Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 556: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was a reduction in headage payments for 2005 regarding a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10209/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Under EU legislation, in order to draw down the 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 established 19.25 entitlements, the single payment scheme application form received on 13 May 2005 declared 19.19 forage hectares. Payment amounting to €382.15 that issued on 1 December 2005 was, therefore, based on 19.19 hectares.

The person named was ineligible for payment under the 2005 disadvantaged areas scheme as a check on the animals on the holding showed that the minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare was not satisfied.

Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 557: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if payment of the single payment scheme 2005 will be awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [10240/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As there is no record of the receipt of an application form from the person named under the 2005 single payment scheme, an official of my Department has been in direct contact with him in an attempt to clarify matters.

Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 558: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if payment of single farm payment and area based compensation will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [10257/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named is not the registered herd owner in this case. An application under the 2005 single payment scheme was received from the registered herd owner on 11 May 2005.

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.

While the registered herd owner had established 23.42 entitlements during the reference period, a total of 16.13 eligible hectares were declared on the single payment application submitted. The payment, which issued on 1 December 2005, was calculated on the basis of the declared area. Under the disadvantaged area scheme, an advance payment issued on 23 September 2005 and the balancing payment issued on 17 November 2005.

The registered herd owner submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the single payment scheme national reserve under category B. Category B caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under livestock premia and-or arable aid schemes would have been payable during the reference period 2000 to 2002. Investments can include purchase or long-term lease of land, purchase of suckler and-or ewe quota or other investments.

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 individual applicants as soon as their applications are fully processed. Formal letters setting out my Department's decision will be issued.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason the single payment entitlements for a person (details supplied) in County Clare were not transferred to the new owner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10295/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department recently wrote to over 10,000 holders of entitlements under the single payment scheme who did not appear to have applied under the scheme in 2005 in an effort to ensure that any such person did not lose the entitlements to the national reserve, without first being afforded a final opportunity to use them.

The letter from my Department, addressed to the late uncle of the new owner was about a residual sum of €542.00 for entitlements established before the transfer of lands took place in 2000. These entitlements have now been transferred to the new owner. A supplementary payment will issue to him in the near future.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 560: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding an application under [i]force majeure[/i] for the single farm payment by a person (details supplied) in County Galway; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the person had a heart bypass operation in 1998 which subsequently caused them to have a much lower number of suckler cows for the reference years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10302/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application under the force majeure measure of the 2005 single payment scheme. Following processing of this application, including the medical circumstances outlined, force majeure was granted and the reference year 2002 was omitted from the calculation of the single payment. However, this measure would only be applied where it proved beneficial to the value of the entitlements. In this case the omission of the year 2002 from the calculation did not prove beneficial.

The person named held a suckler cow quota of ten units during the reference years 2000-2002 and also in the earlier reference period 1997-1999. Full payment issued in respect of this quota during both reference periods. The force majeure measure of the single payment regulation does not provide for the allocation of additional entitlements in respect of the suckler cow quota that a producer aspired to but failed to achieve regardless of the circumstances.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 561: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason the single farm payment has not been awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10304/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has no record of receiving a 2005 single payment application from the person named.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 562: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a single farm payment in the name of a person (details supplied) in County Galway has not been awarded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10305/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application requesting consideration under the inheritance provisions of the single payment scheme. Following processing of her application she was requested on 16 March 2006 to submit supporting documentation — a copy of the grant of probate, or letters of administration. Upon receipt of this documentation, my Department will be in a position to notify the applicant of the decision taken in this case, and issue the single payment if appropriate.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 563: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary under the single payment scheme. [10341/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named successfully applied under the inheritance measure of the single payment scheme. The payment, which issued to her on 1 December 2005, reflected the amended position after the transfer by way of inheritance. My Department is now arranging to transfer the remaining entitlements to her Tipperary herd number as requested by the person named.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 564: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary under the single payment scheme. [10342/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted a private contract clause application by way of a lease agreement under the 2005 single payment scheme. This private contract clause has been successfully processed and entitlements concerned have been transferred out.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 565: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive a payment under the single payments scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10361/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the 2005 single payment scheme was received from the person named on 14 April 2005. However, as the SPS entitlements established during the reference period were established in the joint names of the person named and her late husband, it was necessary that an administrative transfer be effected, in order to record the entitlements in the sole name of the person named, thereby allowing full payment to issue. While an initial payment of €1,579.53 issued on 14 February 2006, a supplementary payment, representing the full balance due, will issue shortly.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 566: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cavan will be awarded a single payment and other moneys due; if there is a difficulty with the application; if so, when it will be sorted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10377/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application requesting consideration under the inheritance measure of the single payment scheme on 17 November 2005. Following processing of his application he was notified that his request was successful and payment will issue to the applicant shortly.

Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 567: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will arrange payment of installation aid in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork who has received their tax clearance certificate and made details of same available to her Department. [10396/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned submitted an application for payment, IAS2, under the installation aid scheme on 1 March 2006. The application is currently being examined within my Department and the outcome will be notified to the person concerned in due course.