Liam Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 167: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will extend the closing date for receipt of applications under the 2007 single farm payment scheme in view of the fact that a number of farmers have difficulty in accessing the helpline telephone numbers advertised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15671/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The closing for receipt of applications under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme is 4 May 2007. In deciding on the closing date, I had in mind that, under EU Regulations, farmers could declare lands which they acquire up to 30 April 2007 in this year's Scheme and I was anxious, therefore, to give farmers every opportunity to acquire additional lands if this was necessary. I also had to bear in mind that it is important that the applications are submitted to my Department as soon as is possible. This will enable my Department to commence processing the applications in order to ensure prompt payment of the Single Farm Payment.

Since then my Department has issued pre-printed Single Payment and Payment Order of Entitlements application forms together with comprehensive information for the completion of these forms to all Scheme participants. In the case of the vast majority of farmers the issue of the application form with all of the pre-printed details will mean that, after carefully studying the form to ensure that the pre-printed details are correct, the farmer simply has to sign the form and return it to my Department.

As in previous years the issue of the pre-printed SPS application forms has been followed by a major increase in the volume of telephone queries to the eleven lo-call numbers in the Single Payment Unit.

In order to provide farmers with as much assistance as possible prior to the completion of their 2007 SPS application forms and to minimise any delays being experienced by callers to the lo-call numbers I undertook a number of additional initiatives this year. A series of countrywide Single Farm Payment one to one consultation sessions are currently in progress for farmers who have queries they wish to have answered before completing their 2007 SPS application forms.

Experienced staff from the Single Payment Unit are available for one-to-one personal consultations with individual farmers at each of the venues publicised from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm. Farmers are assured that their queries will be dealt with in private by staff who are familiar with the queries that farmers have and have a working knowledge of the entire SPS. This facility will be of benefit to farmers with queries on the Single Farm Payment, including queries on:

their Single Farm Payment entitlements;

the transfer or trading of the entitlements;

the stacking of entitlements; and

land declarations.

I know that most farmers with queries will wish to contact the Single Payment Unit on the lo-call numbers provided. To meet the demand I extended the hours during which farmers may contact the Single Payment Unit lo-call numbers to include 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm Monday to Friday and from 1.00 pm to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday. This after hour's service will remain in place until the closing date of 4 May.

The phone system in place allows continuous monitoring of calls to the lo-call numbers to ensure that undue delays in accessing any particular number can be addressed. Staff in the Single Payment Unit constantly monitors the volume of calls to each lo-call number to ensure that farmers contacting the lo-call numbers do not experience any undue delays. Where any such delays are identified specific measures are taken to minimise these.

I do not propose to extend the closing date for receipt of applications beyond 4 May. In fact, no approach has been made to my Department to grant an extension. However I will certainly keep the position with regard to access to the lo-call numbers in the Single Payment Unit under constant review over the coming week.