Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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486. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to ensure that the next round of GLAS payments are not delayed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6910/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The overriding factor in the processing of all EU funded schemes is to ensure that all regulatory requirements are respected in issuing payments. This includes the requirement that payments cannot commence until after 15 October annually.

As of today, there are 49,700 active participants in the GLAS scheme and 93% of those eligible have received their 2017 advance payment since these payments commenced in November as scheduled. In addition GLAS training payments to both participants and approved GLAS Trainers have commenced with over €6.3m issued to date.

Of the remaining cases approximately 2,700 are a matter for the GLAS participants themselves and there is nothing that can be done to pay these until they complete the necessary steps themselves. Payments are continuing as we speak and will continue until the remaining payments are cleared.

Updates are published weekly on the Department’s website and clearly show that steady progress is being made in reducing outstanding cases. While officials are prioritising the clearing of cases and where a farmer has been contacted for additional information it is important that any such request is responded to as the information requested is essential to finalise all checks.