asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware that cattle headage and sheep subsidy payments are held up where farmers applied for both; and the reason for the delay.

Payments have not been held up by my Department where eligible participants apply for grants under both schemes. No such applicant may, however, receive grants in excess of the equivalent of £10 per acre of the forage area of his holding including rough grazing. Checks made by my Department in this connection do not involve any delay in the clearance of payments which are otherwise in order.

Would the Minister let the people concerned know, when they get their payment of the subsidy or the headage grant, the reason for the difference between what they expected and what they got when the two grants were combined and not put the people to the trouble of wondering when they will get the rest?

When they raise the query they always get an answer.

Why should they have to go to the trouble of raising a query?

The scheme is widely publicised.

It is not and the Minister knows it.

There are only four grants in the county that are not paid.

A lot of them were left without what they were entitled to.