Vol. 557 No. 1
186 Mr. Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when area aid will be awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow in view of the mistake that was made in the processing of this person's application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21591/02]
The 2002 area aid application of the person named has been fully processed with no errors and with an area determined for payment of arable aid of 73.04 hectares and a forage area of 43.16 hectares.
The person named was not an applicant under the 2001 and 2002 area-based compensatory allowance scheme. He is due to receive 100% of his arable payment on November 16. The person named participated in the 2001 extensification premium opting for the census system.
Herd owners were notified by individual letter of each of the five census dates for 2001. When notified of the fifth date, herd owners were requested to return their completed CEN.1 forms to the Department by Friday 18 January 2002. Some weeks after the passing of this date, those who had still not returned their CEN. 2 forms were sent a reminder letter giving them a final opportunity to do so. The Department continued to accept CEN.1 and CEN. 2 forms where lodged up to Friday 17 May 2002. This was the very latest date that CEN.1 and CEN. 2 forms could be accepted in order that the information on both forms could be checked for accuracy against my Department's CMMS database, and spot-checked on the ground if necessary, in time to make extensification premium payments by the EU deadline of 30 June 2002. It must be appreciated that in order to avoid disallowances by EU auditors, adequate checks must be carried out to verify the validity of claims.
As the person named did not submit a CEN. 2 form by 17 May 2002, nor subsequently, it is regretted that payment of extensification premium cannot be considered in this case.
