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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 9 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 5

Other Questions. - Literacy Levels.

Austin Deasy

Ceist:

11 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his Department takes any cognisance of the significant degree of illiteracy in the country which amounted to 24% of the population in the age groups 16 to 65 years as found in the international adult literacy survey and which diminishes the ability of a considerable number of people to complete application forms for grants and headage payments; and if his Department will make a special effort to help those who due to their low literacy level do not fill in forms correctly and are disqualified from receiving these moneys. [26496/99]

Low literacy levels pose difficulties for citizens in accessing information on and availing of their entitlements. This problem is not unique to the schemes operated by my Department. I and the staff of my Department are aware that low levels of literacy may pose an obstacle to some farmers in establishing the precise requirements of some schemes, but I am not aware that literacy contributes to the occurrence of disallowances or penalties. The matter is being kept under review and if particular initiatives can be identified to assist in this area, which will not compromise financial probity in disbursement of public funds, I will take the necessary action.

Analysis of disallowances and penalties incurred over the past four years has shown that the single biggest factor giving rise to penalties is the late submission of applications. The percentage of penalties arising from late submission of applications over this period has ranged from 63.7%, which is 1.4% of total applications, to 79.3%, which is 2.0% of total applications. My Department has been actively involved in recent years in simplifying, as far as possible, the application forms used in connection with the various schemes for direct payments to farmers. Help sheets and checklists, which set out the main requirements in simple straightforward terms, are also provided to assist in correct completion of application forms. The simplified documentation should be of particular benefit to those with literacy problems.

The application forms and information leaflets are reviewed annually prior to issue in consultation with the main farming organisations. This has been done under the auspices of the Charter of Rights for Farmers Review Group and will continue to be done, as committed to in my Department's customer service action plan. In the past, reviews have concentrated on simplifying the forms and reducing to a minimum the amount of information required to support an application. Particular attention is paid to matters that gave rise to a significant level of errors or confusions in the previous years applications.

Officials of my Department are becoming increasingly involved in participating in information meetings and seminars around the country, in conjunction with the farming organisations, to improve farmer awareness and understanding of scheme requirements.

Additional Information

This process will be continued and a series of public information meetings to explain the detailed changes arising from the Agenda 2000 package and to answer farmers questions are planned in conjunction with Teagasc, commencing in January. Full details of these meetings will be published in the national and local media. I urge any farmer with literacy difficulties to avail of this opportunity to hear the changes explained and clarified.

Teagasc has the important remit of providing advisory, educational and training services to farmers and I again urge farmers to use this facility if they have difficulty in understanding the scheme requirements or selecting the options to maximise their entitlements. It is my intention to explore the possibility of Teagasc taking a more active role in advising farmers on scheme requirements.

I remind any farmers who have difficulty in understanding the requirements of a scheme or in completing an application form that assistance and advice is available from the local offices of my Department. If a farmer needs assistance or clarification of the requirements of a scheme, he or she should not hesitate about contacting their local office where the officials will be only too happy to assist and advise them.

Does the Minister agree that the figure quoted in the survey is alarming and gives considerable cause for concern? As he stated, it probably extends to other schemes as well. I have no doubt it extends to the family income supplement where there is less than 50% uptake. The Minister said that many application forms arrive late. That could also be linked to illiteracy. People are inclined to put things on the long finger which they cannot easily address. Will the Minister ask his officials to help people who have filled in forms incorrectly? Will he ensure they are sent back to the people who applied so they know they have made a mistake and help them to fill them out properly so that they will not be disqualified? Will the Minister set up such a mechanism in the Department?

This problem manifests itself in different ways, in penalties and disallowances. In many cases, people make innocent errors. They do not set out to defraud the system. The staff of the Department have the best will in the world and they are as helpful as they can possibly be. There is a plethora of complex schemes. More than one million individual payments must be processed each year and there are different deadlines and advance amounts. As regards the REP scheme and the early retirement scheme, spot checks and EU audits are carried out, so everything must be done correctly. One would need additional resources. An EU official addressed one of the statutory committees of the House recently and he said Ireland had one of the most simple forms compared to other member states. I am continuously looking for ways to address this problem. I have asked Teagasc and its advisory network to help out.

I am glad this question was tabled because it is a problem I come across on a regular basis in my constituency. Teagasc charges farmers to fill in their forms. The Department should ensure that someone is employed in each Teagasc office to assist people who have literacy problems. This should be advertised on local radio and in the national and local newspapers so that people know a confidential service is available.

The Deputy should be brief and he should ask the Minister a question.

This is a serious issue. The Department sends out the area aid forms on a yearly basis. However, if the Department makes a mistake or there is a change in a map, the forms will be sent back. Some people can barely sign their names, let alone read the forms. It is time the Minister looked at ways to assist these people in a compassionate way so they are not embarrassed. The person employed to help would be a busy person.

I am aware of the problem. Like other Deputies, people call to my clinics with the same difficulties. I made additional financial resources available to Teagasc a couple of months ago for the farm register. There will be a round of meetings with Department officials and Teagasc early in the new year which will be widely advertised on local radio and in the newspapers. The solution would be for someone to sit down with applicants in a non-intimidatory way in the local Teagasc office if we had adequate financial resources and personnel.

They should be made available.

Approximately 50% of farmers' incomes and more in some cases come from direct supports. It is important for the Department to assist them in every possible way.

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