Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 430: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine if he will review the agri-environment options scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29765/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the EU Regulations governing the Agri Environment Options 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. Payment issues in all cases as soon as an application successfully passes these checks and to date, a total of 3437 farmers have received 75% of their 2010 entitlement. I expect that the remaining 25% of the 2010 entitlement will issue to these farmers by the end of October. I expect that outstanding cases will be paid or notified of any queries by the end of this month.

There are no delays in payments to farmers under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. While is no regulatory payment date, 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. In this regard, the Deputy will be aware that payments commenced, on target, on 22 September, with payments issuing to those farmers whose applications had been confirmed eligible for payment at that time. While I am pleased to note that payments worth in excess of €173 million have issued to date, representing almost 80% of applicants, I remain confident that the full budget for the Scheme will have been exhausted by year-end. I can confirm that my Department has, in the interim, continued to pay individuals, as their cases become clear, with payment runs taking place twice a week. This is normal practise and will continue on an ongoing basis, as necessary. In this regard, Suggestions have been made that the necessity to re-digitise farmers' maps is leading to unnecessary and inordinate delays, resulting in payments being made later than would otherwise be the case. While I can assure the Deputy, and the wider farming community, that I am 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), 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 compromise the value of direct payments to Irish farmers. Furthermore, sight should not be lost of the fact that the changes which have been recorded onto LPIS in very significant numbers, both throughout last year and again this year, are necessitated by the need to have all ineligible areas mapped; simply put, the position on the ground in any given farm must be accurately reflected on LPIS. To this end, therefore, these changes are, in the majority of cases, changes which were long since over-due.

As ever, the working relationship between my Department and the farming community greatly assists in the processing of these Schemes. Where in-house checks reveal anomalies in applicants' applications, the necessary correspondence issues immediately. By replying to all such correspondence as quickly as possible farmers ensure the rapid resolution of issues, thereby allowing their payments to be made.

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.