Michael Ring
Ceist:62 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and paid under the farm retirement scheme. [15771/00]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The person named applied for an early retirement pension on 22 December 1999. A very large number of applications were received at that time before the closing date for entry to the existing scheme on 31 December. The backlog in applications is now being given priority by local office staff and my Department is making every effort to expedite the processing of outstanding applications.
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.