Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 273: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if all payments under the single farm payment will be made in October when they are due; and if not, if an interim payment will be made in October in order that no hardship be created. [12519/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The operation of the single payment scheme is governed by the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003. In general, Article 28 of that regulation provides for the payment of the single payment once a year within the period from 1 December to 30 June of the following calendar year.

My Department is currently in the final stages of implementing the single payment scheme and the deadline for the receipt of applications is 16 May 2005. My primary objective is that payment should issue to farmers from the beginning of December 2005. While there is provision in Article 28 of the Council Regulation for the European Commission to implement a regulation to provide for advances, there is no proposal from the Commission to do so at present.