asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries when it is expected that grants for commercial sized glasshouses will again be available.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Glasshouse Grants.
21.
As the position arising because of the high level of expected expenditure in the current financial year on grants already approved under the scheme in relation to the funds available to my Department is still under review, I am not yet in a position to indicate when further applications for grants can be approved.
Is the Minister aware that large combines from England are ready to buy all the tomatoes we can supply if we can ensure continuity? There are large supermarket operators prepared to do this and in view of the fact that these grants have been cut off at this stage surely it is not conducive to the advancement of the industry?
I would not say they have been cut off; they may have been curtailed because of the fact that the total overall provision made at the beginning of the five year period, which was announced as being the term for the scheme, was exceeded quite considerably some time ago, despite the fact that we are only in the third year of the five year term. There was a greater uptake of the grants than could have been foreseen or was provided for. My problem and the problem of the Government is how far further financially we may go in providing grants on the basis on which they have been available, or on some altered basis, for the next couple of years which will give us the five year spread.
Would the Minister agree that the greater uptake is because of the demand for tomatoes, fruit and vegetables from abroad and that the egg and the chicken came to show those grants were the right thing?
We have to remember that there is at the moment glass areas that have not yet come into production, which have been sponsored or initiated as a result of these grants, and the produce of which will come on the market next season, and about which we would need to know somewhat more, before we go a further distance too quickly. We are having the matter looked at as it is an important feature.
Having regard to the large expenditure put into this grant system and having regard to the number of Irish combines which have got together and put large areas under glass to the detriment of the small farmer would the Minister not consider reviewing the grant system completely?
Certainly one revision is very necessary and that is that £500,000 was provided and we have already paid out £800,000. This in itself calls for revision and is one of the reasons why I have replied as I did to this question. Further applications must be looked at in the light of the whole circumstances of the scheme, its effects on production, markets and prices and on the economics of tomato-growing to those in the trade as well as in respect of people in the future. All these factors must be taken into consideration.
There is no means test in connection with the payment of the grant?
That may well come into it. It need not necessarily be a means test but may be related to the scale of operation.