Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the procedures that are necessary to sort out delays in single farm payments arising from mapping problems; the number of persons awaiting such payments as a result of the mapping issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39733/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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This year has proven to a particularly challenging one from the point of view of keeping my Department's Land Parcel Identification System up to date. By the time the processing of the 2010 applications is completed, it is expected that my Department will have processed and digitised maps received from over 70,000 farmers. This compares with a figure of 30,000 for 2009 and an average of 22,000 maps in recent years. On average each farmer submitted two maps with their 2010 application forms. It is for this reason, despite the allocation of additional resources, that the digitising of the maps submitted is taking longer than in previous years

Nevertheless the total number of farmers advance paid under the SPS since payments commenced on 18th October is 110,438 with an amount totalling €519 million. It is estimated that 600 of the remaining 11,500 eligible applicants are not paid as yet due to the need to have their maps digitised. I am having theses case given top priority by my Department. The remaining maps requiring digitising will continue to be given top priority until they have all been processed. When account is taken of the additional amounts paid under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, payments to date have reached almost €700 million, a significant figure under any circumstances.