James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of persons in County Wexford that have not received 85% of their total 2016 payment under GLAS 1, GLAS 2 and AEOS; the reason for this delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12372/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Under the EU regulations governing the green, low-carbon, agri-environment scheme, GLAS, and the agri-environment options scheme, AEOS, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the land parcel identification system, must be completed before any payment can issue.  My Department, as the accredited paying agency, must ensure that, before payment issues, everything in an application that can be checked is checked as required under the regulations. Therefore, payments can only issue where all the required validation checks have been successfully passed.

In regard to 2016 payments, under AEOS, the previous agri-environment scheme, just over 8,600 AEOS participants were due a payment. AEOS 2 participants completed their five-year contracts on 31 December 2016. Under the EU regulations governing this scheme and all other area-based payment schemes, a full check, including cross-checks with the land parcel identification system, must take place before the final payment can issue. As all AEOS 2 participants will be receiving their final payments under the scheme, re-checks on payments made for all scheme years must be completed before final payment can be processed. This is the same procedure as applied to AEOS 1 participants finishing in that scheme.

To date, AEOS 2016 payments amounting to over €22 million have issued. The remaining cases are currently being checked and payments will continue to issue on an ongoing weekly basis as these cases are cleared. A total of 84 farmers in County Wexford were due a 2016 payment in AEOS, of whom 51 have been paid and 33 are awaiting payment.

The 2016 payments represent the first full year of payment under GLAS. At the end of December 2016 there were approximately 37,500 active participants in the GLAS scheme, of which 27,400, or over 71%, received payments valued at over €97 million, representing 85% of their 2016 payment. As issues with outstanding GLAS cases are resolved, they are being paid in weekly payment runs. Further payments are issuing on a weekly basis, with payments valued at over €110 million now issued and over 84% of participants now paid. Further payments are issuing on a weekly basis.

Some 778 farmers in County Wexford are active in GLAS 1 and a further 271 are active in GLAS 2, of which 627 in GLAS 1 and 227 in GLAS 2 have successfully completed the GLAS prepayment checks in respect of the 2016 scheme year and a first payment instalment of 85% has issued. The current position is that 151 farmers in GLAS 1 and 44 farmers in GLAS 2 have yet to receive their payment and their applications continue to be processed.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Outstanding payments under both GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 are largely delayed due to declaration of incompatible parcel usage on the basic payment scheme application for a chosen GLAS action; changes in parcel boundaries on which a GLAS action is chosen, including splitting or merging of parcels; an applicant no longer claiming a parcel on their 2016 basic payment scheme; incomplete documentation such as incorrect information on low-emission slurry declaration; incomplete interim commonage management plans; and incompatible data and parcel history on Department databases.

Payments under the scheme will continue to issue on an ongoing basis as issues are resolved and cases are cleared for payment.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Obviously, this question concerns delays in payments under the agri-environment schemes, GLAS and AEOS. There is mounting anger over the delay in these payments and we saw protests recently outside Johnstown Castle in County Wexford. These are farming families whose patience is running out at this stage. They were expecting these payments before Christmas and they have not yet received them, and families are suffering as a result. We need to see an element of urgency on this issue in order to get these payments out. While I appreciate there have been a number of issues, most should have been anticipated.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I previously stated on the record of the House that I very much regret the delay in these payments. Whether it is in Wexford, Meath or any other part of the country, I do not find it satisfactory. However, I would say the officials in this area of my Department, both IT and administrative, are working without constraint in terms of overtime and so on to try to resolve the matter.

By way of information, approximately 2,000 cases are failing a prepayment validation check for one or more of the claimed GLAS actions. A further 2,500 cases have issues with the consistency of the parcel data on the Department's databases. The remaining cases relate to cases that have outstanding errors with the annual basic payment scheme application. In total, there are approximately 5,000 left to pay. While we cannot quantify it yet, it is anticipated that a sizeable number of those will not qualify because they never activated their applications after submitting them. However, we are working to try to ensure that those in County Wexford and elsewhere get payment. I will not rest until all of those are paid.

I appreciate that it is not in compliance with the farmers charter and that is something we are not happy about. Although this is cold comfort to anybody waiting, we have rolled out more schemes under the rural development programme than any other EU member state and our drawdown of funds is well ahead of any other member state. Nonetheless, I accept this is unsatisfactory.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is correct it is not in line with the farmers charter. At a time when farmers are facing Brexit threats, sterling fluctuations, income uncertainty and price volatility, the last thing they need is a further delay in payment. Will the Minister set out whether there is a definitive timeframe for addressing the delays in GLAS and AEOS payments? There is a concern there is no sense of urgency on this issue, given some families are waiting over five months for payments. The Department had two years of preparation in order to get this right and none of the difficulties being experienced were unexpected. Some 194 families in GLAS and 33 families in AEOS are awaiting payments, which is almost 40% of the numbers. Each one of those numbers represents a family. They need those payments and they need to know when they are going to get them.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I do not want to give a time or date I cannot stand over. All I can do is assure the Deputy that I and my Department recognise the urgency of the situation and are working as hard as possible to try to resolve the issue.