Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 317: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in respect of the 1994 scheme's terms and conditions, under the early retirement for farming, the reason an application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Laois was rejected in view of the fact that this person engaged in the letting of lands for less than 11 months which, under the regulations for the 1994 scheme, are considered to be farming; if that was the case, the person forms the view that on the date, being 10 December 1999, upon which the application was lodged, the main occupation of the applicant was farming as defined under the 1994 scheme and in view of the fact that no land was let on a continuous basis in the preceding ten years, the status of the applicant was not affected as a continuous farmer for the purpose of the application, and therefore it should not have been refused on the basis of not being a continuous farmer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16189/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As outlined in the replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 84 of 7 April 2004, 481 of 19 October 2010 and 227 of 25 November 2010, the person named lodged an application under the 1994 Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming with my Department on 10 December 1999. Following consideration, the application was rejected for a number of reasons and the person named was informed accordingly. As officials in my Department were not aware at that time that the person named had let land for a nine-month period in two of the years before the application was submitted, this was not among the reasons for rejection of the application. Had this point been considered, it would have been an additional reason for rejecting the application.