Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will see from those figures that the vast majority of cases have actually been paid and sorted out and that clarification is needed in about 5% or 6% of cases. Approximately 870 AEOS files are currently held for 2014 payment pending further processing due to a range of issues. Of those, approximately 400 have been subject to a Department review of the non-productive capital investment claims submitted by the applicants in 2014. That is the issue to which the Deputy has referred. This review identified irregularities with documentation submitted for reimbursement in some of these claims. A full Department investigation was then initiated which in turn led to the matter being referred to An Garda Síochána. Payments to applicants under review have been deferred pending the outcome of that investigation. My Department will be writing to all affected participants very shortly seeking further evidence to support their claim for payment in the amounts declared. Where satisfactory proofs are provided, payments will then be processed.

We have an awkward issue here where it looks as if people, essentially, were making claims that they were planting trees for which they were seeking payment. It looks as if some of those trees might not have been planted and that documentation was put in place that should not have been put in place. We have referred that issue to the Garda Síochána for a full investigation. As soon as that investigation is completed we will try to ensure that people who need to get paid are paid provided they have been compliant with the rules.

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