asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of advisers in agriculture and horticulture employed by the County Committees of Agriculture in June 1977; and the number at present employed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural and Horticultural Advisers.
22.
In June 1977 there were 408 instructors in agriculture and 82 instructors in horticulture employed by county committees of agriculture. The current figures for the same posts are 420 and 84 respectively.
The Minister will agree that does not represent anything like the improvement that was promised? The main criticism all the time was that these officers were occupied in carrying out the modernisation scheme and a couple of hundred more should be employed. What has the Minister done?
We have begun by preparing legislation which will, I hope, be before the House in a short time, legislation for the reorganisation of the advisory services as was contemplated in the now extinct NAA. That involved considerable delay in the establishment of a new advisory and training council which will be established under the new Bill.
It has nothing to do with the employment of the extra instructors that were promised.
The undesirable features, let us say, of the NAA Bill have to be put behind us and a new advisory and training council has to be set up instead.
The Minister is putting the clock back ten years.
The Deputy will have some other complaint before the end of the year. In the meantime, I am glad to say, we have made some progress in the provision of extra instructors since the former Government withdrew from office.
The Minister has welched on this as he has welched on all the other promises he made.
Deputy Clinton is in a very prickly mood today. I am surprised at him.