Pat Breen
Ceist:78. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45489/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 16 December 2015
Ceisteanna (78)
Freagraí scríofa
The 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas’ scheme application of the person named was initially selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. A subsequent field visit, to verify the position on the ground, identified discrepancies between the area declared and the area determined resulting in an over-declaration in area of greater than 50%. This resulted in no payment being due under the 2014 Single Payment Scheme and the application of an administrative fine to be offset against any future EU payments.
As payment had already issued in respect of 2014, based on the results of the initial Remote Sensing inspection, my Department was required to recoup the amount of the payment issued from payments due under the REPS and the Beef Data Schemes.
The administrative fine for 2015 was calculated and deducted prior to payments issuing under the 2015 Direct Payments Schemes. The person named has no debts outstanding with my Department.
The person named sought a review of this decision. This review process included a re-inspection of the lands being claimed. The outcome of this review was to uphold the original decision. The person named was notified of this outcome on 20 July 2015. The person named submitted an appeal to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, the outcome of which was to disallow that appeal. The person named was notified of this decision by the Agriculture Appeals Office on 8 December 2015. The person named was also notified that if they believed they had not been treated fairly by that Office it is open to them to raise the matter with the Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson St., Dublin 2.