Deputy Blaney received permission to raise on the Adjournment the question of alternative methods of distributing outstanding headage grant payments during the present postal dispute. Deputy Blaney has not more than 20 minutes.
Adjournment Debate. - Headage Grant Payments.
I will take very much less than 20 minutes. The promise made that all outstanding payments would be completed before the end of March might have been fulfilled were it not for the unfortunate postal dispute. Unfortunately that dispute is still with us and has been for a long time. The number of payments still outstanding may seem small having regard to the total volume of the figures, but to each person who is still awaiting his few hundred pounds, or more as the case may be, this long delay is very important. This is particularly the case in regard to payments under the maximum of £400 to the smaller members of the farming community. Although not very much spring work has been done because of the weather, nevertheless seeds, fertilisers, and so on, have to be purchased and those few pounds would be of exceptional use to the people who are awaiting these outstanding payments.
We must presume that were it not for the postal dispute all these payments would have been made by the end of March. I can only assume that the cheques or pay orders must be ready and waiting to be sent out as soon as there is clearance for posting. Unfortunately we still do not know how long the delay may be. Would it not be possible to send to each BTE office the appropriate headage payment grants outstanding in the area and put an advertisement in the papers for a day or two saying that those who have not yet received their payments should come and get them at the BTE office?
This is necessary and it should be done. I do not think there is any reason why we should not do it. I hope the Minister will consider that suggestion or any alternative suggestion. The Minister and the Department may be able to devise a more useful or likely arrangement, or a more convenient arrangement for all concerned. So long as it has the effect of distributing these grants to those who have not yet been paid, and so long as it is done quickly, I do not mind how it is done.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by Deputy Blaney and I greatly regret that farmers, in the west in particular, have to suffer as a result of the postal dispute in so far as they cannot get the headage grants to which they are entitled. This is beyond the control of the Department and is deeply regretted. It has not been feasible to post approved grant payments in the ordinary manner to participants in the cattle headage scheme, or to arrange delivery of payments to them since the postal difficulties began. Such grants will, of course, be posted out when the postal difficulties have ended.
In view of the fact that it has been represented to the Department that non-payment of grants may be causing hardship in some cases, the Department have arranged that, where a participant in the scheme gives advance notice of not less than 24 hours to the headage scheme division of the Department at Setanta Centre——
I am sorry. The sound is still bad. I did not quite catch that.
In view of the fact that it has been represented to the Department that non-payment of grants may be causing hardship in some cases, the Department has arranged that, where a participant in the scheme gives advance notice of not less than 24 hours to the headage scheme division of the Department at Setanta Centre, that the participant will call in person to the office to collect the payment, or will provide a written authorisation to the Department to make the payment on his behalf to a named person who will call to the office, payment can be made.
The Department must, of course, be fully satisfied as to the identity of the participant who calls to collect the payment or, in the case of a person who calls with an authorisation that the authorisation was, in fact, given by the participant. These precautions are fundamental in the making of payments out of State funds.
At present, 20,000 pay orders are in the accounts division, ready for delivery. Approximately 69,000 have been cleared for payment. That is the position. This is all we can do to advance the payment of these grants. We cannot go any further than that.
May I——
Just one question, please.
This is for clarification. I do not want to add anything to what I have said. Am I right in thinking that, arising out of the 24 hours' notice, there will be a two-stage effort? What is the person to do?
If a person who is entitled to a grant wants to collect it he can give 24 hours' notice to the headage payments section at Setanta House——
Where?
Setanta House, Nassau Street, Dublin.
How are people in the country in a position to do that?
Some people do it by getting their Deputy or somebody else who is in Dublin to call to Setanta House. If the caller has an authorisation from the applicant, the grant can be paid out to that caller.
Assuming that notice is given, what happens then under the formula given by the Minister? Where is it collectable?
The grant is collectable in Dublin.
Why is it not possible to utilise the Department's other offices for this purpose? I agree that the authorisation has to be authenticated.
I appreciate Deputy Blaney's point, but one must have regard to the staff problem as regards strikebreaking at the local offices. That is something we could not risk.
What is the difference between breaking it out there and breaking it through the Department's subsidiaries?
We cannot have question and answer.
I think the arrangement made will satisfy most people.
If the people who are unfortunately on strike regarded this as a relief of hardship—and there are hardship cases—would that alter the Minister's mode of operation?
I am sure it would, if we could have a guarantee that a picket would not be put on the local offices.
How many are outstanding?
I would not have the overall figures.
What are they roughly?
They are in different stages. We have 20,000 pay orders in the accounts division ready to go out. There are 69,000 cleared on their way to the accounts division.
But not there yet?
Not yet.
So there are 89,000 still not paid.
The Dáil adjourned at 8.42 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 26 April 1979.