Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 731: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will take steps to ensure that entitlements are available to a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath as set out in correspondence furnished to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14324/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted applications for an allocation of entitlements from the 2005 Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Category A.

Category A caters for farmers who inherited land or received land free of charge or for a nominal sum from a farmer who had retired or died by 16 May 2005 and who had leased out his/her holding to a third party during the reference period 2000-2002. The person named was deemed unsuccessful under this category as he did not acquire the holding free of charge or for a nominal sum.

The person named appealed this decision. The appeal was forwarded to the Independent Single Payments Appeals Committee who have completed their reviews and upheld my Department's decision. A formal letter outlining the decision of the Committee has issued to the person named.

John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 732: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a farm waste payment for a person (details supplied) will be issued; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14345/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned is an applicant under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. Notification of completion of the work (Card C), and related documents, have not yet been received from the applicant and the application cannot be further progressed until this documentation is received.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 733: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person will be able to make a new application for the investment in the improvement of dairy hygiene standards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14357/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme, it is proposed to introduce a Farm Improvement Scheme which will provide grant-aid for, inter alia, the improvement of on-farm dairy hygiene facilities. The Scheme will be introduced as soon as EU approval is received for the Programme.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 734: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there is a delay in the authorisation of grants under the farm waste management scheme and dairy hygiene schemes in the Limerick area. [14370/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the difficulties caused by the massive increase in applications under the Farm Waste Management Scheme and recently introduced revised procedures in order to speed up the process of issuing approvals under the Scheme. These include the streamlining of administrative procedures for the approval of applications and the release to applicants of the newly revised Standard Costings used to assess the financial implications of proposed investments carried out under the Scheme. As a result, the number of approvals issued to farmers to commence work under the Scheme has increased significantly in recent weeks. The staffing levels in the local AES offices of my Department, including the Limerick office, are also reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that the necessary staffing resources are in place to ensure delivery of the Scheme.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 735: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason entitlements under the single farm payment and disadvantaged areas for 2005 were not granted to a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow. [14380/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application for the 2005 Single Payment/ Disadvantaged Areas Schemes on 16 May 2005. A total net area of 44.22 hectares was declared. A field inspection took place on 17 February 2006 and by letter of the same date, the person named was informed of an area over-declaration amounting to a shortfall of 21.34 hectares. The decision of my Department in this case was appealed to the Independent Agriculture Appeals Office, where following an oral hearing on 31 August 2006 and further review it was decided to partially allow the appeal by deleting the area of the three land parcels in question without penalty.

The applicant was paid €3,201.56 under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme on 2 February 2007 and payment for the 2005 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme amounting to €2,208.57 was issued on 23 April 2007.