Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 248: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will be granted their farm grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44366/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The person named is an applicant under the Farm Improvement Scheme. Payment will be made by my Department to the person concerned shortly.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 249: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow did not receive an entitlement from the national reserve; and if this will be reassessed. [44367/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The person named applied under Category C of the 2007 National Reserve which caters for farmers for whom at least 40% of their Single Payment was derived from direct payments associated with sheep production (Ewe Premium/Rural Word Premium) during the reference period, their existing Single Payment is less than €10,000 and individual payment entitlements are less than the District Electoral Division (DED) average value. The maximum allocation under this category is €1,000.00. The unit value of the entitlements of the person named (€326.06) is greater that the DED average value (€314.05) associated with her herd number and therefore she did not qualify under Category C of the 2007 National Reserve.

As category C of the 2007 National Reserve is a non-mandatory category, the EU Regulations provide that, in allocating entitlements to successful applicants, the Member State must ensure that the allocation does not have the effect of increasing the value of any existing entitlements above the regional average value of entitlements.

Similarly, the value of any new entitlements allocated to non-mandatory categories must not exceed the regional average. The Member State was allowed to determine what constituted the regional average. In Ireland's case the regional average value of entitlements is the average value of entitlements in the District Electoral Division (DED) associated with the applicant's herd number.