I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 380 together. The following tabular statement shows the position regarding applications and payments to County Leitrim and County Roscommon herd-owners under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme:
|
Applications received
|
Applications paid
|
Value of payments
|
Leitrim
|
3,498
|
2,850
|
€6,268,479
|
Roscommon
|
5,705
|
4,730
|
€10,187,542
|
As the Deputy is aware, there are no delays in payments to farmers under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, payments having commenced, on target, on 22 September, with payments issuing to those farmers whose applications had been confirmed eligible for payment at that time. I can confirm that my Department has, in the interim, continued to pay individuals, as their cases became clear, with payment runs taking place twice a week. This is normal practice and will continue on an ongoing basis, as necessary. In this regard, while I am pleased to note that payments worth €191.7 million have issued to date, representing over 85% of applicants, I remain confident that the full budget for the Scheme will have been exhausted by year-end.
It is not intended to resort to the exceptional, once-off measures adopted in the latter part of 2010, when the decision was taken to make payments at a rate of 75%. It should be recalled that these payments were made on the basis of land confirmed eligible at the time of payment, whereas payments under the 2011 Scheme, in addition to being at a rate of 100%, are made on applicants' entire eligible areas following the completion of the validation process for each application.