Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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154. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will issue the decision on an appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Galway; if and when a ground inspection has taken place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4797/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted a 2015 Basic Payment Scheme/Areas of Natural Constraint scheme application on 21 May

2015 EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.

The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. The inspection identified discrepancies between the areas declared and the area found resulting in an over-declaration in area of between 3% and 20%. Under the Terms and Conditions of the Basic Payment Scheme, this result in the 2015 payments being based on the found area having been reduced by double the difference between the area found and the area declared. The over-declaration of land had no impact on the payment due under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme. The person named was notified of the inspection decision on 23 October 2015.

The person named has appealed this decision and this request is currently being examined . A field visit has been requested in this case to verify the position on the ground and this will be completed as soon as possible and the person named will be notified of the outcome on completion.

In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of this review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months.