Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Clare did not receive the single farm payment. [10046/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named established 4.80 entitlements under the single payment scheme, with a net value of €885.74. A single payment application was received on 16 May 2005. The person named did not declare any hectares on his application form. Under the relevant EU legislation, in order to draw down payment in respect of single payment entitlements, 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.

However, the submission of the application form means that the person named has activated his entitlements and these will not be surrendered to the national reserve. If the person named is actively farming and declares sufficient lands on his 2006 single payment application, he will be in a position to claim full entitlements for this year.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan whose herd was depopulated in February 2004, had his herd number removed and replaced by a new one in April 2004, will be awarded his single payment due on 1 December 2005; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that her Department has threatened to remove the single payment entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10081/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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An official of my Department has been in direct contact with the person named, following which the documentation necessary to allow transfer of entitlements has been received. Payment under the single payment scheme will issue shortly, following processing of this documentation.

While the entitlements established by the person named were established under the old herd number, the 2005 SPS application submitted by him was under the new herd number, thus the necessity for an administrative transfer of the entitlements from the old to the new herd number.

I am anxious that farmers are given every opportunity to activate their entitlements, hence the letter referred to by the Deputy, which suggested that entitlement holders who appeared not to have submitted an application under the 2005 single payment scheme might forfeit those entitlements to the national reserve. In this specific case, the transfer referred to above will resolve the situation and, therefore, the entitlements in question will not be lost to the national reserve by the person named.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 547: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a forestry grant can be applied for on-line; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10089/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The new IFORIS system for the processing of forestry grant and premium applications will incorporate many on-line features such as the submission of digital maps and the automatic calculation of areas which will help streamline and simplify the application process.

Form 2 and form 3, which are the application forms for first and second instalments of grants respectively, will be issued partially pre-filled and will be scanned into IFORIS when completed. These forms will also be available for download from the Department's website.

Additional on-line features to further enhance the ease of use of the system are being examined at present.