asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will increase the grants under the western package and farm modernisation schemes for farm buildings, to the same level as the new farm improvement scheme.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Grants.
13.
Grant rates for buildings and fixed assets other than storage facilities for slurry and silage are the same under the programme for western development, the farm improvement programme and the farm modernisation scheme known as the FMS.
The grant rates for silage and slurry storage facilities under the FMS are somewhat lower than under the two programmes. In view of the limited financial resources available it is not possible to increase the FMS grant rates to the higher levels.
Does the Minister not think it a complete discrimination against western farmers that they cannot avail of the same type of grants as farmers in other parts of the country, especially given a ceiling of £12,000 for investment in the western package? In one district in Galway on which I checked very recently 21 applicants out of 160 could not obtain the same rate of grants or change to the new scheme because of the red tape written into these schemes? Would the Minister take it upon himself to get these schemes changed and have some flexibility introduced into them to allow the same advantages to western farmers?
There is a plethora of grants available at the moment and I shall not inflict the entire list on the House now. One would want to be a computer to think of all of them. I think the Deputy is referring to the fact that under the farm improvement programme, that is, the new national scheme, there is now a maximum grant of 45 per cent for farmers wanting to build silage and slurry storage facilities. Under the western package until recently the maximum grant stood at 25 per cent. I have now increased that to 45 per cent also under the western package. What appear to be left are the relatively small number of people who are locked into the farm development scheme under the farm modernisation scheme and, because of the conditions laid down by Brussels for the new national farm improvement programme, they were not able to switch over. Briefly, the farmer who was involved under the old scheme prior to our introducing the new farm improvement programme must stay with that scheme until the job is completed. I presume that is what the Deputy is referring to. I want to put on the record of the House that, numerically speaking, those people form a very small proportion of the total eligible applicants under any scheme for grant aid in the west.
I have already given the Minister the number of 21 out of 160 applicants who cannot avail of the new scheme. One applicant of whom I know is willing to give back the miserly £150 he got for a cattle crush under the western package in order to be allowed to change to the new scheme. I know there are some flaws in the new scheme, but it is better than the very bad way in which farmers are being treated at present. As a person from the west, the Minister should make sure that the western farmers will not be further discriminated against.
I acknowledge that these farmers have problems——
I regret, Minister, that I must move on to priority questions.
I have a very similar question down.
I shall have the matter further investigated.
I am moving on to priority questions.
My question is very similar to this.
I have control over this matter and I am going to exercise it.
I am very disappointed that the Minister is being denied the opportunity to answer my question.
I did not get very much co-operation in the last hour.