asked the Minister for Agriculture whether statistics of herds obtained under the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication scheme are made available to investigating officers of the Department of Social Welfare; and if not, if he will give an unqualified assurance that such statistics will remain confidential.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Statistics of Cattle Herds.
25.
The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. My Department has always treated these statistics as strictly confidential, and will continue to do so.
Will the Minister ensure that the officers of the Department of Social Welfare will not ask in their investigations for the production of these statistics and will be also realise that, unless he does so, some of the farmers will refuse to have the whole of their herds brought under this scheme and will he appreciate how great the consequences of that would be?
Only two cases have been reported to me in which this happened and immediately we got in touch with the Department of Social Welfare and indicated to them what I have stated in my reply to the Deputy. We are in fact writing to the Department concerned but they have informed me in conversation that no instruction is issued by that Department to the investigation officers in such matters and that in fact the investigating officer is given the task of investigating the means of the applicant. That is the attitude of the Department immediately concerned with this but I have written to them asking them to regard this matter in the manner in which we in the Department of Agriculture regard it.
Apparently, the Minister for Health is taking on the Department of Agriculture as well as the Irish Medical Association.