Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach. We had a vote. I will ask my few questions. If I have to go, I will follow up on the witnesses' answers. If I do ask anything that was asked while I was away, please tell me. I have three questions but time is an issue so I will ask them and give the witnesses time to respond.

We are reading a lot of commentary about TAMS being deficient in funds and that due to over-subscription in the earlier tranches there may not be money to pay going forward. Could the witnesses comment on this if they have not done so? With regards to the different schemes, I understand circumstances change due to factors such as the volume of applications or IT issues. People make mistakes, and things change for individual applicants, which means that some will not be paid on time. However, there are situations that can be avoided, which are of the Department's making. I was the victim of one of them, which related to satellite farm inspections. If the Department wants to do satellite farm inspections, why can it not have them done and dusted before the payment date comes? An applicant can have everything in order, as I had. I got people to do a lot of work for me and I promised them the money would come in the second week in October and they would be paid. I then got a letter informing me that mine was one of the farms picked for a satellite inspection, which meant that I had to wait until it was complete. It was completed, everything was in order and I eventually got my money. I was waiting through no fault of my own. It was the fault of the Department because it did not carry out that satellite inspection between April and October. That is an issue that can be avoided if it is changed.

On a side note to the satellite inspection; I am not blowing my own trumpet but again everything was in order. The area I was applying for was spot on to the second decimal but some parcels were slightly wrong. The parcels I overclaimed for by fractions were deducted back to what the Department said they were. However, the parcels I underclaimed for to get the balance were not brought up. Why is it anti-farmer? I have the paperwork to prove that. The Department took the extra bit off where I, or whoever, made the mistake, which was grand, but it did not bring the other ones I underclaimed on up. That is anti-farmer. If the Department can take it off, why can it not add it on? These are my questions. Mr. Savage has two and half minutes.