asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the amount of the increase per gallon of milk paid to liquid milk producers in the Dublin area since March, 1976.

In the period March, 1976, to date the price payable to liquid milk producers in the Dublin area has been increased by an average of 9.5p per gallon.

The Minister is probably aware that this question was put down before the recent increase in the budget. Would he agree with me that the farmers rightly feel that, with the increased inputs they were due an increase since last October which they did not get? Farmers have been placed in the situation, by the Minister's reluctance to grant this increase, that they were subsidising foodstuffs since October and doing the work the Government decided to do very belatedly.

Does the Deputy think that they did not get an increase that compensates them for any waiting period they had to suffer?

Not alone do I think that but every farmer at a recent meeting in Naas felt the same. They said that from last March they got no increase until the budget.

Perhaps the Deputy would be good enough to tell them that when I took over my job there were three increases pending for liquid milk producers that they had not got.

The Minister had better look a little bit forward rather than looking back three or four years.

Order. This is Question Time. Question No. 23.