Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 549: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their REPS 4 payment. [37340/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The person named has applied for his second year's payment in REPS 4. REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007–13 and is subject to EU regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications, including plan checks, to be completed before the first 2009 payments issue. This applies to second-year payments as well as to new applications received in 2009. Processing of applications has commenced to facilitate the release of payments at the earliest possible date.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 550: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress in approving payment of the 2005 single payment scheme in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will expedite the matter in view of the hardship of this case. [37371/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is aware of the background to this case following my reply to a previous Question on the matter. The person named established 24.47 entitlements under the single payment scheme, but these entitlements reverted to the National Reserve, as the person named did not submit an application under the 2005 single payment scheme. A subsequent appeal of this decision to my Department's Agriculture Appeals Committee proved unsuccessful. The person named then appealed to the Agriculture Appeals Office and, during an oral hearing, undertook to furnish my Department with medical evidence in support of his claim for force majeure in 2005. The medical evidence, which was subsequently furnished to my Department on 21 August 2009, was deemed to confirm the claim of the person named for force majeure, on foot of which the 2005 application form, submitted by the person named to my Department on 26 August 2009, was accepted. However, as the person named had not included a map of the land declared on the application, a letter, requesting an appropriate map, issued on 28 August 2009.

The person named lodged the map in question with my Department on 11 September 2009. Following initial processing, it transpired that some of the land being claimed by the person named had also been claimed by another scheme applicant under the 2005 scheme. It is necessary, therefore, to establish who had use of the land and, in this regard, both parties are being written to in order to clarify the matter. When this matter is resolved the 2005 application of the person named can then be further processed.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 551: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason for the delay in processing the outcome of a field inspection in relation to a disadvantaged area payment for a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37539/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the single payment scheme/disadvantaged area scheme was received from the person named on 14 May 2009.

This application was selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility and full cross compliance inspection.

Under EU regulations, all cases selected for inspection must be inspected before payment can issue in any individual case. While all of the 5% of cases selected for ground eligibility inspection have now been inspected and a high level of payment has been achieved under the scheme, processing of a small number of inspection results is currently under way following which payment will issue. Payment will issue in this case shortly.