andMr. MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the number of applications which his Department has received directly under the farm modernisation scheme; the number received from the county committees of agriculture; the number of officers in his Department who are available to process these applications; and the number of applications processed so far.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
11.
Up to yesterday 302 applications under the farm modernisation scheme have been received directly by my Department. In addition, 450 have been sent on by county committees of agriculture and the names and addresses of a further 134 applicants were forwarded by one committee.
At this stage, processing of applications is confined to examination of investment proposals with a view to enabling farmers to proceed with urgent works.
This work is being undertaken at present by the field staff of the farm development service which totals 452.
Every farmer whose application reaches the Department will be visited with the minimum of delay.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary inform the House how many committees of agriculture have co-operated with the Department in this scheme?
Committees of agriculture have examined 450 and addresses of a further 134 applicants were forwarded by one committee. I have not the names of the committees who sent on the applications.
It was two last week and it is probably one more this week.
We are hopeful that all committees will co-operate with the Department in the implementation of this scheme. The Minister wrote to the chairmen of the committees seeking their co-operation in this regard. In my view it is of great advantage to farmers to participate in this scheme. I hope that the scheme will proceed smoothly and efficiently and that is what the Department is trying to achieve.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary is not telling us that if all the committees forwarded applications his Department would be in a position to process them without the advisory services? The dispute must be settled.
We are proceeding with the scheme. The Minister has assured farmers that if they send in their applications to the Department they will be dealt with expeditiously.
I do not know how the Parliamentary Secretary can seriously make that statement because we all know that this scheme is held up and that only two or three county committees of agriculture are co-operating with the Minister. What is happening with regard to the many applications which have not reached the Department?
As the Minister has stated, any farmer is entitled to send his application directly to the Department where it will be dealt with expeditiously.
The Parliamentary Secretary, in making that statement, is asking the farmers to by-pass their advisers, their friends who have been working with them for many years, because the Minister is not man enough to come out and settle the dispute which has been dragging on too long.
The Deputy's party were the cause of it.
Deputy Esmonde is too long in Dublin and, consequently, I believe he is out of touch.
I know enough about the position.