Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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33. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of agri-environment option scheme 1 and 2 payments that are still outstanding broken down on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29363/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the EU Regulations governing the scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue.

Successive EU audits have made it absolutely clear that compliance with the Regulations must be strictly adhered to and that all administrative checks must be passed and eligibility conditions met before payment issues. As a result, my Department is obliged to ensure that individual payments will not issue until all aspects of a farmer’s application are in order, all outstanding documentation provided and all queries resolved. Outstanding payments under AEOS I and II arise because of outstanding queries on applications forms, digitising issues, the submission of inaccurate capital investment claim forms, non return of soil sample declarations and the failure of the farmer to return documentation in relation to the Conservation of Genetic Resources.

I am conscious of the importance of these payments to farmer’s incomes and my Department is making every effort to assist farmers in regularising their applications and claims for payment. Additional resources have been assigned to dealing with queries and payments will continue to issue as quickly as possible as outstanding issues are resolved.

The tables below set out the details requested by the Deputy.

AEOS I Outstanding Payments

AEOS II Outstanding Payments