Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 184: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when REP scheme payments will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [12074/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to industrial action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a REPS 4 payment will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied). [12075/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to industrial action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the cost of processing a single farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12105/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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It is not possible to isolate the cost of processing an individual Single Farm Payment. However, my Department operates an extremely efficient processing system for the payment of the Single Farm Payment and other area-based Schemes. Payment is generally made to the vast majority of farmers in the immediate time period following the earliest date for the commencement of payments. In a study to assess the administrative burden on farms arising from the CAP, consultants employed by the Commission, established that Ireland has the lowest administrative cost of the five Member States involved in the study (Germany, Ireland, France, Italy and Denmark).

It should be appreciated that staff of my Department who are involved in the processing of applications under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) are also involved in many other areas of activity not necessarily directly involved in the basic processing of those applications, including policy development, EU negotiations, development and maintenance of computer systems, required inspection regimes, in addition to processing applications under the various measures associated with the Single Payment Scheme viz National Reserve, Trading of Entitlements, Inheritance, Consolidation. Furthermore, they are also involved in numerous other Schemes: for example, in addition to those listed below, these staff have recently also been involved in the Sugar Reform Package measures, Dairy Premium Scheme, Scheme of Aid for Damaged Fodder, Scheme of Aid for Crops Damaged by Frost.

It should also be noted that farmers who applied for any of the following Schemes in 2009 were required to submit a 2009 Single Payment Scheme application form to my Department:

Single Payment Scheme;

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme;

Uplands Sheep Payment;

Energy Crops Scheme;

Bio-energy Establishment Scheme;

Proteins Premium Scheme;

Rural Environment Protection Scheme;

The Organic Farming Scheme;

Scheme of Investment Aid for the Improvement of Dairy Hygiene Standards;

Animal Welfare, Recording and Breeding Scheme for Suckler Herds.

As previously stated, this level of complexity makes it impossible to isolate the processing cost of an individual Single Farm Payment.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive payment under their REPS 4 application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12108/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to industrial action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive payment under their REPS 4 application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12109/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to industrial action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath will receive their single farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12122/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Payments due in respect of the 2009 Single Payment Scheme application of the person named have issued as per the Attachment Order lodged with my Department.