asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will outline the overall progress made to date in the implementation of the farm modernisation scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Modernisation Scheme.
13.
The initial difficulties in regard to the responsibilities of the staffs and the organisation of the work involved in the operation of the scheme have been satisfactorily overcome.
Up to the end of September some 14,000 applications to participate in the scheme had been received and the processing of these is now well in hand.
It is extraordinary that we cannot get anything processed. Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the trouble the advisers responsible for processing such applications are experiencing is to get farmers who qualify? Very few farmers qualify this year because of the fall in agricultural prices. Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of this because it is the problem in every county.
So far as qualification for the different groups is concerned that is a matter to be determined by the CAO of each county. The number of applications we had by 30th September was 14,246 and that is reasonably good. As the Deputy is aware the dispute with the Agricultural Officers Organisation did create a delay but now that that has been settled the instructors are getting on with the work.
The Parliamentary Secretary is aware that everybody has to be classified to obtain a grant with the result that the application counts for nothing. It is the processing of these applications that we are interested in.
It is the job of the CAOs to ensure that each application is processed properly.
Is it the intention of the Parliamentary Secretary to instruct CAOs to take into account the big drop in income this year?
They will take all factors into account. The Deputy seems to be feeling rather gleeful about the drop in income this year. The drop in income has been explained by the Minister, and the Government is taking appropriate action to overcome this drop.
Such as?
Such as the action indicated by the Minister when he replied to Questions last week. Had the Deputy read his newspaper, or obtained the news from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, he would be aware of the action being taken.
The farmers that was intended for are not able to buy newspapers.