Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 266: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if all payments of premia or aid due to farmers are paid up to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20706/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The following is the information requested by the Deputy in relation to the main schemes operated by my Department. Single Payment and Disadvantaged Areas Schemes In respect of both the Single Payment Scheme and the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, full payments have issued to all Scheme applicants, other than those subject to appeal or outstanding query. A small number of payments are also outstanding in cases where the applicant is now deceased and the necessary legal formalities have yet to be completed. REPS Under the EU Regulations governing REPS 4, the first 75% of each year's payment can be released when administrative checks for all applications for payment in respect of that year have been completed. The remainder can be paid when all on-farm REPS inspections for that year have taken place.

Audits by the European Commission and the European Court of Auditors in 2007 and 2008 indicated that, in the auditors' view, my Department's systems for the administrative checking of REPS applications were defective in some significant respects. Revised systems were put in place during 2008 to meet the auditors' requirements and as a result it was not possible to complete the administrative checking of 2007 and 2008 REPS applications until early in 2009. The 75% payment has now been paid in most cases and the balance will be paid shortly. Payments to participants in REPS 3 continue to be made in accordance with the timeframes in the Charter of Rights for Farmers. Suckler Welfare Scheme The position regarding the Suckler Welfare Scheme for 2008 is as follows:

number of applicants 53,975

number of herds paid 40,826

number of herds partially paid 32,077

number of herds fully paid 8,751 Approximately 1,900 applicants have withdrawn from the scheme and a further 1,900 approx have not supplied the required information. A number of applicants have not undertaken all of the measures as yet and a substantial number of applicants have unresolved issues, which are under query with them. Farm Waste Management Scheme In the case of the Farm Waste Management Scheme, the arrangements for payment of grants on a phased basis have been confirmed with 40 per cent being paid this year as claims are approved. A further 40 per cent will be paid in early January 2010 and the remaining 20 per cent in January 2011. I have also announced that a special ex-gratia payment not exceeding 3.5 per cent of the value of the deferred amount will be made to farmers whose Farm Waste Management grants have been partially deferred. This payment will be made in January 2011 along with the final instalment. Forestry Schemes To date, 16,945 forestry premium payments have been made for 2009. There are still 1,217 outstanding. Of these, 723 are delayed because the applicants have not returned their forms, and the remaining 494 have administrative queries to be resolved. All forestry grant payments are being made within the targets set out in the Charter of Rights for Farmers. National Energy Crop Scheme In 2007, the Department introduced a National Energy Crop Premium worth €80 per hectare to encourage farmers to grow energy crops. The premium is paid as a top-up to the EU Premium available under the EU Energy Crops Scheme and in normal circumstances is paid in December of the year of application. The payment for 2008 has been delayed pending submission of state aid declarations from recipient farmers. Submitted declarations are currently being processed and payments will issue shortly. Reactor Compensation Payment of compensation for cattle removed as reactors under the ERAD compensation schemes are generally made within the time limits set down in the Charter of Rights for Farmers. The position up to the end of March was as follows: 96% of valuation payments were made within 3 weeks of receipt of all the required documentation and over 99% were made within 8 weeks. In the case of the other supplementary compensation schemes (Income Supplement, Depopulation and Hardship Grant), 98% of payments were made within 3 weeks of receipt of the required documentation and over 99% were made within 8 weeks.