asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware that the ceiling of £37 per acre payable under section B of the land rehabilitation scheme to contractors is not considered economic by them, with the result that there is grave delay in applications being dealt with under section B in Wexford and the adjacent counties by those contractors and if, in view of the mounting waiting list, he will consider increasing the grant so as to expedite outstanding cases.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Rehabilitation Scheme.
I am not aware that the position is as stated in the first part of the Deputy's question. The second part does not therefore arise.
In County Wexford when it is proposed to drain land the Minister's official gives an estimate of what the cost will be under section B and in all cases my information is that it is generally as high as £52 an acre. The contractors are not able to carryout the work economically at a price of £37 per acre and, therefore, the work is not done. It is passed from section B to section A and the waiting list goes on.
Mr. Walsh
It is not true that the average cost for County Wexford is over £50, nor is it true to say that it is over £42. There has been no reduction as far as the contractors are concerned and it is not going to be as expensive to reclaim land as it has been in the past. It is really an administrative scheme that we have introduced. We are going to give more land to the contractors to do in future than we have in the past and their profits will not be reduced thereby. There is no change as far as the contractors are concerned.
Do I understand the Minister to say that in the majority of cases £37 per acre is sufficient to cover the work and to give the contractors a profit?
Mr. Walsh
There is no question of limiting it to £37 an acre. I do not know where the Deputy got that figure. There is no such figure as £37. It has been already stated that the State is prepared to pay £35 per acre, plus £12 which is £47, in connection with any application received prior to 15th May.
The amount the Minister is giving would include lime and phosphates?
Mr. Walsh
Yes.
Could the Minister indicate how much is for lime and phosphates?
Mr. Walsh
£5.
Then the ceiling is £40?
Mr. Walsh
£42.
I am still advised that it is not economic.
Mr. Walsh
That is the average for the whole country.
Does not the Minister's colleague, the Minister for External Affairs, say that it costs from £100 to£200 or even £500 to rehabilitate land under the scheme? Does the Minister now tell us that the average is under £40?
Mr. Walsh
I can tell the Deputy that I have reduced the average from £60 an acre to under £40 an acre.
I know you are trying to kill the scheme but you will not succeed. You will be out before you get far with it.