Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 322: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the feedback in her Department from farmers regarding the payment of grants by electronic means from October 2008; the problems which this will pose for a minority of farmers who cannot comply with this arrangement; if it is proposed to send a paper receipt of the electronic lodgment to each beneficiary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16497/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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EU rules require that as and from 16 October 2008, the commencement of the 2009 EU financial year, all payments under EU funded or co-funded schemes must be made directly by electronic fund transfer into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. As the designated paying agency for EU funds, my Department is obliged to adhere to these arrangements and has notified the new requirement to farmers on a number of occasions over the past year or so.

Over 80,000 farmers are already using this payment method and almost 60% of the Single Payment Scheme modulation refunds which issued last month by my Department were paid directly into farmers' bank accounts. A further letter recently issued to those farmers who have still not submitted their bank account details. Farmers who have still not done so have a number of months in which to open a bank account and to notify my Department of the details. As well as the banks and building societies, I understand that Postbank will facilitate the electronic transfer of funds to accounts held with it through the Post Office branch network in the very near future. A limited number of Credit Unions are also in a position to handle direct payments to customer accounts and this number should increase over time. I will be urging all farmers to make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible so as to avoid any disruption to payments. Farmers may, of course, contact my Department about any concerns that they might have.

My Department will issue a remittance note to each farmer in respect of all electronic payments setting out the amount and details of the payment.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 323: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the situation regarding proposals to publish the names of beneficiaries of EU farm grants; the [i]raison d'être,[/i] for this proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16498/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The requirement to publish details of the beneficiaries of EU payments was introduced under the European Transparency Initiative which is a broad policy framework designed to improve accountability, ensure fairness of decision-making and transparency in the use of EU funds. More specifically, Council Regulation (EC) No. 1290/2005, as amended, and the implementing regulations relating to the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy, require all Member States to publish certain details of beneficiaries of schemes funded or co-funded by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund (EAFRD). The regulations are directly applicable in all EU Member States and binding in their entirety.

Details in respect of EAFRD expenditure between 1 January and 15 October 2007 must be published by Member States no later than 30 September 2008. This will cover payments made under the Rural Environment Protection, Early Retirement and Compensatory Allowance in Less Favoured Areas Schemes. Details in respect of EAGF and EAFRD expenditure between 16 October 2007 and 15 October 2008 must be published no later than 30 April 2009. Publication of annual payments must take place no later than 30 April each year thereafter. This will include the schemes already referred to and the Young Farmers' Installation Aid Scheme, the Farm Improvement Scheme, the Single Farm Payment Scheme, any residual coupled premia due to farmers in the relevant period, sugar restructuring payments, payments to fruit and vegetable producer groups and market support schemes such as market intervention and export refunds.

To meet these obligations, my Department will be publishing on its web-site the names of all beneficiaries, the address line immediately preceding County on the Department's client database, the County and payments funded or co-funded by the EAGF and/or EAFRD. Arrangements for the implementation of the new requirements are being finalised at present, including the requirement to advise beneficiaries of the details to be published and of their rights under the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the process in relation to single farm payment to a person (details supplied) in County Offaly who has returned to farming after leasing their lands for a nine year period; if this person will qualify for the single farm payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16504/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Single Payment Scheme in Ireland is based on the "Historical Model". This means that the Payment Scheme is applicable to farmers who actively farmed during the reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002, who were paid Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid in one or more of those years and who continued to farm in 2005 (the first year of the Single Payment Scheme). The gross Single Payment is based on the average number of animals and/or the average number of hectares (in the case of Arable Aid) on which payments were made in the three reference years. As the person named did not farm during the reference period no Single Payment was established for him.

New entrants to farming are catered for under the Single Payment Scheme National Reserve. A New Entrant is defined as a farmer who did not pursue any agricultural activity in his/her own name or at his/her own risk in the five years immediately preceding the commencement of the new agricultural activity.

The 2008 National Reserve caters for New Entrants to farming who commenced farming after 31 December 2005 (Category B on the application form.). Applicants under this category are also required to meet other criteria including farming qualifications and on and off-farm income limits.

In addition applicants must also submit a 2008 Single Payment application form detailing all of the land that they are farming. The number of entitlements to be allocated to successful applicants under Category B may not exceed the number of eligible hectares declared on the 2008 Single Payment application for which the applicant does not already hold single payment entitlements. EU Regulations provide that the value of entitlements allocated under this category may not exceed the regional average value of entitlements. The regional average will be the average value determined at the District Electoral Division (DED) associated with the applicant's herd number. The overall value of entitlements allocated shall not exceed €10,000.

Farmers who receive new entitlements from the National Reserve must use those entitlements every year for five years from the year of allocation, otherwise the unused entitlements will be returned to the National Reserve.

Application forms for the 2008 National Reserve are now available on the Department's website, http://www.agriculture.gov.ie, from Department offices and from Teagasc offices. If the person named feels he may qualify for an allocation of entitlements from the National Reserve he may submit a National Reserve application together with the required documentation as outlined on the application form to my Department's Offices in Portlaoise no later than 15 May 2008. This is also the closing date for submission of the 2008 Single Payment application form.

Finally, new entrants to farming may acquire Single Payment entitlements by way of transfer by purchase, or lease from another farmer. The closing date for the transfer of entitlements from one farmer to another is also 15 May 2008.