andMr. Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the reason for the delay in paying headage grants; and when all outstanding payments under the scheme will be made.
20.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Headage Grants.
19.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the reason for the delay in payment of cattle headage grants to farmers in the Recess area of Connemara, County Galway.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 20 together.
There has been no avoidable delay in making payments under the cattle headage grant schemes. Deputies will appreciate that there are some 90,000 participants in these schemes, that the amount of money involved is very substantial and that each application has to be carefully inspected and checked before being passed for payment. Everything possible is being done by my Department to expedite payments and it is expected that, apart from a small proportion requiring special investigation, the bulk of payments will be cleared within the next month or so.
Would the Minister explain why certain herd owners are being asked what pensions they are in receipt of and has this question any bearing on the delayed payment of their grants?
I simply do not know the answer to that supplementary. I am not aware they are being asked these questions.
Is the Minister aware that in a letter to me from his Department it was stated that the payments were made in the order in which they had been inspected and that people who were inspected first would be paid first? I have since discovered this is not so. Is the Minister aware that farmers who were inspected six weeks after their neighbours received payments ahead of their neighbours?
Payments and inspections are carried out on an area basis as far as possible to avoid any crossing over of cattle and cattle being counted twice.
In the case of adjoining neighbours, some received payment since Christmas and others have not received it yet.
People are very impatient about payments. They are not kept waiting unduly. I may have got them into a very bad habit.
It is not a question of a lack of patience but a question of great concern on the part of the farmers as to why the payment should be delayed. It is not departmental money, they say. It is an EEC scheme and they are entitled to it and, at this time of year, they need the money.
When I took office I had a backlog of two years to clear which I did clear.
Not on this scheme.
In the only grant payments schemes which existed.
This scheme was not there when the Minister took office. Would the Minister explain why those procedures which he has outlined are and have been abandoned completely by him when a by-election takes place?
That accusation has been made in this House previously and I gave facts and figures to prove that these assertions were totally untrue. If that is not accepted by the House I cannot do anything more for the House.
The Minister can say that and do the other thing.
Is the Minister aware that more complaints are coming to Deputies this year than ever before about delays in these payments? I am getting them every other day.
I agree with the Deputy. Because everybody seems to be expecting a general election I have stacks of letters that high from Deputies that I never had before about all sorts of things.
If the Minister sent down the money he would get fewer letters.
I do not go around looking for something for a general election. I do not give two hoots——
This is leading to argument. I am calling the next question.