John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason for the delay in making a full payment of the single farm payment and REP scheme payment to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford and if he will expedite payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45132/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 12 May 2010. The 50% advance payment, which issued on 18 October 2010, on the basis of the land cleared at that stage, as a number of parcels declared required digitising. While balancing payments are scheduled to commence issuing as and from 1 December, such payments would, in normal circumstances, be confined to those whose applications are fully processed, specifically, where all digitising is finalised.

However, following recent consultation with the EU Commission, agreement was reached whereby, in addition to issuing balancing payments to those farmers whose applications are fully processed and whose maps are fully digitised, payments will also issue to those farmers where some or all of their maps are still to be digitised, with the payment being calculated on the basis of the digitised land confirmed eligible. I am pleased to say that, because of this change, many farmers, including the person named, whose balancing payments would otherwise have been delayed until their digitising is complete, will now receive an interim balancing payment. The position regarding the balancing payments is, therefore, as follows:

From 1 December all applicants will be paid their full balancing payments, where the case is fully processed and clear;

Applicants, whose applications are fully clear, where the only outstanding issue is a non-digitised map(s), will be their balancing payment on the clear, digitised area (excluding their non-digitised land), subject to a maximum of 80% of the value of their total Single Payment; these farmers will receive the final instalment of their balancing payment when their maps are re-digitised and their applications are fully clear.

The EU Regulations governing REPS 4 and other area-based schemes provide that payments issue in two instalments. The first instalment of 75% may be paid once all administrative checks on all applications, as well as cross-checks against areas declared on Single Payment Scheme applications, have been completed. The SPS application concerned has not yet been finalised and when this is done the REPS Cross Check will be carried out and the REPS application can then be fully processed.

John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a single farm payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick [45165/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 22 April 2010. This application was selected for and was the subject of a Ground Eligibility and Animal Identification Inspection. The inspection process is complete and the results are now being processed.

Under EU regulations governing the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Single Payment Scheme all Ground Eligibility Inspections must be completed before any payment can issue to any applicant under either scheme, including those not selected for a Ground Eligibility Inspection. In the vast majority of cases that were inspected amendments have had to be made to the maps in order that the Land Parcel Identification System that is used for making payments to farmers is kept up-to-date. Processing of these changes is continuing with priority being given to applications that were the subject of a Ground Eligibility Inspection.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 287: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a transfer of entitlements application will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [45220/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application was submitted on 18 November 2010 requesting the transfer of 17.44 Single Payment entitlements by way of gift from the person named first to the person named second. As this application was received several months after the closing date for such applications, the requested transfer has been rejected. Letters have issued to both parties informing them of this decision and outlining the normal appeal process.