Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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743. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason persons (details supplied) did not receive a payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31025/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The person(s) named were beneficiaries under the 2006 Capital Investment Scheme for Marketing and  Processing of Certain Agricultural Products. The beneficiaries were amongst 76 applicants to emerge from a highly competitive selection process covering six sectors.

The selected beneficiaries were required to formally accept the offer of grant aid and to indicate the project completion date to my Department. The beneficiaries concerned indicated a completion date of September 2009 in their 'Acceptance of conditions of Grant to Beneficiary' letter. Time extensions to the company were granted during the economic downturn.

Following this extension, on 10th July 2013, my Department issued written confirmation for the beneficiaries to proceed with the original project regarding the purchase of equipment, provided that the project was completed and claimed for by 31st October 2013 and that the accompanying 'Declaration of Undertaking' was signed and returned to my Department. No signed undertaking was received.

Subsequently, my Department wrote again to the beneficiaries on 12th November 2013, advising that the Department would presume that no additional claim for grant would be made by the beneficiaries as no undertaking had been received.  At the request of the beneficiaries, officials from my Department, met with them to discuss the possibility of modifying the remaining element of the original plan.  At that meeting, the beneficiaries gave an undertaking to revert to my Department with clarification on whether they ultimately planned to complete their investment.  No such clarification was received and on 20 February 2016 officials from my Department issued a revocation letter to the beneficiaries, indicating that monies already paid, amounting  to €172,477.50 would not be recovered but that the remaining unclaimed grant aid would be revoked.

In March 2017, the beneficiaries wrote to my Department, stating that they were not appealing the decision as indicated in the letter of 20 February 2016 but seeking a review of the decision to revoke the remainder of the grant aid award. 

In April 2017, officials from my Department carried out an inspection of the beneficiaries premises, where the inspecting officer confirmed that the remaining elements of the original project were not completed and therefore not eligible for payment.

In May 2017, officials from my Department wrote to the beneficiaries, indicating that the remaining elements of the original project had not been completed and advised them of their right to appeal this decision to the Office of the Ombudsman. My Department's records show that the beneficiaries did not avail of this option to appeal to the Ombudsman.