Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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208. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 487 of 3 November 2015 and 223 of 19 January 2016, the status of a review for a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2979/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme was received from the person named on 20 April 2015. Processing of the application is currently in progress. On completion of this process, the application will be further reviewed with a view to payment issuing directly to the nominated bank account of the person named at the earliest possible date.

Under EU Regulatory requirements, only farmers who were entitled to receive a direct payment in 2013 (Single Payment, Grassland Sheep Scheme, Burren Life Scheme, Beef Data Scheme) have an automatic allocation right under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015. The European Commission has further stated that applications submitted 25 days after the Single Payment Scheme closing date are deemed inadmissible unless there are any force majeure or extenuating circumstances pertaining to the late submission of this application. As the person named submitted his 2013 Single Payment Scheme application form more on 28 June 2013, this application is deemed inadmissible and therefore he does not qualify for an automatic allocation right under the new Basic Payment scheme.

The person named was afforded an opportunity to submit a request to have his case reviewed and to enclose supporting documentation regarding any extenuating circumstances which may have prevented him from submitting his 2013 Single payment scheme application on time. A representative from my Department will now make direct contact with the person named to resolve the issue.