asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of applicants in each county who qualified for grant aid for farm buildings under the calf to beef scheme and under the aid for western counties scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Buildings Aid.
2.
Mr. Leonard
The information requested is set out in a tabular statement which I propose to circulate with the official report.
Following is the statement:
Programme for Western Development
|
County |
Scheme for the Orientation of Agricultural Production |
|
No. of approvals issued up to 31 May 1983 |
|
|
Cavan |
1 |
|
Clare |
1 |
|
Cork |
— |
|
Donegal |
— |
|
Galway |
— |
|
Kerry |
2 |
|
Leitrim |
— |
|
Limerick |
— |
|
Longford |
6 |
|
Mayo |
— |
|
Monaghan |
9 |
|
Roscommon |
11 |
|
Sligo |
3 |
|
Total |
33 |
Mr. Leonard
One could hazard a guess that it is a very small figure for each county. Would the Minister agree that the Programme for Western Development has not been implemented as envisaged, because it appeared on its accouncement that it would have transformed the twelve western counties? Would he agree that instead it has been rendered so restrictive between its qualifying limits and method of operation that very few do qualify?
I am sorry, Deputy Leonard, that supplementary does not arise out of the question.
Mr. Leonard
With all due respect, a Cheann Comhairle, that would be one of the first questions to be asked on one of the most important subjects with regard to the £300 million Programme for Western Development. I should be given an opportunity to ask the Minister whether he agrees with its system of operation. It is only fair that we should do so at a time when the farm modernisation scheme has been withdrawn, while there is an opportunity afforded within the limits of the western counties scheme for facilitating many of those farm modernisation scheme applicants who fell by the wayside. I would ask you, Sir, to give the Minister an opportunity to make a comment on the questions I have asked.
Of course it is important, but Question No. 2 is a statistical question and that supplementary could not arise on it. Yesterday we got through 11 agricultural questions in an hour. As Ceann Comhairle I do not think that that is in the interests of all Members of the House, particularly the Opposition, because it is diminishing Question Time to something of a farce.
Mr. Leonard
With all due respect, a Cheann Comhairle, would you not agree that on other occasions when there were statistical questions people asked the Minister to pick out some of the figures in the table. I did not do that. I just asked him whether he was satisfied with the method of operation, whether it met the demands of that area. I would ask that he be given an opportunity to comment because I know he is very concerned about that scheme for those counties.
The Chair can decide in only two ways. He can either appeal to the commonsense and co-operation of the Deputy and get things running smoothly or he can let Deputies reduce proceedings to a farce and insist they operate the farce in an orderly way.