asked the Minister for Agriculture the steps taken to improve farm incomes of smallholders residing on the Aran Islands and Inishbofin, County Galway.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Island Smallholders.
5.
I am wondering what motivated this question. As part of the Government's efforts to help farm incomes in handicapped areas such as the Aran Islands and Inisbofin, the following measures have been taken this year.
(1) headage grants on beef cows have been increased from £32 to £70 on the first eight and from £28 to £66 on the next 22 beef cows;
(2) headage grants on dairy cows have been increased by 25 per cent;
(3) as a result of the special EEC aid negotiated recently, the £32 and £28 rates under the cattle headage scheme are being increased to £50 and £44 for the 1986 scheme.
In addition, farmers on the islands mentioned are of course eligible for such grants as those under the farm improvement scheme to enable them to improve their holdings and so raise their incomes.
I am not so much interested in the Aran Islands as Sherkin and Cape Clear Island. Has the Minister any plans to restore the lime transport subsidy to these islands? He will agree that transport of lime to the islands means a substantial additional cost.
For some time I have been considering a request by Deputy Sheehan in reference to Bere Island. I will inform Deputy Walsh if I have any favourable views on this matter.
If the Minister looks at the files he will find representations from me as well.
(Limerick West): In relation to islands and mainlands in the west, a number of schemes are being operated by the Department but they are not suitable to the needs of the particular areas. Would the Minister consider amending the schemes to suit particular needs?
We are on dry land now.
Apart from the points I referred to in my reply, no special aid is available for farmers on offshore islands. It would create a terrible problem for the commission who would not be dealing just with two islands but with a couple of thousand islands in Greece alone. We do not have any national funds available to initiate any funded schemes for the islands.
Under the 1954 Fertilisers Act would the Minister consider putting extra money into the Estimate in the coming year?
The Estimates are being discussed at present and I am not in a position to say what the outcome will be.