asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if in order to achieve harmony and help to end the present crisis in agriculture he is prepared to change the composition of the National Agricultural Council and to allow the agricultural organisations to nominate at least threequarters of the members, the remaining quarter to be nominated by himself.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Agricultural Council.
34.
Harmonious discussion of agricultural problems is an objective to which I fully subscribe and one which prompted me to set up a National Agricultural Council which would be fully representative of agricultural producer interests. I have no reason to believe that this objective would be furthered by altering the method of selecting the Council as suggested by the Deputy.
I would refer the Deputy to the replies which I gave to questions on this subject on 15th and 28th February, when I outlined the very real difficulties which exist at present in the way of having each of a large number of organisations represented. As I have already stated, I do not regard membership of the Council as being settled for all time at its inauguration. On the contrary, it is my intention that arrangements should be sufficiently flexible to enable membership to reflect such changes as may take place from time to time in the organisational structure of farming bodies.
Does the Minister not think that the number of representatives which he allocated to the National Farmers Association was, in fact, incorrect as they are a large organisation? They are larger than many others who got the same representation.
On what?
In so far as making fish of one and flesh of another is concerned I have not done so and I do not intend doing so.
I want to draw the Minister's attention to his own statement in which he said that he desires the arrangements to be flexible so that the farmers' organisations can get larger or smaller representation——
That is not what I said.
It is there and it belies what the Minister did.
Deputy Donegan has not understood me. He has misunderstood me in the past.
I understood the Minister perfectly.
I said this and I say it again. I am quoting now from my reply:
On the contrary, it is my intention that arrangements should be sufficiently flexible to enable membership to reflect such changes as may take place from time to time in the organisational structure of farming bodies.
I submit that Deputy Donegan's interpretation of that is not the true one.
Mine is correct.
It was I who said it, and I should know.
Can the Minister say why the first meeting of the so-called National Agricultural Council was such a secret? How can he say that he will bear their views in mind in view of the fact that these bodies held no meetings of their own councils to get the views of the people they represent before going to the other meeting? It was a secret meeting.
The only pity about the Deputy is that he was not on the Council or he would be a little wiser than he displays himself to be.
I have no desire to be on such a council.
The Deputy is making that quite clear behind the scenes as well as in the open. He is trying to stop it in every way he can.
Further arising out of the Minister's reply——
I do not want to become a member of a Fianna Fáil cumann and that is what this is.
The Deputy tried to stop it and it is not the first time he has tried to stop it in the past three months.
Members of the Fianna Fáil Party also tried to stop it.
Is the Minister aware that, in the formation of the NIEC, threequarters of the members were nominated voluntarily by the organisations themselves and the Government nominated only roughly one quarter? Is the Minister further aware that the present organisation is only putty in the hands of politicians?
Divided politicians.
The Minister is achieving his object. He has now split the Beet Growers Association and they are holding a meeting today to dissociate themselves from what has happened.
As far as the beet growers are concerned, they did their job.
I will allow the Minister to reply.
I would appeal to the Deputies in the Opposition, even at this late hour, to stop meddling, to stop the mischievous work that has been going on behind the scenes.
I shall send a copy of the Official Report to Moville with my compliments and they will have a laugh at that statement by the Minister.
The Deputy does not go to Fianna Fáil meetings and he does not know what goes on.
I am told that a few people who attended the last Fianna Fáil cumann meeting in Moville will not be back.
Your cabinet meetings are split in two.
Is that so?
From No. 34 on, the remaining questions will appear on the Order Paper tomorrow.
I wish to give notice that it is my intention to raise, on the Adjournment, the subject matter of Question No. 21 on today's Order Paper.
I shall communicate with the Deputy in the course of the afternoon.