Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the single farm payment will be awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [3793/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application under the single payment scheme on 5 May 2005. The established entitlements under the scheme were in her late husband's name and the person named did not submit an application form to have these entitlements transferred to her. An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the person named and the relevant documentation has been issued. On receipt of the completed documentation, the application will be processed as quickly as possible.

An application under the force majeure or exceptional circumstances measure of the single payment was submitted by the person named. The person named was successful under this measure with the year 2002 excluded from the calculation of the single payment.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will qualify for entitlements from the 2005 national reserve under the single payment scheme 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3797/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the single payment scheme national reserve under categories A and D. Category A caters for farmers who inherited land or received land free of charge or for a nominal sum from a farmer who had retired or died by 16 May 2005 and who had leased out his-her holding to a third party during the reference period 2000-02. Category D caters for farmers who commenced farming after 31 December 2002 or who commenced farming in 2002 but who received no direct payments in respect of that scheme year. In addition, the farmer must have either purchased or inherited land.

It should be noted, however, that the rules governing the single payment scheme stipulate that an applicant who is found to be eligible under more than one category in the reserve may only receive an allocation of entitlements under whichever category is most beneficial to him-her.

The position is that over 23,000 applications for an allocation of entitlements from the national reserve were received when account is taken of farmers who applied under more than one category. Processing of these applications is continuing and the intention is to make allocations to successful applicants at the earliest opportunity. My Department will be in touch with the individual applicants as soon as their applications are fully processed and formal letters setting out my Department's decision will be issued in the near future.

John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the single payment entitlement for a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3750/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Under EU legislation, in order to draw down his or her full single payment, an applicant must declare an eligible hectare to accompany each entitlement. This requirement was set out clearly in the documentation supplied to farmers on a number of occasions. While the person named had established 25.00 entitlements during the reference period, the application received from the person named on 11 May 2005 declared a total of 11.18 eligible hectares. Therefore, the payment, which issued to the person named on 1 December 2005, represented the full sum due, based on the application lodged.

If the person named declares sufficient land on his 2006 single payment application, he will be in a position to claim full entitlements.