Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 481: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food further to Parliamentary Question No 84 of 7 April 2004 whether it was relevant to that application under the 1992 scheme, that the property had been let for ten months during the years 1996 and 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37130/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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As outlined in the reply to Parliamentary Question 10960 of 7 April 2004, the application from the person named under the 1994 scheme was rejected for a number of reasons which were notified to the applicant. At the time the application was examined, my Department was not aware that she had her land let on the conacre system in the years from 1996 and, as a result, this issue was not included among the reasons for rejection.

In any event, the fact that the land was let on conacre from 1996 meant that the person concerned could not have fulfilled one of the scheme conditions which required that on the date on which the transfer/ lease documents were signed, the applicant had to be farming an area not less than 5 hectares and have practised farming as a main occupation for the preceding ten years.