Liam Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the outcome of an appeal in respect of an installation aid grant application by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [22277/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised that a decision has not yet been taken by the Appeals Office on the case referred to.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 309: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, in relation to the early farm retirement scheme, she will provide figures for the number of participants in this scheme who had their pension entitlement wrongly offset; the amount of money involved; and the types of pensions or payments which have been found to have been wrongly offset. [22320/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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It is a requirement of the EU Council Regulations under which the 1994 and 2000 Early Retirement Schemes were introduced that the Early Retirement Pension can be paid only as a supplement to any national retirement pension to which the participant, and his or her spouse or partner in a joint management arrangement, is entitled. This means that the value of any such national retirement pension payable must be deducted from the Early Retirement Pension.

It has been determined in consultation with the European Commission that the following pensions are National Retirement Pensions: Old Age Contributory pension, Old Age Non-Contributory pension, Widow/Widower's Contributory pension (at age 66), Widow/Widower's Non-Contributory pension (at age 66), Retirement pension, Invalidity pension, Blind Person's pension.

A national retirement pension is deducted on the basis of information supplied by the participant and/or by the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The type of pension to be deducted is clearly defined as above and these are the only types of pensions that have been deducted or offset from the early retirement pension.

In certain instances, a person's situation may change and their pension type or rate of pension may have altered and my Department may not have been made aware of such a change. Once my Department is notified of any such cases, where amounts have been incorrectly offset, adjustments and reimbursements, if necessary, are promptly made. It is not possible to quantify exactly the number of such cases, but it can be said that in the majority of cases the correct amount is deducted. In order to minimize these occurrences, my Department writes to each participant on an annual basis seeking confirmation that the correct amount of national retirement pension is noted on our records.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on a proposal from ERS participants that they should receive some form of reparation payment from her Department for those who have lost access to quota as a result of decoupling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22321/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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There is no provision for additional payments to participants in the Early Retirement Schemes in relation to leased quotas.

However, my Department was aware, from an early stage in the negotiations leading to the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme, of the possible implications for retired farmers who had leased their holdings. In so far as it proved possible in the context of the EU Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme, and following lengthy discussions with the European Commission, provision was made under the rules of the Single Payment Scheme to address some of the concerns of retired farmers.

As participants in the 1994 Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming had retired before the start of the reference period in 2000, they are not in a position to claim entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme. However, following agreement with the European Commission, a special category has been included in the National Reserve for farmers who inherit or otherwise receive land free of charge or for a nominal sum from a farmer who retired or died before 16 May, 2005 where the land in question was leased to a third party during the reference period. This will benefit the family members of retired farmers who decide to take up farming. Only landholders actively engaged in farming can receive entitlements from the National Reserve. A separate category (Category A) was included in the 2005 National Reserve application form to cater for this group, and similar arrangements will apply in 2006 and subsequent years.

It was open to participants in the current Early Retirement Scheme, who would have farmed during part or all of the reference period, to activate entitlements in 2005 and lease them to their existing transferee. Once that lease expires, the retired farmer has the option to lease or sell those entitlements with or without land. If the transferee did not want the entitlements, a transferor (retired farmer) who activated the entitlements in 2005 has until 2007 either to lease the entitlements or transfer them, with land, to another farmer.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if entitlements under various national reserve headings have been credited to persons (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22322/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The persons named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Categories B and D.

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.

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.

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.

Under Category B the persons named have applied for an allocation with regard to leased land (12.06 net hectares). The persons named also leased in 8.24 entitlements in respect of that leased-in land. The appropriate allocation due to the persons named in respect of the leased land will be made shortly and payment will follow in due course.

The persons named also qualify under Category B of the National Reserve in respect of purchase of 30 Suckler Quota rights in 2002 and the allocation due for this will issue along with the allocation due for the leased land.

My Department will write to the persons named setting out how the allocations are calculated.