asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement on the progress to date of the implementation of the farm modernisation scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
15.
Some 7,000 applications to participate in the scheme have been received from farmers. As the Deputy is aware, the advisory services are now co-operating in the operation of this and other EEC schemes. The processing of all applications, including the classification of farmers and preparation of farm development plans, can therefore, now proceed.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say how many instructors or advisers are actively involved in the processing of the 7,000 applications for assistance under the farm modernisation scheme and how long does it take to process each application as fully as possible.
I have not got that information which is rather detailed. I cannot say how long it will take to process individual applications.
On a point of order, Sir, I should like to draw to your attention that the question asked the Minister if a statement could be made on the progress to date of the scheme and, on a very simple and fair supplementary question, the Parliamentary Secretary refuses to give information on the grounds that he has not got it, that it is too comprehensive and too detailed. I want to register a protest and have it on the record.
The Chair has no control over these matters.
It is possibly on page 3 if the Parliamentary Secretary gets that far.
I assume that the time for processing applications would vary from farmer to farmer. I am not in a position to say whether it will take one day, two days or three days for an instructor to process an application. That information has never been given in the House.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say how many instructors and advisers are actively involved?
I have given the answer.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the Department were not ready to receive these applications?
No. The opposite is the case.
I have information to the effect that the Department were looking for them before the dispute was settled——
The Minister made it clear again and again that the Department are only too willing to accept applications——
They are not ready for them.
——and were during the strike.
Are any of these applications being processed in view of the fact that a great number of existing applications left over from the previous scheme are not yet completed, or paid for, or inspected?
I do not know of any applications left over from the previous scheme which are not paid for except applications where certification for payment was not forthcoming. Any work under the previous scheme where payments have been certified by the officers of the Department——
Would the Parliamentary Secretary explain what does he mean by "payments certified"? There is no such terminology.
We will have to pass on to the next question.
In my view there is. Payment of any grant must be certified.
If the scheme is certified and the job is done. I am talking about the jobs which are certified and not done and not due for payment.
I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to enlighten farmers who wished to participate in this scheme and who could not wait to be inspected and went ahead with some work in the early spring on silage layouts and items like that. How do they stand with regard to grants under this scheme?
I cannot answer that question but I know that all public schemes carry with them the stipulation—public schemes such as farm improvement works, land reclamation work, house building work—that the prior approval of the Department must be obtained.
That is not true.
It was there all the time Fianna Fáil were in office.
In view of the fact that this morass is not of the farmers' making, does the Parliamentary Secretary not consider that he has a certain responsibility to the farmers?
That responsibility will be met in full.
The Parliamentary Secretary is contradicting himself when he says that.
Next question.