Ned O'Keeffe
Question:121 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason for the delay in having a claim for installation aid processed and finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The application in this case cannot be further processed until the applicant furnishes evidence that his title to the land in question has been registered in the Land Registry.
Ned O'Keeffe
Question:122 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of a sheep headage grant will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person named does not qualify for sheep headage payments because his farm is not located in a designated area. Payments under the 1990 ewe premium scheme, for which he has applied, will commence in July when inspections have been completed.
Ned O'Keeffe
Question:123 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of a sheep headage grant will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Payments to this applicant under the 1988 ewe premium and 1989 sheep headage schemes are being processed and will issue shortly.
Donal Carey
Question:124 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the delay in payment of grants to farmers who have completed slurry tanks and other work; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that the cost of bridging loans is giving rise to great hardship as experienced by a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and when payment will be made in this case.
Payments under the farm investment schemes are at present made on average within four or six weeks of receipt of claims. The grant in this case will be paid shortly.
Donal Carey
Question:125 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of a headage grant will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
Payments to this applicant under the 1989 cattle and equines headage and calf premium schemes have already been made.
Liam Hyland
Question:126 Mr. Hyland asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the financial difficulties experienced by some farmers arising from the delay in payment of beef and other livestock grants; and the reason for the delay in payment of a suckler cow grant to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare.
Some delays in payment of grants did arise as a result of a High Court case taken by some farmers against my Department last year and also as a result of the industrial action towards the end of 1989 which led to delays in the issue of applications, completion of inspections and processing of grant payments. Because I was aware that these delays might cause some hardship to farmers, I arranged for payment of 70 per cent advances of disadvantaged areas cattle schemes grants to applicants at the end of 1989. The amount paid under all 1989 schemes now exceeds the amount paid at the same date last year. The person named in the question has already been paid 1989 suckler cow, special beef premium and beef cow and equines headage schemes grants.
Total payments for 1989 schemes come to £207 million, of which £195 million has been paid, £5 million will be paid by the end of this week and £3 million will be paid in the first half of May, leaving £4 million outstanding on foot of query cases — which cannot be paid until applicants reply to queries raised.