Michael Ring
Ceist:192 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and paid for the REP scheme. [11595/02]
Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.
The IMPACT union had withdrawn its co-operation in respect of the processing of all REP scheme applications in all FDS offices throughout the country on the basis that a satisfactory solution to the implementation of the recommendations of a report carried out by the management services division of my Department on the staffing in the technical agricultural officer grades of the farm development service areas had not been finalised.
I am pleased to say that the industrial action has been suspended from this morning. This suspension allows the Labour Relations Commission to intervene in the matter.
The protocol on direct payments to farmers sets specific processing and payment targets for REP scheme payments. As a consequence of the industrial action, my Department will not now be able to achieve these targets in a number of cases; however, all outstanding REP scheme payments applications will be processed as a matter of urgency.