Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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296. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 255 of 27 January 2015, if he will clarify a matter regarding entitlements (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14671/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department wrote to the person named on 21 July 2014 informing him that 9 unused Standard Single Payment Entitlements at a value of €207.98 each were reverting to the National Reserve as per the Terms and Conditions of the scheme. The remaining Single Payment Entitlements held were paid on 23 October 2014 and 1 December 2014.

In this case, the EU Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme provide that the entitlements had to be used at least once in the two year period, 2012 and 2013. Used in this context means that in any of these years one hectare of eligible land must have been declared in respect of each entitlement held. The Regulations further state that any entitlements that remain unused over the two year period will revert to the National Reserve and are thereby lost to the farmer.

In the case of the person named, he did not use all his entitlements during the two year period, 2012 and 2013 and as such, the unused entitlements reverted to the National Reserve due to non-usage. The above named person has not appealed this decision to my Department.