Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 19 Apr 2000

Vol. 518 No. 4

Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Donal Carey

Ceist:

156 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a 50% penalty is being applied under the REP scheme for over or under declaration of lands in County Clare but not in County Galway until after 1 July 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11952/00]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh):

The penalty to which the Deputy refers is one of a number introduced in 1999 for different specified contraventions of the rural environmental protection scheme. Prior to the introduction of this detailed schedule, the range of penalties available to the Department in enforcing the obligations of REPS participants was restricted, and the consequences of non-compliance could in some cases be disproportionate. Over or under-declaration of area, for example, could previously attract disqualification as opposed to the present reduction of 50% in one annual payment.

The contravention itself is a serious one and the level of penalty is therefore justified. As REPS is an area-based scheme, over-declaration could result in participants receiving payments to which they were not entitled. Under-declaration, on the other hand, could mean that an applicant was not meeting or was seeking to evade his or her obligation to farm the entire holding in accordance with the agri-environmental plan submitted, which is an essential component of the scheme.

To date, the penalty to which the Deputy refers has been imposed in some 170 cases in 16 counties, including both the counties referred to. A number of these cases are at present under appeal.

In overall terms the penalty regime forms an essential control in ensuring compliance with EU requirements.