Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 338: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position in a payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cavan. [32127/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Payments under the Single Payment Scheme may be made only in respect of eligible land. Applicants under the scheme are obliged annually to declare the land parcels available to them. Details of the eligible area of the land parcels are recorded on the Department's Land Parcel Identification System. Details of the use and area claimed for each of some one million parcels on the system are registered and continually monitored by the Department. Each year, in advance of the closing date for the Single Payment Scheme, 15 May, the Department sends pre-printed application forms, which include a list of parcels declared by the applicant in question the previous year, to each applicant. It is the responsibility of all applicants to ensure that the details in each year's application are accurate. Therefore, applicants are advised of the need to confirm their right to declare such parcels and to make the appropriate deductions to the area of eligible parcels as necessary, for example, where a house or other building has been constructed, and to submit maps with their applications to allow accurate deductions to be made. It is also necessary for applicants to exclude ineligible features such as scrub. Therefore, the Land Parcel Identification System database has to be amended on an ongoing basis to reflect any permanent changes such as parcel boundary changes, addition of new parcels, etc. Following a recent review of the land parcels declared by the person named, it appeared that the person named had made insufficient allowance for ineligible areas, as a result of which it appeared that the person named had been overpaid. However, following a written appeal, an official of my Department was in direct contact with the person named and, following clarification and information received, a further review now shows that sufficient deductions in respect of ineligible areas were made. Therefore, the question of overpayment does not arise. The person named is being formally advised, in writing, of the successful outcome of his appeal.