asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the results of the special emphasis on suitable follow-up programmes on all lands reclaimed under the Land Project, announced in Paragraph 5.105 of the Third Programme for Economic and Social Development; the action taken by him in pursuance of this objective; and the percentage of the total reclaimed acreage on which such programmes have taken place.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Reclamation.
47.
In order to ensure that optimum use is made of land project funds and that lands reclaimed with the aid of grants are adequately maintained and utilised to good advantage certain measures have been taken by my Department.
Investigation of applications takes these matters into account and approvals are withheld until maintenance is attended to or until lands not requiring reclamation are being effectively utilised. When a grant is being paid on completion of a scheme the farmer receives a written communication regarding the importance of proper maintenance and exhorting him to consult his local agricultural adviser as to the manurial treatment, the usage and management of the lands.
A recent survey covering some 40,000 of the most recent applications indicates that the vast majority of applicants during the past two years either already had a satisfactory standard of maintenance and usage of their lands or were in a position to reach such a standard in a very short period. In about 2 per cent of the cases dealt with in this period either maintenance or usage was not so satisfactory and the applications had to be deferred or rejected pending the rectification of the deficiencies.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary tell me if grant aid has been given to any of the special follow-up programmes referred to in the Third Programme?
Grants have been paid under the land project in the normal course. Where we have found that the work was not satisfactory and where a grant had been paid, a further grant was withheld until the defect was remedied. As I have said, this applied to only 2 per cent of all cases and since the survey the majority of the 2 per cent have qualified.