Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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627. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who have been assessed with overclaims against entitlements on their single payment application review for the years 2009 to 2013, of more than 3% and more than 20%, respectively; the number of these farming farms of less than 5 ha; the number farming farms in excess of 5 ha and less than 10 ha; the number of farming farms of between 20 and 20 ha; the total land area overclaimed;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4003/14]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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628. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total penalties applied to farmers for the years 2009 to 2013 arising from the review of land parcel claims instituted by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4004/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 627 and 628 together.

The Deputy will be fully aware of the value of the EU funded Direct Payment Schemes to Ireland. Each year farmers in Ireland benefit from funding of over €1.5 billion under Schemes such as the Single Farm Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, the Agri-Environment Schemes, etc. This comprises the entire net income of many thousands of Irish farmers.

The European Commission has an obligation to ensure that Member States manage and use the EU funding granted to them in accordance with the very restrictive provisions governing the Schemes and general financial provisions. All of the lands declared by farmers must be eligible if these lands benefit from payment under one of more of these Schemes. My Department is currently carrying out a comprehensive exercise by excluding ineligible features, such as houses, roads, scrub, rivers, etc. in land parcels declared by farmers. In the vast majority of cases, the exclusion has no impact on payments as the farmers in question have taken a prudent approach and reduced the declared area to take account of the ineligible feature. No cutbacks have been applied on eligible land.

As the Review exercise remains ongoing at present, it is not feasible to collate the data sought by the Deputy. However, data is being extracted and compiled and will be provided directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.