Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons awaiting agri-environment options scheme payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18682/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System must take place before payments can issue. As 2016 is the final scheme year for AEOS 2, re-checks on payments made for all scheme years must be completed before final payment can be processed. Out of 8,640 participants in the scheme, 7,351 have been paid and there are 1,289 cases undergoing the comprehensive checks. These checks are ongoing and payments are being made on a weekly basis as cases are cleared.