Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 February 2018
245. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an oral hearing will be granted in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6489/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted a 2017 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes application on 4 April 2017. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue. The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection.
The inspection process identified over-declarations in area on two parcels, one of which equated to a reduction of 40% to the area originally declared. A letter detailing the initial inspection findings issued to the person named on 20 September 2017 and comments were submitted on these findings. A field visit was then undertaken to determine the position on the ground for this specific parcel and the outcome of this process increased the area of the over-declaration to 100% of the area declared. A further letter detailing the revised inspection findings issued to the person named on 5 December 2017.
Further comments on the revised inspection findings were received from the person named and were examined by officials in my Department. The outcome was that the revised inspection findings remained unchanged. The person named was notified of this outcome by letter dated 9 January 2018 and of their right to seek a review of this revised decision.
To date no further correspondence from the person named has been received by my Department, however officials will take the Deputy's question as a request for a further review of the inspection findings. If the person named has additional information they wish to have considered as part of this review process they should submit this to the Remote Sensing Section of my Department immediately.
Officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named on completion of the review process.
The Deputy should note that while the total area of one of the parcels declared was deemed ineligible as a result of the inspection process, other parcels declared were found to be eligible. The final over-declaration for payment purposes equated to 27% of the area declared. This resulted in reduced payments, taking account of the over-declaration in area, under the Basic Payment Scheme and the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme issuing to the nominated bank account of the person named on 11 January 2018.
