of the recipient of the farm retirement pension applied for an old age non-contributory pension, he was unaware his wife would be penalised; and if the matter will be investigated. [4369/00]
The person named sought admission to the scheme under the joint management arrangement with her husband. It is a condition of the scheme that in a joint management application, a participant or a participant's spouse must apply, on reaching their sixty-sixth birthday, 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. All applicants for the scheme are made aware of the requirement. It is contained in the scheme guidelines booklet which they receive when they apply, and it is set out in the letter of approval which is sent to all applicants when they are sanctioned for payment.
The letter of approval mentioned above was sent to the person named on 17 May 1995. Her husband became entitled to a contributory old age pension from 9 October 1998. This came to light in August 1999 and the early retirement pension was adjusted at the earliest possible date, namely at the end of September 1999.