asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will consider giving a maximum grant of £50 to applicants who have not yet commenced land reclamation work but whose applications were received prior to 1st April, 1965.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Reclamation Grants.
31.
This matter has already been very fully considered and I regret that, having regard to all the circumstances, it would not be feasible to extend the application of the increases in the maximum amount of grant in the manner suggested.
Would the Minister not admit it is most unfair that people who applied some time ago for this grant and who had not started any work before the increase came, will not qualify for the increased grant? Would the Minister have another look at that?
The Deputy will appreciate there must be a starting date for any scheme.
The starting date should be the date of the commencement of the work.
That is not the criterion adopted generally.
It is.
May we take it that if these applicants withdraw their applications, abandon the schemes that have been approved and make new applications, they will qualify for the higher grants? If that is the case, then this Parliament has gone daft.
There must be a new application in the real sense of the word.
Which means that people whose applications have been approved should now withdraws the applications and start all over again in order to multiply the number of civil servants and the number of forms to be filled in. You are gone dotty.
The Deputy has the wrong end of it.
That is the right end of it.