Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 293: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be allocated entitlements from the national reserve, particularly in view of the conflicting information given to them by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15175/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The entitlements in question (9.14 standard entitlements) were activated in 2005 by the person named but not used in either 2005 or 2006. In February 2007 my Department wrote to the person named informing him of the need to use these entitlements in 2007 otherwise they would be lost to the National Reserve. In 2007 the person named applied to transfer the 9.14 entitlements by way of lease with land for a period of one year. However the farmer to whom they were transferred by lease only used 1.36 of these entitlements under the 2007 Scheme year giving a 14.22 percent usage for 2007. As the remaining 7.78 entitlements were unused for the three years 2005, 2006 and 2007, they will revert to the National Reserve.

The person named will retain 1.36 standard entitlements. As he does not have 80% usage in any one previous Scheme year, he is not permitted to transfer these entitlements without land. He may however sell or gift the 1.36 entitlements with land or continue to lease the 1.36 entitlements with land. There is no provision to allocate entitlements from the National Reserve in these circumstances.