asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the advisory officers of county committees of agriculture have responsibility for operating the farm modernisation scheme; and, if not, if he will state which officers of his Department have the responsibility.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
17.
Responsibility for the operation of the farm modernisation scheme is shared between the advisory service of the county committees of agriculture and my Department. The county committee staffs have responsibility for determining the eligibility of applicants, their classification and for the preparation of farm development plans. My Department are responsible, firstly, for co-ordinating procedures, general administration, supervision, accounting in connection with the scheme and secondly, through the farm development service, for issuing approval and determining the amount of grant payable in respect of individual works provided for in farm development plans.
There are supposed to be certain exceptions to the rule in the scheme in regard to 50 per cent of their income from farming for people with off-farm employment. The position is very vague. Can the Minister inform us what are the guidelines for people who are not in permanent and pensionable employment and whose incomes from their jobs exceed their incomes from their small farms? The scheme is being operated slightly differently in various counties. I should like the Minister to issue some direct guidelines as to how a person could be eligible in what are known as exceptional circumstances.
I am not aware that the scheme is being operated differently in different areas but this is always a problem where you have human beings acting according to guidelines. It is very difficult to eliminate it. I will inquire into this and see if the Department are aware of the trouble, which has not been brought to my notice before.
I will not quote any particular case, but I know people whose employment income is in excess of their farm income but it is employment which may cease in two years time. It is neither permanent nor pensionable. So far they have not been okayed for the scheme. Some of them have written to the Department.
If the Deputy gives me a note of the cases he has in mind I will have them looked at.