Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 10 May 2000

Vol. 518 No. 6

Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.

Michael Creed

Ceist:

232 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will reconsider his decision to reduce the level of payment of a farm retirement pension scheme to a person (details supplied) in County Cork in view of the fact that the alleged overpayment was not fraudulent and that the applicant and her husband suffer from poor health. [13104/00]

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

The person to whom the Deputy refers was admitted to the early retirement scheme in 1995 under a joint management arrangement with her husband. It is a condition of the scheme that participants must apply, on reaching their 66th birthday, to the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs for both the contributory and non-contributory old age pension. This condition also applies to participants' partners in a joint management application. If a pension is awarded it must be offset against the farm retirement pension. Participants in the scheme are told of this condition when they join, and they are required to notify my Department if they or their partners in joint management are awarded an old age pension.

The husband of the person named became entitled to the non-contributory old age pension with effect from 26 March 1999 but this was not confirmed to my Department until January of this year. Having become aware of the position, my Department adjusted the early retirement pen sion with effect from the February 2000 payment. The overpayment which had occurred in the meantime is being recovered, and as the conditions of the scheme are unequivocal with regard to the offsetting of national pensions my Department has no option but to do so. My Department is seeking to reduce the inconvenience to the participant and her husband by spreading the recovery of the overpayment over 24 months.