Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 254: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will accept a late application for an allocation of payment entitlements for the 2005 national reserve from a person (details supplied) in County Clare due to special circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19982/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department sought applications for the 2005 National Reserve in December 2004. The closing date for receipt of completed applications was extended to 16 May 2005 to coincide with the closing date for the 2005 Single Payment Scheme applications. The National Reserve Scheme was widely advertised at that time. If the person named has extenuating circumstances that prevented him from submitting a timely application for an allocation under the 2005 National Reserve, such details should be submitted to my Department for consideration.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when she will issue a decision to a person (details supplied) in County Longford under the national reserve; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19983/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application to the 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 2000-2002. Investments can include purchase or long term lease of land, purchase of suckler and/or ewe quota or other investments. The Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme provide that the Member State must ensure that an allocation from the National Reserve to an applicant who has already benefited under other measures associated with the Single Payment Scheme (for example, Force Majeure/New Entrant during the reference period) does not result in double benefit to the applicant. In such circumstances the applicant will benefit from the measure that is most beneficial. The person named has already benefited from another measure i.e. Force Majeure during the reference period and therefore his National Reserve application will now be assessed to establish whether the provisions precluding double benefit should be applied. Following this examination the person named will be notified of the outcome and should he be dissatisfied with my Department's decision, he has the opportunity to appeal this decision to the Independent Payment Appeals Committee. An appeals application form is available from any of my Department's offices or on the Department website at www.agriculture.gov.ie.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a successful applicant under [i]force majeure[/i] cannot gain a single farm payment allocation under the national reserve; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19984/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In general, the Single Payment established for farmers is based on the three-year average number of animals (hectares in the case of Arable Aid) that attracted premium payments in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. The Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme provide that the Member State must ensure that an allocation from the National Reserve to an applicant who has already benefited under other measures associated with the Single Payment Scheme (Force Majeure/New Entrant during the reference period) does not result in double benefit to the applicant. For example, a farmer may already have had the years 2000 and 2001 omitted from his Single Payment calculation on the grounds that he commenced farming in 2002. His Single Payment is based on the total premium payment in respect of the year 2002 only. The same farmer may also have purchased Suckler Cow Quota in respect of the 2002 scheme year and applied to the National Reserve under category B(ii). In such a case the full benefit of the premium arising from the investment in Suckler Cow quota is already fully reflected in the Single Payment established for that farmer under the New Entrant measure. An allocation from the National Reserve in respect of the investment in Suckler Cow Quota would therefore result in double benefit. Each case where an applicant to the National Reserve has already benefited from the other measures (Force Majeure/New Entrant) and is also accepted under the National Reserve, will have to be examined to see which measure is the most beneficial. In such circumstances the applicant will benefit from the measure that is most beneficial.