Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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117. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Clare was not informed of a clawback from a payment under the rural environment protection scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18783/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named was notified of an SPS debt by letter from the Department on 20^thApril 2015, outlining a total debt of €8,699.85 on his 2014 Single Farm Payment. In that letter, he was advised that the debt mentioned, along with any interest charged, if not recouped from him directly, would be debited from any future payments that would fall due to him from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. A further statement issued to him on 1^stMay 2015 advising him that the outstanding balance on his payment at that stage was €4,337.61. The full entitlement of the person named for 2014 REPS 4 payment is €8,883.30. REPS 4 payments are made in two instalments, 75% and 25%. His 75% instalment of €6,662.48 had penalties of €1,385.52 deducted in respect of non-compliance with the REPS Scheme. The person named was notified by way of Farmers Statement of this debt on 27^thApril 2015. This instalment was also subject to deductions amounting to €914.76 in respect of REPS clawbacks. This related to payments made to him in previous years for REPS, and was notified to him on 21^stApril 2015 by way of a letter from the Department’s Local Office

After these deductions were applied, he was left with an outstanding balance on his 75% REPS4 payment of €4,362.24. However this full amount was consumed by the SPS debt of €8,699.85 and allowing for the payment of the 75% REPS4 amount, there is still a remaining debt of €4,337.61 to the Department by the person named.

The person named is still entitled to his 2014 REPS4 25% payment of €2,220.82 but as his remaining SPS debt is still €4,337.61, he will not receive this payment, as it will be used to offset his remaining debt to the Department.

I appreciate that the process of payment and deduction in this case may be quite difficult to follow, and so I am arranging for an officer of my Department to contact the person-named to answer any further questions.