asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of cow reactors which qualified for hardship fund grants under the scheme announced by him in October 1978.

The total number of reactors under the bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis eradication schemes for which payments were made from the hardship fund between October 1978 and 20 April 1979 was 10,699. Separate statistics are not kept showing the numbers of cows and of other cattle which qualify for payment from the scheme.

What is the total number of cow reactors qualified?

I have just said that separate statistics are not available. I have given the Deputy the total of cows and others.

My question relates to cow reactors. It is almost impossible for a cow reactor to qualify for the hardship fund grant having regard to the restrictive measures imposed in the scheme. The question was specifically one dealing with cow reactors and it has not been answered.

I have repeated that separate statistics are not kept. The Deputy may be confusing the ordinary compensation paid, which in the case of cows is considerably greater than that paid for other cattle. I made changes there more than a year ago almost doubling these payments made for cows. That situation is compensation for cow reactors excluded. As for the hardship scheme, that is administered under recommendations made by the Animal Health Commission who represent all interested parties in the livestock trade. It is their recommendation that the Department of Agriculture are acting upon.

The Minister's answer does not deal with my question, which relates to a specific category of cattle, that is cow reactors. I am aware of the ordinary compensation rates paid. My question relates to the hardship fund and to the number of cows who qualify for grants under that fund. It is impossible for farmers to get any benefits from the hardship fund in respect of cow reactors, and the way the Minister has answered my question——

Order, please.

The real point of the hardship fund escapes the Deputy and it is that the relative compensation is paid under another heading, that is, the cow reactor headage payments. In the case of hardship the type of animal being considered is not relevant. What is relevant is the degree of hardship imposed on a farmer. In this case we are talking about farmers not about livestock.

Is the weight of the animal taken into consideration?

That is taken into consideration in the payment of compensation since I changed the rules.

What is the maximum weight that will qualify under the hardship fund?

All young cattle have a special high rate of compensation. I changed the rules myself. Prior to that there had been an arrangement under which a person with a number of reactors in his herd was subjected to undue expense because of the almost worthless carcass of a young beast.