Written answers

Thursday, 18 June 2015

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Commonage Land

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

125. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the details of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal have not been included in the most recent upload of the commonage container of a land parcel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24471/15]

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

126. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department's position regarding grazing rights on the commonage lands of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24472/15]

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

127. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason farm payments for the year 2014 in respect of a commonage parcel have not been issued to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal, yet payments were administered to other persons in respect of the parcel for this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24473/15]

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

128. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with respect to a letter issued by his Department to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal pertaining to a single payment, a basic Payment and his Department's schemes, in which it is stated that all claimants must agree as a collective to the shares of the commonage for which each may claim; if he will confirm that this is the position of his Department in relation to departmental schemes; when such a position was adopted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24474/15]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 to 127, inclusive, and 128 together.

The person named is a claimant on a commonage parcel in Co. Donegal. The Commonage Container details commonages that are declared for payment under the Direct Payment Schemes and also the individual claimants on each of the listed commonages. It was introduced by my Department in order to assist farmers and their planners, who intended or intend to apply for participation in GLAS and to submit a Commonage Management Plan under that Scheme. The details of the person named were not included on the Commonage Container for a technical reason. This matter has now been resolved and the relevant details will appear on the database shortly.

I can confirm that my Department has received Circuit Court Record No. E943/09, which states that the person named be allowed graze 80 sheep on commonage in question. My Department intends to fully comply with this Court Order and to process any payments due to the person named. However, in order to do so, the person named has been requested to seek clarification from the Circuit Court regarding what land area within the commonage this 80 sheep equates to and what date this right became effective from. This is essential information required by my Department as the Single Payment Scheme is an area-based scheme under which eligible applicants are paid an amount per eligible hectare declared. To date these clarifications have not been provided and as a result 2014 payment on this commonage cannot be issued to the person named.

In December 2014, in order to pay some monies to the person named his application was processed on the land declared, excluding the commonage, which was not clear for payment. My Department, as a courtesy, offered to facilitate a meeting where the parties may be able to resolve the outstanding issues regarding their shares of this commonage thereby facilitating the processing of claims made under various schemes for which my Department has responsibility. This offer was refused by one party to the dispute. Therefore, it was suggested by my Department, in the correspondence issued, that it is open to parties directly involved to attempt to resolve the issues between themselves.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.