Written answers

Wednesday, 26 September 2007

Department of Agriculture and Food

Rural Environment Protection Scheme

10:00 pm

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 660: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the steps farmers can take if they are unhappy with the advice or workings of their REP scheme planner; if REP scheme planners can be reported to her Department; if there is a form of redress for a REP scheme planner who did not work in the best interests of a farmer; her plans to regulate this market and the way complaints against REP scheme planners are handled. [20481/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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To ensure that all planners offering planning services to REPS applicants are qualified to do so, my Department established minimum educational qualifications for planners. As well as having the necessary qualifications, a planner must submit a training plan for assessment to my Department and make himself or herself available for training courses organised by my Department. Only when my Department is satisfied with the standard of the training plan will a planner number be issued and the planner be included on the list of approved planners.

A farmer is free at any time to change his or her REPS planner if the farmer is not satisfied with the level of service being provided by the planner. As the contract for the delivery of a REPS planning service is between the farmer and his planner any suggestion of non-performance in relation to the contract is a matter, in the first instance, for negotiation between the farmer and the REPS planner and failing a satisfactory conclusion is then a matter between the farmer's legal adviser and the planner.

The list of approved planners is reviewed on a regular basis. A selection of all REPS plans submitted under the REP Scheme is subject to detailed assessment by my Department and planners not reaching the necessary standard are required to submit up to three training plans for critical assessment by my Department and where necessary attend a one-day training course.

Between the date of notification of the need to submit training plans and the successful completion of the training cycle my Department reserves the right to refuse to accept plans for new clients or new five year plans for existing clients prepared by the planner concerned. After the planner in question has done the training course, my Department will specifically monitor the quality of plans submitted by him or her over the following year. If the standard does not improve, my Department reserves the right to suspend the planner's approval and will refuse to accept plans from him or her for new clients, or new five-year plans for existing clients.

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