First, I congratulate Deputy Joe Walsh on his appointment as Minister for Agriculture and Food and wish him every success in his new portfolio.
I am quite sure the Minister will be well aware of the problems that I am about to raise. Coming from a disadvantaged area in west Cork he knows about the problems of the farmers. Farmers are renowned for their patience and delays do not normally cause them concern. In recent times, however, farmers' incomes depend on cattle headage payments, beef suckler cow and ewe premiums and all the other grants. They depend on grants this year more than ever because of the decline in the price of cattle which occurred last November and December. Small farmers in disadvantaged areas are in particular need.
I raise the matter here this evening because of the large number of farmers I represent who were not paid before Christmas. Quite a number of farmers were paid, but unfortunately the majority of them have not been paid yet. The farming community need the money, particularly at Christmas time. They were promised before Christmas that at least 90 per cent of the farmers' grants would be paid, but unfortunately they were not.
I believe that the fault lies with the Department of Agriculture and Food here in Dublin. I am not merely blaming the new Minister or the former Minister. From inquiries I have made it appears that the delay occurred in the computer section because of a lack of staff. I ask the Minister to look into the matter. I have received information from the local office in Sligo that 87 per cent of all payments were sent from that office by 20 December 1989 and that is the reason I blame someone here in Dublin in the Department of Agriculture and Food.
As far as I am concerned, the issue is extremely important. I have been contacted by several constituents, some of them elderly, who complain that because their headage application forms were filled incorrectly they are to lose their suckler cow grant and beef premium. I ask the Minister here tonight to do everything he can to make sure that those farmers are paid. I appeal to the Minister, a new Minister, to ensure that in future all farmers will if at all possible be paid their grants, cattle headage grants in particular, before Christmas. The money is needed before Christmas, that is why so many people have contacted me.