asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will consider expediting payment of farm grants in view of the hardship created in many cases by the present system.

All outstanding grants have now been cleared and current claims are being paid within the normal period.

Which is?

Six to eight weeks.

Does the Minister not accept that there were terrible complaints about outrageous delays over the past six months in regard to payments under the farm modernisation scheme?

No, over the last six weeks.

I do not accept that there were terrible complaints. There were complaints earlier on in the year but after the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Finance met the farming organisations some couple of months ago, additional money was provided for those grants. I am happy to report that payment is up-to-date at present. We must accept that in the present year, from 1 January 1980 to October 1980, the sum of £47 million has been paid out in grants under the farm modernisation scheme and the western drainage scheme, as compared with a figure of £22 million for the corresponding period last year.

Is it the situation that farmers were denied their payments because the Department had not the money to pay them?

Farmers were not denied their payments by any means.

Did the Minister not say that, arising out of Ministers discussions with the farm organisations, additional moneys were made available and then the farmers were paid?

Because of the demand.

Because there was a much higher demand. I quoted the figures for the Deputy, £47 million this year as compared with £22 million last year for the same period.

Would the Minister not agree that he made a political favour out of paying out money to farmers to which they were entitled by law?

I have never made a political favour out of paying grants to anybody. As soon as the grants were available they were paid.