asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware of the grave dissatisfaction felt by the people of Kerry in view of the slow progress made under the land rehabilitation project by reason of the fact that no machine plant has yet been sent to help the farmers in the area; and, if so, whether he will state when this plant will be provided.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Rehabilitation.
The answer to the first part of the question is "No". My information is that out of 3,400 applications received from Kerry, 2,500 applicants have been visited and 2,140 have been approved for grants. This can hardly be described as "slow progress".
I am further informed that the vast majority of applicants in Kerry desire to avail themselves of the arrangement whereby they themselves carry out reclamation works, mostly by hand labour, in consideration of receiving a grant. For the benefit of the minority we have already equipped one contractor in the county with bulldozer, plough, excavator, and ancillary equipment, and I understand that we may be given the opportunity of similarly equipping a further contractor in the very near future.