Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 578: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a supplementary payment reflecting the decoupled 2005 dairy premium will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo as payment had been promised in a previous reply. [10472/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Payment issued to the person named on 9 March 2006, by way of cheque, in respect of the decoupled dairy premium.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 579: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a single farm payment has not been made to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that all relevant documentation concerning the inheritance of entitlements has been forwarded to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10509/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application requesting consideration in respect of the inheritance measure of the single payment scheme. Following processing of his application he was notified that his request was successful. Payment of €7,645.76 issued to him on 1 December 2005, and a supplementary payment amounting to €1,240.44 issued to the applicant on 16 March 2006.

Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 580: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if payment of the full amount of the single farm payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [10561/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application under the single payment scheme on 13 May 2005 to activate and use his entitlements. Payment of €1,424.38 in respect of this application was issued on 1 December 2005.

The herd owner recently applied to have his entitlements consolidated under the 2005 single payment scheme. The entitlements have now been consolidated and a supplementary payment amounting to €1,195.27 will be issued shortly.

Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 581: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if payment of the single farm payment has been made to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [10562/06]

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 46.77 entitlements during the reference period, the application received from him on 16 May 2005 declared a total of 37.92 eligible hectares.

Therefore, the payment which issued to the person on 27 January 2006 represents the full amount due, based on the area declared on his single payment scheme application.

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

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when she proposes to issue the revised national costings for the calculation of farm building grants to her staff; the percentage increase which will apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10563/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Revised standard costings for the calculation of grants under my Department's on-farm investment schemes are being considered at present.

Revised standard costings will take account of increases in the cost of steel and concrete and other relevant items since the introduction of the current standard costings in September 2004. Changes in the technical specifications which have taken place since then will also be taken into account. As a result, the variation in cost changes may be substantial from item to item.

The confidentiality of these costings has always been safeguarded to prevent submission of inflated invoices and I propose to continue with this practice.