Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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971. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications under the basic payment scheme made to date in 2016; the number of applications which were made online; if he will extend the deadline as in 2015, to enable all eligible participants to meet the deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9870/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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It is expected that the total number of applications under the 2016 BPS will be close to 133,000. The rate at which applications were being received was carefully monitored on a daily basis over the past number of weeks. My Department was also in regular contact with all of the stakeholders as the application deadline approached. In addition my Department provided a range of supports for applicants wishing to lodge applications last week and over the weekend by extending the opening hours of its office in Portlaoise and also of its Ag-food help-line.

As of yesterday morning (Monday 16th May) the total number of applications received under the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) was over 125,000 broken down into 97,000 online applications and 28,000 paper applications.

Given the rate at which applications were being received it was confirmed that an extension to the deadline was not deemed to be necessary.