Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 214: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position in relation to the application for entitlement under the national reserve for a person (details supplied) in County Limerick who has been processed under B1. [40790/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named was successful under the New Entrant measure of the Single Payment Scheme. The person named also made an application to transfer in entitlements under the Private Contract Clause measure (purchase) of the Single Payment Scheme. This application will be processed as soon as information, requested recently, is provided to my Department. As previously indicated to the Deputy the person named also 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 2000-02. Investments can include purchase or long term lease of land, purchase of suckler and/or ewe quota or other investments. The person named applied under Category B (i) in relation to purchased/leased land and B (ii) for purchase of sucker quota and has been deemed successful under both categories.

The Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme provide that checks must be made to ensure that an allocation from the National Reserve, to an applicant who has already benefited under other measures associated with the Single Payment Scheme, does not result in double benefit. An applicant may only benefit from the measure that is most beneficial. The person named has already benefited from another measure (New Entrant during the reference period) and an allocation from the Reserve would result in double benefit.

The question of an allocation from the 2005 National Reserve cannot be considered until such time as the Private Contract Clause application has been fully processed. An allocation from the National Reserve will then be made if it is found to be more beneficial than the new entrant status already availed of. In that case the new entrant status will be rescinded. A formal letter of decision together with relevant payment due, if any, will then issue to the person named.