asked the Minister for Agriculture if he has any proposals to improve the level of compensation for tuberculosis and brucellosis reactor cattle; when he proposes to introduce full compensation in cases of hardship; and the method whereby such hardship will be determined.

As I indicated on 26th October in the course of a written reply to a question put down by Deputies Loughnane and Keegan, the whole question of compensation for reactors under the bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis eradication schemes is at present under examination. Pending the outcome of that examination I cannot add anything to what I have already said.

The Minister gave a firm undertaking in his party's manifesto, in an interview on the RTE "Landmark" programme and in his speech at the IFA Convention that substantially improved compensation for reactors would be introduced. Does he not agree that the present uncertainty in this matter is doing damage to the eradication programme?

I agree that the compensation being paid for reactors needs to be improved and it is this question that I am concentrating on. It is particularly important now because in the past couple of years disease eradication had virtually ceased here and this left us with the situation in which the problem is all the more acute than it had been for quite a long time.

Is it the Minister's intention, in the proposals he will make, to incorporate the commitment of his party to give full compensation in cases of hardship? Does he expect to be able to make a decision on this matter before the end of the year?

The Deputy will appreciate that we cannot anticipate the provisions for the next financial year which are now in course of preparation. I can definitely give the Deputy an assurance that the standard of disease eradication we have had in the past few years is not sufficient for this Government. It will not be left in the state in which it has been.

Is the Minister telling the House that the amount of money he will provide in his Estimate for next year will be substantially greater than the £19 million, approximately, which was provided in the current year?

I am surprised Deputy Clinton should raise this point because although the provision made by the former Government for disease eradication was £19 million, the actual expenditure on disease eradication left the incoming Government in a situation in which it was impossible to expend more than £12 million. There was such retardation in the pursuit of disease eradication while the Deputy was in office that the provision in last year's Estimates was merely a sham.

Could the Minister not get a Supplementary Estimate?

There was no attempt to expend the money that had been provided. I give the House the assurance that our provision, which will be adequate, will be spent.

Is it not a fact that the first round was finished in September and that there was a solid under-taking that the second round would be commenced immediately the first round was finished? If the Minister fails to spend the provision for disease eradication, surely he cannot blame somebody else, especially when he knows that in his last year of office, 1972-73, he provided £7 million.

I am afraid Deputy Clinton's figures are not accurate. Although I do not have them to hand, my recollection of actual expenditure on disease eradication by the former Government is that it dropped to an all-time low in 1974 and 1975. It was absolutely pathetic. As everybody knows, the reality is that there was no disease eradication programme at all during those years.

We are waiting for the crash programme promised by the Minister.

Question No. 20.

I assure the House that the eradication of animal disease is a priority with the Government.

I have called the next question.

Could I ask a supplementary question?

We have had quite a few supplementaries and the next question has been called.

20.

asked the Minister for Agriculture the date on which he proposes to start the second round of TB testing.

As I have already announced in public, the next complete round of testing under the bovine tuberculosis eradication scheme will commence early in January, 1978. I cannot set a precise date for commencement at present.