Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I do not normally read long replies but the Deputy asked about a specific case and I wished to give a specific answer and there is a lot more detail on that case. I have been frustrated by the roll-out of some payments relating to the agri-environment option scheme, AEOS. There have been genuine reasons for this and I assure the Deputy I have been pushing staff in my Department as hard as I can to get these issues resolved. They mainly revolve around the fact that mapping pertaining to applications for the single farm payment did not match mapping related to applications for AEOS. It was necessary to resolve this issue and then redigitise the maps for both single farm payments and AEOS schemes. This has taken time and has been frustrating. While I am unhappy about this, now that the mapping issues have been resolved it will mean that in future years, people will get payments early.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

In regard to payment for the 2011 scheme year, a number of queries were identified on the capital investment forms and receipts submitted by the person named. A letter issued to the individual on 23 February 2012 in regard to these queries and they have been also satisfactorily resolved. The 75% payment totalling €3,749.99 in respect of 2011 issued to the person named on 12 March 2012 and the balancing 25%, totalling €1,249.99, issued on 14 March.

My Department has made every effort to assist farmers in regularising their applications and has devoted extra resources to dealing with query cases. However, in many cases the issues associated with individual applications, as with the application of the person named, require redigitisation of land parcels. This is a complex issue which can impact not only on a person's agri-environment application but also on his or her single farm payment or disadvantaged area scheme payment, or both. While these complexities can have an impact on individual cases, I am sure the Deputy will recognise the success of my Department in making timely payments under a variety of different schemes. In the case of the single farm payment, for example, while the earliest payment date provided for under EU rules was 1 December last year, I successfully sought the approval of the Commissioner to have advance payments made as and from 17 October. This was the earliest possible legal date for making payments, it being the start of the new EU financial year.

That said, I am conscious of the importance of payments to farmers' incomes and every effort is made to resolve queries as quickly as possible. At this stage €6.033 million has issued in respect of the initial part-year payment to the 7,681 applicants who have been cleared for payment. A further 1,092 cases remain unpaid. In these cases, the particular difficulties have been identified and the Department has made contact with the applicants to outline the nature of the query and the actions required to facilitate payment. I have given the highest priority to finalising all of these cases as quickly as possible.

In addition, €14.262 million has been paid to 3,720 of the 8,236 applicants remaining in AEOS I who are due a payment in respect of 2011. Unpaid farmers in year two are largely those with problems associated with their capital investment claims. My Department is currently dealing with queries associated with capital investment claims already submitted or is urging farmers to submit the necessary documentation as quickly as possible. Payments in respect of both years will continue on an ongoing basis as queries are resolved.

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