asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will confirm that farmers with net asset values of up to £200,000 were given aid under the rescue package for farmers in severe financial difficulty; the number of farmers in the scheme with net assets of (a) up to £50,000, (b) £50,000 to £100,000, (c) £100,000 to £200,000 and the average net asset position of participants; the number of participants in the scheme with (a) up to 50 acres of land, (b) 50 to 100 acres, (c) over 100 acres, and the average farm size of participants; if he will explain the basis for his statement made in the Dáil on 14 May 1985, that 50 per cent of the participants can be made viable without further assistance and about 15 per cent of the participants are unlikely to recover viability even if the scheme is extended; if he will state the average net asset value of the other 35 per cent of participants in the scheme; and whether it is intended to introduce a new or extended scheme for this 35 per cent.
Written Answers. - Rescue Package for Farmers.
The scheme is confined to farmers with net assets of up to £200,000 and is administered by the associated banks and the ACC. Detailed information of the kind requested by the Deputy is not readily available to me but a survey carried out by my Department on a small sample of participants indicated that, of the participants sampled: 20 per cent had net assets between £150,000 and £200,000; 35 per cent had net assets between £100,000 and £150,000; 45 per cent had net assets under £100,000; 65 per cent had farms under 100 acres, and 35 per cent had farms of 100 acres or over.
A recent survey by ACOT indicated that 50 per cent of participating farmers could be made viable without further assistance and that 15 per cent are unlikely to regain viability even with the aid of an extended scheme. Information on the average net asset value of the remaining 35 per cent is not available.
As already announced the scheme is being extended for a year for those participants who require the extension to attain viability. The selection of participants to benefit from the extension will be solely a matter for the associated banks and the ACC.