asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the number of applications made for aid under the farm modernisation scheme in each county.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
5.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a tabular statement giving the information requested.
Following is the statement:
The number of completed applications, by county, received at county committees of agriculture offices up to and including 29th March, 1974:
|
County |
Number |
|
Carlow |
43 |
|
Cavan |
142 |
|
Clare |
91 |
|
Cork |
173 |
|
Donegal |
78 |
|
Dublin |
3 |
|
Galway |
184 |
|
Kerry |
200 |
|
Kildare |
28 |
|
Kilkenny |
87 |
|
Laoighis |
102 |
|
Leitrim |
56 |
|
Limerick |
86 |
|
Longford |
44 |
|
Louth |
12 |
|
Mayo |
95 |
|
Meath |
76 |
|
Monaghan |
99 |
|
Offaly |
58 |
|
Roscommon |
80 |
|
Sligo |
70 |
|
Tipperary (N.R.) |
80 |
|
Tipperary (S.R.) |
52 |
|
Waterford |
101 |
|
Westmeath |
58 |
|
Wexford |
94 |
|
Wicklow |
44 |
6.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the number of agricultural advisers available in each county for processing applications in respect of aid under the farm modernisation scheme.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a tabular statement giving the information requested.
Following is the statement:
Instructors in Agriculture*
|
County |
Number |
|
Carlow |
8 |
|
Cavan |
16 |
|
Clare |
17 |
|
Cork |
38 |
|
Donegal |
16 |
|
Dublin |
7 |
|
Galway |
24 |
|
Kerry |
26 |
|
Kildare |
12 |
|
Kilkenny |
15 |
|
Laoighis |
10 |
|
Leitrim |
11 |
|
Limerick |
22 |
|
Longford |
8 |
|
Louth |
8 |
|
Mayo |
41 |
|
Meath |
12 |
|
Monaghan |
12 |
|
Offaly |
10 |
|
Roscommon |
18 |
|
Sligo |
13 |
|
Tipperary (N.R.) |
12 |
|
Wpperary (S.R.) |
17 |
|
Waterford |
10 |
|
Westmeath |
15 |
|
Wexford |
20 |
|
Wicklow |
10 |
*Includes chief agricultural officers and deputy chief agricultural officers.
7.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the estimated amount of time in terms of days required to deal with one application under the farm modernisation scheme.
It is not possible at this early stage to make an estimate of the number of hours required to deal with an application under the farm modernisation scheme because the time taken depends on the scale of the applicant's farming and the category into which he is classified.
Is the Minister in a position to let us know what advice is available to him of the amount of time required by an instructor to process an application?
Some work has been done on this. The estimates given to me are that it would take only about an hour to classify a farmer provided the necessary information was previously collected. To actually go out and provide a programme for a farmer is a day's work on average and in straightforward cases it would be half a day's work.
Is the Minister aware that the view is held by many chief agricultural officers in the different counties that it can take up to three days to process one application? If this is so I am sure the Minister is further aware that one instructor could deal with only 80 applications per year. Is the Minister further aware that most of the county committees of agriculture are grossly understaffed to deal with, say, the average of 1,000 applications per county which they expect?
I think the Deputy is aware that there is a good deal of fog around these times and people might be looking at these things with coloured spectacles. The Deputy is aware of the dispute which exists in the advisory service and they will not underestimate the time it takes. I think it is fair to say that in the planning exercises which were carried out in each county during the past two months the time devoted to each farm was intentionally long to give all the advisers an opportunity of understanding the details. While they could say it took this time during these planning and educational exercises the information I have is that it will take nothing like that time when they get down to doing their job.
Would the Minister tell the House, seeing he is in the driver's seat, what he is doing to clear up the fog he is talking about because we are all getting tired of it?
He has radar installed.
The Deputy has another question on that matter.
With regard to the exercises carried out by the Minister's officials, is it true they have found it is practically impossible for a beef farmer or a dry stock farmer to qualify for those grants?
I think we dealt with this before and I made it quite clear I do not want to pinpoint cases in case names could be put on the applicants. I think the Deputy is basing his information on a specific case where there were exceptional circumstances.
I am not. I have got further information since that case.
The Deputy is making a statement now.
From what I have heard none of the dry stock farmers will qualify.
I am afraid the Deputy is continuing to make a statement rather than ask a question. I am calling Question No. 8.
The Deputy is saying that it is more difficult to qualify a farmer who is totally in beef production. I agree with him that it is.