John Perry
Ceist:285 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a decision will be made on an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15936/02]
Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.
The person named appealed a REPS penalty imposed by my Department for the removal of field boundaries. The REP scheme conditions require that all field boundaries, stonewalls and hedgerows be retained and they specify a 100% penalty, in other words one full year's payment, if such features are removed.
He appealed the penalty. The matter was examined by the REPS appeals committee, an independent committee whose decision represents my Department's final position on any penalty. The appeals committee decided that the penalty had been correctly applied and must remain in place, and this decision was conveyed to the person named on 11 September 2002.
REPS payments are made in advance, and as the person named had received his fifth and final year's payment before the Department inspection and the imposition of the penalty, my Department must now make arrangements to recoup the penalty amount from him.