John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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437. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason payments under the basic payment scheme and GLAS for a person (details supplied) have not been issued; his plans to ensure that the issues are dealt with in order to allow payment to proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2880/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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An application in respect of the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 3 May 2017. Advance payment issued to the person named on 16th October. Processing of this application is now complete and the balancing payment has issued to the nominated bank account of the person named.

The person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has received all payments in respect of 2015 and 2016.

Each GLAS claim must clear all validation checks before the 2017 advance payment can be made.  Department officials are working proactively to complete the checks required in this case. Once this case clears the validations, the 2017 advance payment will be made. GLAS payments are issuing on a weekly basis.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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438. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payments will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2994/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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An application in respect of the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) was received from the person named on 18 April 2017.  An advance payment in respect of the eligible land declared issued on 16 October with the balancing payment issuing on 1 December 2017.

In addition to the eligible land on which payment has been made, the application also includes a declaration of afforested land.  Under EU Regulations, land which was afforested since 2009 will be eligible to draw down a BPS payment provided that certain requirements are met.  In particular farmers who afforest part of their holding from 2009 onwards and wish to benefit under the BPS must retain at least 10% of the eligible hectares declared in 2008 (by the farmer or their predecessor) in an agricultural activity subject to a minimum of 3 hectares. This requirement has been outlined annually in the BPS Terms & Conditions booklet circulated to all farmers.

As the person named did not retain the required 10% of the hectares declared in an agricultural activity the recently afforested land is not eligible to draw down payment under the BPS.