Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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239. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied). [19980/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The closing date for the receipt of applications under the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) was 29 May 2015, which was subsequently extended to 5 June 2015. There is no record that a BDGP application was received by my Department for the person named.

The person named advised my Department that he had sent in an application form for the BDGP and lodged an appeal on this basis.

The Terms and Conditions of the BDGP state that applicants are required to produce an Express or Registered post receipt as proof of postage. The person named could not provide such a receipt and so the appeal was rejected and the person named was notified of the position in a letter dated 14 Jan 2016. He was also advised of his right to appeal the decision to the Agriculture Appeals Office, which he duly did.

Following a further review, the Agriculture Appeals Office upheld the Department’s decision to exclude the person named from the BDGP, and notified him of the position in a comprehensive letter dated 29 June 2016.

The person named has been advised of his right to appeal this decision to the Ombudsman.