asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will remove a serious anomaly from the regulations governing installation aid to young farmers, an anomaly whereby, in the case where a farmer divides his holding containing an intensive unit between two sons, handing on to one son the intensive unit and a small portion of the holding, the remainder of the holding going to the other son, neither son qualifies for aid because of the method used for apportioning the man work units.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Installation Aid for Young Farmers.
16.
Following a recent amendment in the scheme of installation aid for young farmers the labour requirement for protected intensive horticultural enterprises of the type described by the Deputy is now calculated solely on the basis of the horticultural enterprise. The position of other intensive enterprises is under consideration.
Arising from the Minister's reply and on a general query, as far as I can see that installation aid scheme — important though it undoubtedly is — is virtually breaking down. Would the Minister confirm to the House that, because he has not enough agricultural inspectors to call on the various ACOT offices — it appears there are only four for the entire country — there is a huge logjam throughout the country and that is one of the reasons the scheme is being held up for a year or two years?
The question from Deputy Cotter relates specifically to what are termed "intensive units of production" and not generally. I should like to tell the Deputy that there is no basis for his statement generally even if it does not relate to this question.
That is nonsense.
In respect of split holdings either in horticulture or other intensive enterprises of production we are making very significant progress with the Commission and I hope it will work out to the advantage of the producers concerned.
Would the Minister agree that it is important that this would be proceeded with all possible haste because in counties such as Cavan and Monaghan where there are fairly extensive units of both poultry and mushrooms on reasonably small holdings there should be an incentive for two to remain on the holding? Up to now that was not so, with the result that only one could qualify and only one man could remain on the holding. It is very important that this would be brought in as quickly as possible.
I agree with the Deputy. Because it is my view that for intensive production of any nature — not just horticulture but poultry, pig production or whatever — the same relaxation should occur on the labour unit requirement, I have advanced those discussions with the Commission and I hope that I will soon be able to tell the Deputy and others that we have achieved the result he suggests.
I will take some brief questions from Deputies Hogan and Connor.
If we assume that the Minister would look favourably upon qualification for installation aid for those farmers, how long could those farmers expect to wait until payment is made to them?
As the Deputy will be aware, we have managed to persuade the Commission of the European Community in this, and in other instances, to pay the major proportion of these grants. When the European Commission are paying the major proportion of grants — in some cases 100 per cent — then we have to satisfy their requirements. Whenever they are satisfied I can assure the Deputy that the payments will issue as quickly as possible.
Some are taking two years.
Order, a final question from Deputy Connor.
The Minister is very enthusiastic about the scheme but he should not be——
A question, please.
——because anybody would realise that it is full of the most idiotic trip ups which are disqualifying many young farmers because they have not commenced their course at a certain time and so on.
Deputy Connor is continuing to make statements.
I would ask the Minister to take up these matters with the Commission to ensure that these idiotic and highly irriating bureaucracy are removed from it and that it is made more appropriate to the Irish situation.
I want to tell the Deputy, though this is extending the question out into installation aid generally——
It is embarrassing.
It does not embarrass me at all. Even at the last council meeting we did exactly what the Deputy is suggesting.
How successfully?
Very successfully.
It remains to be seen.
The Minister mentioned installation grants, split holdings and making progress in relation to the EC. What will apply to the young farmers who have been rejected because of that criteria? Will retrospective consideration be given to them?
We have always underlined the fact that where they fail to qualify under existing regulations they should not be penalised when the regulation is changed to their advantage and I will endeavour to ensure that that will be the case.