Department sought repayment of €25,000 from man after his land flooded
A man complained to Ombudsman Peter Tyndall after the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine sought to recover a grant of over €25,000 from him following flooding of his land in Kerry. The man had received a grant under the Department’s Afforestation Scheme to establish a forest on his land. However the forest had been destroyed following severe flooding in 2009.
The Ombudsman decided that the Department had acted unfairly in seeking recovery of the money.
Peter Tyndall said:
“Where people apply for and receive grants in good faith, they should not be reclaimed. This is particularly so in this case where the farmer lost his crop through no fault of his own and was hit with the double blow of a bill from the Department. I’m glad we were able to put things right.”
The Department maintained that the man knew that his land was prone to flooding when he made the application for the grant in 2004. It also maintained that the man was partially responsible for damage to the forest.
The Ombudsman discovered that the Department had inspected the man’s land and had been made aware that the land may be prone to flooding prior to granting the man’s application. In addition, the Ombudsman was satisfied that the Department’s definition of force majeure applied in this particular case and therefore, the man was not responsible for the destruction of the forest. The Department agreed to not pursue the repayment.
Full details of this case are on the Office of the Ombudsman’s website.
D’iarr an Roinn aisíocaíocht €25,000 ó fhear tar éis a thalamh a bheith buailte ag tuile
Rinne fear gearán le Peter Tyndall, an tOmbudsman, tar éis don Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara iarracht a dhéanamh deontas ab fhiú breis agus €25,000 a fháil ar ais uaidh tar éis a thalamh a bheith buailte ag tuile i gCiarraí. Fuair an fear deontas faoi Scéim Coillteoireachta na Roinne le haghaidh foraois a bhunú ar a thalamh. Scriosadh an fhoraois tar éis diantuile sa bhliain 2009, áfach.
Chinn an tOmbudsman gur ghníomhaigh an Roinn go héagothrom agus í ag iarraidh go n-aisíocfaí an t-airgead.
Dúirt Peter Tyndall:
“I gcásanna ina ndéanann daoine iarratas ar dheontais de mheon macánta agus ina bhfaigheann siad iad, níor cheart iad a éileamh ar ais. Is amhlaidh sin go háirithe sa chás seo inar chaill an feirmeoir a bharr gan locht a bheith air féin agus inar buaileadh é le buille eile tríd an mbille ón Roinn. Tá áthas orm gur éirigh linn nithe a chur ina gceart.”
D’áitigh an Roinn gurbh eol don fhear go raibh a thalamh i mbaol tuile nuair a rinne sé an t-iarratas ar an deontas sa bhliain 2004. D’áitigh sí freisin go raibh freagracht pháirteach ar an bhfear as an damáiste a rinneadh don fhoraois.
D’aimsigh an tOmbudsman go ndearna an Roinn cigireacht ar thalamh an fhir agus gur cuireadh in iúl di sular deonaíodh iarratas an fhir go bhféadfadh an talamh bheith i mbaol tuile. Ina theannta sin, ba dheimhin leis an Ombudsman go raibh feidhm ag sainmhíniú na Roinne ar force majeure maidir leis an gcás ar leith seo agus, dá bhrí sin, ní raibh an duine freagrach as scrios na foraoise. D’aontaigh an Roinn gan dul sa tóir ar an aisíocaíocht.
Tá sonraí iomlána faoin gcás seo le fáil ar shuíomh Gréasáin Oifig an Ombudsman.