Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2010
122 Deputy Jimmy Deenihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when single farm payment will be made available in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46787/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraA Single Payment Scheme application was received from the person named on 7 May 2010. The application submitted did not include a herd number, as the person named had not been assigned a herd number at that time. Following the allocation of a herd number the application was further processed. It was established that the land declared required digitising and this process is now complete.
The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements under Category A of the 2010 National Reserve. Category A caters for farmers who inherit, or acquire a holding free of charge by deed of transfer from an EU Early Retirement Scheme (ERS) participant farmer who retired or died before 16 May 2005. The holding must have been leased out to a third party during the 2000-2002 reference period. In addition applicants are required to meet certain criteria in relation to on and off farm income limits.
The person named did not submit the necessary documentation in order to fully process his application and my Department wrote to him requesting the relevant documentation. While, a reply was received, all the relevant information was not submitted by the applicant. A further letter has issued to the person named requesting him to submit documentation indicating that he received the land free of charge. In addition, further clarification with regard to his off-farm income has been requested. Upon receipt of the required documentation his application will be further processed in order to determine his eligibility for an allocation from the National Reserve.
124 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when single farm payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46812/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on the 20 April 2010. This application was selected for a Ground Eligibility and Full Cross Compliance inspection. The inspection process is complete and the results are now being processed. During the course of the Ground Eligibility inspection, discrepancies were found with some of the parcels applied on and deductions were made accordingly. The claimed area for the Single Payment Scheme of 357.25ha was reduced to 348.83ha. As the total area found is not sufficient to support the number of entitlements held, penalties will be applied as per the Terms and Conditions of the scheme. In this case the number of entitlements held by the person named is 396.83. As the difference between the area declared and the area found is more than 3%, under EU Regulations, the difference between the area found and the area claimed is doubled and deducted from the area found. As a result the area put forward for payment under the Single Payment Scheme is 337.51ha.
A formal decision issued to the person named on 28 October 2010 that advised him of his right to seek a review of the decision within 21 days to the District Inspector and of his right to appeal the outcome of any such review to the Independent Agriculture Appeals Office.
Payment under the Single Payment Scheme will issue within a week.
125 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway has not received their REP scheme payment; when payment will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46816/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU Regulations governing REPS 4 and other area-based schemes provide that payments issue in two instalments. The first instalment of 75% may be paid once all administrative checks on all applications, as well as cross-checks against areas declared on Single Payment Scheme applications, have been completed. This process is underway and my objective is to make all payments for 2010 as soon as possible. The balancing payment of 25% can issue once all on-the-spot inspections for the year have taken place and these will be completed shortly.
126 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway has not been paid their single farm payment or their area based payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46823/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 15 March 2010. This application was selected for and was the subject of a Ground Eligibility and Animal Identification Inspection.
The inspection process is completed and the application has now been fully processed. Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and Single Payment Scheme issued on the 1 December.
127 Deputy Brendan Kenneally asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of Waterford farmers who received direct farm payments and the amount provided in total; the number of outstanding payments to Waterford farmers still to be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46827/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the balancing payments under the 2010 Single Payment Scheme began issuing on 1 December, in line with the very ambitious payments targets I set for my Department in early October. Payments under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme have been ongoing since they commenced on 22 September. I am confident that, by year-end, payments to farmers nationally will have exceeded €1.35 billion under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (DAS).
In relation to Waterford, the position under the Single Payment Scheme is that there were 2,420 eligible applicants. To date 1,805 applicants have been fully paid and 551 applicants partially paid. Total payments under the Scheme are in excess of €35.18 million. As regards the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, the position is that 1,336 applicants have been paid over €2.87 million and there are a further 142 applicants awaiting payment, many of whom are currently not eligible for payment as they do not meet the minimum stocking requirement of 0.15 livestock units per hectare.
I can confirm that every effort is being made to clear remaining cases for payment at the earliest possible date and, to this end, payment runs continue to be made on alternate days, between the two Schemes.
128 Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Sligo will receive their single farm payments and area aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46832/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 23 March 2010. This application was selected for and was the subject of a Ground Eligibility and Animal Identification Inspection.
The inspection process is complete and the results are now being processed.
Under EU regulations governing the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Single Payment Scheme all Ground Eligibility Inspections must be completed before any payment can issue to any applicant under either scheme, including those not selected for a Ground Eligibility Inspection.
In the vast majority of cases that were inspected amendments have had to be made to the maps in order that the Land Parcel Identification System that is used for making payments to farmers is kept up-to-date. Processing of these changes is continuing with priority being given to applications that were the subject of a Ground Eligibility Inspection.
129 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will expedite payments of single farm payment and disadvantaged areas scheme payments in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46841/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2010 Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 5 May 2010. This application consisted of 11 land parcels, eight of which require re-digitisation.
Payments under the Single Payment Scheme were made in respect of eligible land parcels on 18 October 2010 and 1 December 2010 respectively. An advance payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was made on 21 September 2010. My Department is currently completing the re-digitisation of the remaining eight land parcels. Immediately this process is complete, provided no further errors are identified, the application will be processed in full with a view to payments due issuing shortly thereafter.
