Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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227. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a TAMS grant applied for by a person (details supplied); the position in which the appeal lodged is within the appeals system; if same can be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20983/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Agriculture Appeals Office operates independently of my Department. I have been advised that the records of the Agriculture Appeals Office indicate that the named person lodged an appeal on 29 March 2019 in relation to a TAMS II grant. The Agriculture Appeals Regulations 2002 provide that an appeal may be made within 3 months of the date of my Department's decision letter that was issued to the named person. The date of the decision letter was 11 December 2018 and therefore the deadline for receipt of an appeal against that decision was 11 March 2019.

On 1 April 2019, the Agriculture Appeals Office issued a letter to the named person advising them that their appeal was received after the statutory deadline. The letter advised the named person that it was open to them to write to the Director of the Agriculture Appeals Office detailing any exceptional circumstances that prevented the appeal from being lodged within the 3 month timeframe. The deadline for receipt of a response to the Appeals Office letter was 15 April 2019.

The records indicate that to date there has been no correspondence received from the named person in response to that letter.