Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

145. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a payment to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry under the rural environment protection scheme 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3524/16]

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

The person name joined REPS4 on 1 May 2008. He continued his participation in REPS4 for a period of 5 years and 8 months and his participation under the Scheme ended on 31 December 2013. He received his final REPS4 payment for the 2013 Scheme Year in February 2014.

On further examination, however, it was found that the person named was no longer farming the full contract area under his REPS4 application on which he had initially entered the Scheme. As a result, a clawback was applied to his payments, which included retrospective clawback to payments made for previous years, as set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme. The person named was notified of the clawback amount and the reason for the clawback by Department letter dated 17 October 2013.

The case was reviewed by the Regional Inspector at the applicant’s request but the review found that there was no reason for reducing the clawback amount. The person named was notified of outcome of the review by letter dated 12 November 2015. He was also informed that if he was not satisfied with the decision of the Regional Inspector he could appeal that decision directly to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office within 3 months of the date of the review letter.