Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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378. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who had an entitlement to a single payment reduced in 2013 as a result of a penalty, in circumstances where that year now becomes the reference year for the basic payment scheme, given that the penalty in the reference year should not be applied into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28439/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The number of entitlements to be allocated to any one farmer under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015 is based on the number of eligible hectares the farmer declared in 2013 or 2015, whichever is lesser. The value of those entitlements is based on the total value of entitlements owned by the farmer in 2014 plus the value of any payment received under the Grassland Sheep Scheme in that year.

The person named declared 18.36 hectares of eligible land in 2013 and, if he declared the same number in 2015, will be allocated 18.36 entitlements. In 2014 the person named owned entitlements with a total value of €5,133.00 and this amount forms the basis for calculating the value of his entitlements in 2015.

As the penalty applied in 2013 concerned cross compliance, it will have no impact on the number and value of entitlements allocated to the person named in 2015.

As the person’s Initial Unit Value in 2015 is slightly over the national average value, he experiences a small reduction over the five years of the scheme due to the process of convergence.