Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a specific payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford. [47319/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 4 May 2010.The 50% advance payment, which issued on 18 October 2010, was on the basis of the land cleared at that stage, as a portion of the land declared required digitising.

Balancing payments under the scheme, 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 otherwise 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, have now received an interim balancing payment; in the case of the person named, the interim balancing payment issued on 1 December. These farmers, including the person named, will receive the final instalment of their balancing payment when their maps are re-digitised and their applications are fully clear.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a single farm payment will be paid in full to a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47323/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 6 May 2010. The 50% advance payment, which issued on 18 October was on the basis of the land cleared at that stage, as a number of parcels declared required digitising.

Balancing payments under the scheme, 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 otherwise 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, have now received an interim balancing payment; in the case of the person named, the interim balancing payment issued on 1 December.

These farmers, including the person named, will receive the final instalment of their balancing payment when their maps are re-digitised and their applications are fully clear.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 207: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason a person (details supplied) has received no advance or balancing payment under their application for the single farm payment 2010; if he will expedite full payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47332/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application was received on 28 April 2010 requesting the transfer of 175.06 Single Payment entitlements to the entity named from another farmer by way of Milk Production Partnership.

The herd-number was only transferred into the sole name of the entity named on 6 July 2010. Prior to that it was registered in the multiple names of three persons. Payment for 2010 can only issue to the three persons who held the herd-number on 31 May 2010 and this is now being arranged following contact with the parties by an official from my Department. The transfer, by way of Milk Production Partnership, into the sole name of the entity named can be completed under the 2011 scheme year.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the €30 per hectare payment of a grassland grant for sheep farmers will be paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47438/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Commission has raised some technical questions regarding payments to sheep farmers under EU Pillar 1 and Pillar 11 Schemes, including the Grassland Sheep Scheme. My officials have responded in detail to the Commission and there are ongoing discussions between both parties. I am seeking an early conclusion to these discussions.

In addition, it is a fundamental requirement under the governing EU Regulations that all of the eligibility inspections be initiated before payments can commence under the EU Direct Payment Schemes (such as the Single Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, Grassland Sheep Scheme etc.) and, while the recent heavy snowfalls have restricted the level of inspections that could be undertaken, I am confident that, given the current change in the weather conditions, the remaining inspections can be completed in the near future.