Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the grants which are available for the renovation of agricultural sheds and buildings. [23300/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The conversion of existing structures may be eligible for grant aid under either the Scheme of Investment Aid for Farm Waste Management or the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Improvement of Dairy Hygiene Standards provided the estimated cost of conversion to the relevant Specification does not exceed 70% of the cost of an equivalent new structure.

Where conversion is the only feasible option because of space constraints, for example, conversion costs must not exceed the cost of a new structure.

Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 361: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if an application by a person (details supplied) in County Mayo for the single payments scheme will be considered under the [i]force majeure[/i] scheme. [23333/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme make no provision for the application of Force Majeure in circumstances where land has not been available to an applicant for at least a 10-month consecutive period in the year of application.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cavan has not been awarded their headage and premium as agreed by the appeals office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23334/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named applied to the Department in 2002 for a Flock Number. Following an inspection dated 31st March 2003 it was decided that the application could not be processed as it was not in compliance with Article 7 of Regulation EC 1259/1999. The Department were also not satisfied that the applicant's flock was managed independently and therefore the allocation of a Flock Number in this case was denied.

The person named appealed this decision at an oral hearing on 6th July 2004 where the Department explained that the application for a Flock Number was rejected on the grounds that the applicant did not have proper holding facilities which should have conformed to Sections 7, 8, 9 and 11 of the Health and Safety Act of 1989 along with the problem of not having the perimeter stock proofed at the time of inspection.

It was decided following this appeal hearing that, as the applicant had addressed the questions of stock proofing and handling facilities, complied with the EU Regulations and submitted applications for the 2003 and 2004 EU Ewe Premium Schemes in respect of twenty-six and forty-four animals respectively, the Department would issue a Flock Number backdated to December 2002. All monies due to the applicant will issue shortly.