asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the amount of grain subsidy paid by the State; and the amount paid in each of the four provinces.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grain Subsidy.
127.
The support price for feeding barley is one of the factors taken into account in fixing the guaranteed minimum prices for pigs. The total cost of implementing the guaranteed minimum pig prices is, at present, over £3 million a year but it is not practicable to segregate the barley factor or estimate the cost per province. The price for malting barley is determined in negotiations between growers and buyers and is not subsidised by the State. No doubt it is reflected in the price for beer, stout and spirits.
A direct State subsidy is paid to provide a floor price for oats in the western counties. In 1969-70 a subsidy of £13,395 was paid to An Bord Gráin towards losses incurred by the board in disposing of oats purchased under this scheme. It is not possible to apportion this subsidy on a provincial basis but the western counties comprise the province of Connacht, the three counties of Ulster and counties Clare, Kerry, Longford and Cork (West).
As an exceptional measure the State provided a subsidy of £1,400,000 over the last two years towards losses incurred by An Bord Gráin in disposing as animal feed of surplus millable wheat of the 1968 crop. Similar losses on subsequent wheat crops have been covered by wheat levy.
In view of the small amount of subsidy paid by the Exchequer to the five counties of Connacht, would the Minister consider doing something concrete to increase in some way the amounts for those counties?
Has the Deputy a suggestion?
The amount of subsidies paid for grain and milk in the five counties of Connacht is very little out of the Exchequer. The south and the east benefit. In view of all that has been said down the years—particularly from the Fine Gael benches— about saving the west would the Minister do something now to help, because the west is being depopulated at an enormous rate? No fewer than 8,340 have left Mayo since 1961. Would the Minister give larger subsidies to the people of Mayo, in particular, and, indeed, in the five western counties of Connacht?
I still do not grasp what the Deputy is driving at. What it appears to be is that a special subsidy should be given on some unspecified commodity or product in the western area. He has not said what product that should be. The suggestion is so nebulous that I cannot grasp it.
We pay about £30 million milk subsidy every year. How much of that goes back into the five counties of Connacht—one point something?
The Deputy asked a question about grain.
The Minister asked for a specific suggestion. Would he consider increasing the grants under, and scope of, the Small Farms (Incentive Bonus) Scheme? This is availed of in the west, particularly in Mayo. The balance to which Deputy Finn refers could be substantially redressed if the terms of this scheme were improved. Mayo is a large beneficiary of the existing rather small scheme and, if it were improved, Mayo would be a larger beneficiary——
This scheme is in operation at the present time for the benefit of the west. Another one that immediately comes to mind is the pilot scheme area which is operating very successfully in parts of the west.
The scope of the Small Farms (Incentive Bonus) Scheme could be improved, though.