Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 420: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive payment under the agri-environment options scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29557/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1 September 2010.

Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue, while the application of the person named was also randomly selected for an on farm inspection. During these checks a discrepancy was discovered in respect of one parcel listed on the application of the person named. Officials in my Department have been in contact with the person named and the parcel in question is being re-digitised following which the application will be processed for payment.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 421: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the delays involved in the digitisation of maps for farmers who are awaiting their disadvantaged area payments; his plans to alleviate this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29562/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I again wish to state categorically that there are no delays in payments to farmers under either the Single Farm Payment Scheme or the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. In the case of the SFP, the earliest payment date under the governing EU rules is 1 December, while in respect of DAS there is no regulatory payment date - however, it is generally recognised and indeed acknowledged in the Farmers' Charter, that a payment target of late September of the year in question is the most realistic.

I can assure the Deputy, and the wider farming community, that my Department is committed to allocating such resources as is necessary to ensure that the essential digitisation of applicants' maps onto the Department's Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) and the processing of payments are proceeding as quickly as possible. However, I must emphasise that any failings or shortcomings in LPIS would leave the Department open to the very real risk of significant fines. I am not prepared to take such a risk, nor will I compromisethe value of direct payments to Irish farmers .

In the case of the Single Farm Payment, it should be remembered that, while the earliest payment date provided for under EU rules is 1 December, I am acutely aware of the significance to the wider rural economy of the Single Payment. Therefore earlier this year, I successfully sought the approval of the Commissioner to have advance payments made as and from 17 October. This is the earliest possible legal date for making payments, being the start of the new EU financial year.

Following this agreement to my request for an advance payment of the SFP, I set a very demanding schedule of payments for the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Single Payment Scheme, with payment of DAS scheduled for 22 September, the 50% advance of the SFP scheduled for 17 October and the 50% balance of the SFP scheduled for 1 December. I am pleased to say that the DAS payments commenced on target, as did the advance payments for the SFP. In all cases, my Department will continue to make multiple payment runs, under both schemes, on a weekly basis, to pay farmers as their applications become fully processed and cleared.

I fully appreciate the value and importance of these schemes to Irish farmers and remain committed to ensuring that the maximum numbers are paid at the earliest possible date, mindful, of course, of the over-riding necessity to ensure compliance with the governing EU requirements. I note that Ireland continues to be among the very first countries throughout the EU to be in a position to make such payments and perhaps sight should not be lost of this fact.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 422: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in awarding a disadvantaged area payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29564/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2011 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 13 May 2011. On processing of this application, an over-claim was identified on one of the land parcels listed. The person named has been written to in this regard and, on receipt of a satisfactory reply, the application will be further processed, with a view to payments under both Schemes issuing as soon as possible thereafter.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 423: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a disadvantaged area scheme payment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29590/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 11 May 2011, processing of which has recently been completed, thereby allowing payment to issue on 18 October 2011.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 424: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a disadvantaged area payment will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29612/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 11 May 2011, processing of which has recently been completed, thereby allowing payment to issue on 7 October 2011.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 425: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a disadvantaged area aid payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29616/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2011 Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 11 May 2011. Payments under the 2011 Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme have commenced nationally on 17 October 2011 and 21 September 2011 respectively.

The processing of the application of the person named has recently been completed and payments under both Schemes will issue shortly.

Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an area-based payment will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties caused by the delay in such payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29617/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 29 April 2011, processing of which has recently been completed, thereby allowing payment to issue on 18 October 2011.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will receive their single farm payment for 2010 and 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29622/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted 2010 and 2011 applications for both the Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme on 17 May 2010 and 11 May 2011 respectively. The person named also incurred a penalty under the REPS 3 Scheme. The applicant appealed this penalty. However, the original penalty was upheld. My Department has deducted the amount due arising from the penalty from a number of payments due to the applicant including a REPS payment of 30 December 2010, a 2010 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme payment on 26 January 2011, a 2010 Single Payment Scheme payment on 27 January 2011 and a 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme payment on 21 September 2011. The penalty has now been deducted in full. All outstanding monies due under the 2010 Single Payment Scheme were paid to the person named, after the deduction of the aforementioned penalty, on 16 December 2010 and 11 October 2011 respectively.

All outstanding monies due under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme were paid to the applicants on 21 September 2011. The 50% advance payment of the 2011 Single Payment Scheme was issued to the person named on 17 October 2011.