(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of herdowners in the disadvantaged areas in this country who are debarred from headage payments because of the off-farm income rule.
Written Answers. - Restriction of Headage Payments.
79.
It is impossible to give a precise answer to this question as farmers drop out of the disadvantaged areas schemes for a variety of reasons other than disqualification under the off-farm income rule. My Department estimate, however, that some 12,000 applicants are debarred from the schemes by that rule.
80.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Agriculture arising out of the off-farm income rule applied in this country to headage payments under the disadvantaged areas schemes, if he will indicate; (a) the other member states, if any, which apply similar rules restricting the normal payment of headage; and (b) the outline of these rules in any member state in which such rules may be applied.
I refer the Deputy to my reply of 22 October 1986 to a similar question from Deputy Donal Moynihan in which I stated that seven other member states restricted headage payments to part-time farmers on the basis of a variety of rules the outlines of which were given in that reply.