Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason for the delay in payment of a single farm payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2817/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 17 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 number of parcels declared required digitising.

Balancing payments under the scheme, which commenced 1 December, 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, received an interim balancing payment on 1 December. The digitising in question will be completed in the coming days, which will allow the outstanding payment issue shortly thereafter, provided no errors are revealed by the digitising process.