Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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168. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he will take to ensure that single farm payment entitlements of a person (details supplied) are returned to them as they had leased the farm for one year in 2013 due to severe ill health, and therefore would qualify under force majeure circumstances, where they have now returned to reasonable health and wish to resume farming full time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19914/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the person named was not entitled to receive a direct payment in 2013, he does not have an automatic allocation right to receive payment entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme. Article 30.7.(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 allows a Member State to use their National Reserve to allocate payment entitlements to farmers who were prevented from being allocated payment entitlements as a result of force majeure or exceptional circumstances. Force majeurecircumstances would include a severe illness which incapacitated the farmer in the 2013 reference year. As all force majeureapplications are dealt with on a case by case basis, the person named would have to apply to my Department, giving supporting medical evidence before a decision can be made in his case. An official from my Department will contact the person named in the coming days.