Vol. 389 No. 2
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the present survey of disadvantaged areas is completed, if he intends to make available the findings to the farming organisations; and the plans he has to accommodate farmers who feel they have been discriminated against before the case is presented to Brussels.
39.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the Touraneena/Ballinamult area of County Waterford is being assessed for inclusion in the disadvantaged areas scheme; if so, if it has been assessed; and, if not, when it will be assessed.
43.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the method used by his Department to determine (a) the areas which are being surveyed for the reclassification of disadvantaged areas, (b) the total number of farms to be surveyed and (c) if the summarised results will be made available to the public.
53.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the Offaly survey results for inclusion under Directive 265 sent to his Department on behalf of the Slieve Bloom disadvantaged area which includes land in Counties Laois and Offaly; whether he agrees that (a) incomes from small drystock farms are low, (b) subsidies are essential if the rural population engaged in farming are to be maintained in the area, and (c) in Offaly parts of the Slieve Bloom area are classified as severely disadvantaged and other areas along the Shannon and Little Brosna Rivers to a lesser degree; if he agrees with the findings that (1) the percentage of land under tillage is 4.1 per cent, (2) the stock rate of 0.85 livestock unit per hectare or one livestock unit per 2.9 acres, (3) the population density is 14.2 persons per square kilometre, (4) the percentage in agriculture is 71.5 per cent and (5) the family income per farm is £4,125; whether the area falls within the criteria for qualification as a disadvantaged area; the steps he proposes to take on behalf of the small farming community involved; when the result of his decision will be conveyed to the relevant committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
91.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will agree to the establishment of a system which allows farmers and their representative organisations a right of appeal and a system of review in relation to the current survey work being undertaken with regard to the extension of the disadvantaged areas scheme, such as is permitted in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
92.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his officials will be sufficiently flexible in the analysis of the surplus relating to the extension of the disadvantaged areas schemes to ensure that in townlands subject to ribbon housing development in towns or villages, such developments will not be included in arriving at figures on population density; and if, in relation to livestock units per hectare, there will be any flexibility in relation to average livestock units between land holdings in adjacent townlands within similar district electoral divisions.
I propose taking Questions Nos. 2, 39, 43, 53, 91 and 92 together.
The areas being surveyed by my Department are the townlands which local groups, the farming organisations and individual farmers have submitted for survey. The first, third, fifth, seventh and so on farms shown in my Department's list of registered herdowners for each townland are being visited so that some 50 per cent of all farms selected in this completely random way will be surveyed. About 35,000 farms in all will be surveyed.
The survey should be completed by next October and the results analysed immediately it is completed so that the areas found suitable for reclassification or inclusion in the disadvantaged areas can be submitted to the EC Commission before the end of 1989. At an appropriate time following that submission the general findings of the survey in the form of the list of areas to be reclassified or designated as disadvantaged for the first time will be made public.
Turning next to the question of flexibility, I will say simply that the criteria for classification are set out clearly by the EC in relation to both population density and stocking rates and that they do not permit flexibility along the lines suggested.
As for an appeal system and disclosure of survey results let me say that this survey is being carried out fairly and impartially by the staff of my Department without any discrimination for or against any particular areas or farmers. A huge area of the country representing one-quarter of our total utilised agricultural area is being surveyed — 1.7 million hectares in all or over four million acres. We can do the survey swiftly, cleanly and efficiently, therefore, and submit the results to the Government and the EC Commission before the end of the year by following the pattern set during previous surveys or we can follow a new scenario of disclosures and appeals and have the present survey slowed down considerably. All Deputies will accept that I should not go down that road in the interests of getting this survey completed and put into effect as soon as is humanly possible.
Finally, as regards the specific areas mentioned, agricultural officers of my Department have completed the first part of the survey of Touraneena-Ballinamult in County Waterford and the Slieve Bloom in Counties Offaly and Laois and Land Commission inspectors will complete the second part of the survey of those areas in July to October 1989 as planned.
Would the Minister include cereal farmers in the disadvantaged areas scheme? I believe that the outcome of this latest review will decide the future of thousands of farmers and whether or not they will remain in agriculture. I want to ask the Minister if he could facilitate people who might have a grievance after the review is completed and accommodate people who may find fault with the review.
I know the Deputy, like all other Deputies, is anxious to ensure that this matter is completed quickly. If, as I indicated, one introduces now what I might call a review procedure in respect of each case, I would have to say honestly that such a review would not be completed for years and the whole scheme would be held up. Subject to that, I can only assure the Deputy and everybody else concerned, that in view of the nature of the sampling survey which, as I indicated, is very comprehensive and extends throughout the country, all of these matters will be taken fully into account. As the Deputy is aware, already over the course of the last two years I have met so many different groups, deputations and farmers from all these areas that I think it is unlikely any individual will be disadvantaged, certainly not deliberately.
