Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

We acknowledge the fact that the advance has been given for five years in a row, but that is because farmers have been in such dire straits with regard to their incomes. My question was about the efforts being made to overcome the delays in processing. There are major challenges associated with digitising maps, which is one part of it. There is a letter in the Irish Farmers' Journal today which best summarises the complicated, convoluted cross-compliance criteria between the single farm payment scheme and REPS. There are people whose land is not part of the land that has been digitised on the maps. Unfortunately, the letter states that the authenticated name and address of the sender are with the editor. However, it is pertinent and explains clearly the complicated process in which we are engaged. Did the Minister consider the challenges and problems outlined in this letter? There will be outstanding cases and, no matter what the statistics, there will be unjustified and indefensible delays in some people's payments - which may, apart from anything else, affect their REPS payments.

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