asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of a proposal to provide Italy with up to 79 million units of account for the training and employment of agricultural advisers; and if he is of the opinion that Ireland should also obtain such aid in view of the relative resources of the Irish and Italian exchequers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Advisers.
33.
The reason for this Community aid in the case of Italy is to assist in the establishment of an agricultural advisory service. Such a service, of course, already exists in Ireland.
The aid to Italy was provided as part of a package of assistance measures for the Mediterranean areas of the Community. Some comparable assistance has already been provided for drainage in the west of Ireland and proposals for further assistance to the west are currently being considered by the EEC Commission.
Does the Minister of State agree that no aid is at present being given or proposed to be given for a general advisory service here and that Ireland's GNP per head is considerably lower than that of Italy and therefore it is wrong that Italy should be getting aid for an advisory service and that we, the poorer country, are not getting it?
That is just a repeat of the question on the Order Paper.
Why did the Minister agree to this in the absence of a similar proposal for Ireland?
There are proposals for the improvement of the infrastructure in the west. These proposals are before the Commission at present. As the Deputy is aware, we have already got commitment for drainage schemes in the west.
Would the Minister of State not agree that this aid to Italy is not confined to any particular part of Italy but is for the entire country and therefore aid, by analogy, should be available to the entire of this country and not just to the west? Is that no so?
That is the position.
Why then is Italy— which includes rich parts, namely northern Italy—getting aid for an advisory service for the whole country and we are getting nothing except for the west?
The greater portion of the allocation for Italy is going to the poorer regions. There is a much smaller portion of it going to the rest of the country.
The Minister of State has no guarantee of that. This allocation is to set up aid for the entire of Italy including their rich areas. We are getting nothing for the east of the country.