asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he has received any reports from the study group set up to advise him on specific proposals for creamery rationalisation; and, if not, when he expects to receive the first report.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Creamery Rationalisation.
139.
No specific proposals have been referred to this group so far.
No specific proposals have been referred to them. What is the point of setting up a group, having it in existence, and announced some considerable time ago, if they do not get some work to do? When does the Minister expect to be able to take a decision on this subject?
The Deputy seems to forget that a great many of the creameries involved are co-ops—in fact, the vast majority of them—and are therefore farmer-owned. I do not think it is for my Department to impose rationalisation upon them. It is rather for my Department to assist them in every way possible and to provide the means of assistance where-ever it is required. This assistance is available. Rationalisation and the intermediate federation of small co-ops is a rather tricky business. It is in its initial stages. I have no doubt that this group will have work referred to them when the vital necessity of the rationalisation of our creamery industry really begins to impinge upon the consciousness——
Is it not vitally necessary now?
Absolutely.
The Minister said that he will not be doing anything until it begins to impinge.
That is not what I said. I said that when the vital necessity really begins to become apparent to the farmer suppliers of the individual co-ops. It is not for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries or the Government to tell individual co-ops what to do. They own their own enterprises and they are masters in their own house. We will assist them in every way we can.