asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will consider increasing the income limit for off-farm employment and take into consideration the family size of applicants applying for sheep headage payments.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sheep Headage Grants.
14.
The conditions for the 1983 headage schemes cannot be altered at this stage. As regards the 1984 schemes, I will remind the Deputy of the serious Exchequer situation.
This relates to headage payments, particularly having regard to the problem in the Cooley peninsula, the small part of our county which is included in the disadvantaged areas. The off-farm income limit has been decreased from £5,500 to £3,500 if he is a single person. If he is married with five or six children, the limit is £5,500. The implications are obvious. An applicant with £3,500 from off-farm employment would not get any headage for the sheep he would rear on the holding.
It does not apply just to the Cooley Peninsula. There are a few people in my constituency from whom I get a bit of stick occasionally. I take the point the Deputy made about the circumstances of people who have been affected. It is not an easy problem when one is dealing with a generalised scheme. I will bear the Deputy's point in mind.
(Limerick West): In view of the constraints, does the Minister appreciate the importance that off-farm employment is playing in the national economy?
I will have a look at the whole concept of the cutbacks in regard to off-farm income limits. It has been pointed out to me that a farmer with considerable assets benefits under the headage scheme whereas the forestry worker or other low paid employee does not qualify for similar headage grants. It seems to be inequitable but such schemes have to conform to a general pattern and therefore it would be difficult to create the variations which we would like to create. I will be looking at that aspect.