Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when farm retirement pension will be returned to a person (details supplied) in west Cork. [24129/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named is a participant in the 1994 early retirement scheme introduced under EU Council Regulation 2079/92, which she entered in joint management with her husband. It is a requirement of the Council regulation that any national retirement pension to which a scheme participant "and his or her spouse or partner in a joint management situation" becomes entitled must be deducted from the early retirement pension.

On 19 February 2004 my Department informed the person named that she and her husband must re-apply for a non-contributory old age pension and provide documentary evidence of the outcome of the application within three months. As this information was not provided to my Department, payment of the early retirement pension was suspended on 8 June 2004. As soon as this information is furnished to the Department, the position will be reviewed.