asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will ask ACOT to request their agriculture advisers to concentrate on farmers who up to now have not availed themselves of their service.

ACOT advisory personnel visit farms at the request of the owners and the great majority of farmers avail themselves of the advisers' services according as the needs of their holding require. I am satisfied that ACOT is taking adequate steps to publicise the availability of its services to all farmers.

Does the Minister agree that the statistics show that only a small percentage of farmers of the better type avail themselves of these services? If we do not concentrate on the weaker type of farmer we will never correct the serious imbalance?

It is hard to argue with the tenor of Deputy Leonard's contribution. According to a report compiled some time ago by the General Council of County Committees of Agriculture, as they were at the time, about 20 per cent of farmers had a high interest in getting advice from agricultural advisers. Another 50 had some interest in it, and 30 per cent had no interest. In other words, they did not want to know. Over the years a certain category of farmers did not have the benefit of this service through no fault of any Government.

Would the Minister not agree that if we are ever to make any headway, the ACOT officers will have to at least whisper in the ears of the advisers to disregard completely that 20 per cent? They must concentrate on the weaker sections to get rid of the imbalance which we cannot afford to have.

(Limerick West): Is the Minister aware that the thinking within his own Department and within ACOT is that more emphasis should be placed on the farmers with the greater production rather than on those with the lesser production, and would he indicate in what way he would reverse that trend, because the important thing is to bring the farmer with the lesser production up to the level of those with the greater production?

There are two sides to that argument, as Deputy Noonan will be well aware.

Question Time is not a time for argument.

First of all, it is very important that every assistance be given to the headline farmers to put them on a par with their competitors in Europe, but I accept there is a huge body of other farmers who are perhaps reluctant to come forward and look for advice.

(Limerick West): That was not the question. Would those with the lesser production be given assistance to bring them up to the level of those with the greater production?

I would not accept that the advisory services have forgotten about the people with the lesser production.

(Limerick West): I did not say that. I am thinking of the people in the Minister's own Department.

I believe the ACOT advisers are paying particular attention to the problem in particular areas and as far as I am concerned — I have said this before on several occasions — I would like to see farmers using the service more. Recently as a result of publicity on the media there is hardly a day passes without some message from ACOT imploring farmers to do this, that and the other in their own interest. As far as I am concerned the trend over a broad mix throughout the country is in the right direction.

Would the Minister agree that the charge imposed for a visit discriminates against the smaller farmer who is the person most in need of help?

What particular fee is that?

A charge has been imposed under the farm modernisation scheme.

As far as the advisory service is concerned there is no charge.

Is the Minister aware an 18-mile limit has been imposed on the ACOT advisers and does he agree that that curtails their visiting the people we are talking about? Would he ask the Government to provide the necessary finance to enable ACOT advisers to be out in the field with the farmers?

It is not today or yesterday the agricultural advisers have found themselves cramped in their offices because of all the form filling and so on since we joined the EEC. I accept the proper place for the adviser is on the land talking to the farmer at his own level. So far as the rearrangement is concerned it is working out reasonably well. If it is proved otherwise in the not too distant future I will be quite prepared to look at it.

Would the Minister agree that the greatest need in the industry today and in the years ahead is the training and education of our farmers, and would he agree that the level of advice is about 30 per cent of what the advisers and the farmers believe it should be and, within the limit of his resources, would he agree it is not possible to provide the essential education?

That almost seems to be a speech. There are far too many speeches at Question Time.

The kernel of the problem is that there are not sufficient funds available to give farmers the advice they need. Would the Minister agree with that?

I am an advocate of education. It is vitally important that we maintain very good advisory services. I accept that over the years, particularly in the last two decades, we could have done with more advisers. People on the ground will understand that but, because of the limitation imposed due to economic factors, it has not been possible to rectify the situation. On the point of better education, we could do with more advisory services.

Is the Minister aware that ACOT advisers are now spending three days a week in their offices and that means they are out in the field on only two days?

This sounds like repetition.

The Minister said he believed there is no change. I am asking him, is he aware there is a change because the advisers now spend three days a week in the office and the Minister agrees they should be out on the field on all five days? Because he believes that, would he ask his Government to provide the funds to enable them to do what they should be doing?

This problem has been around for quite a long time. There were many reasons why in the last nine or ten years the advisers were cramped up in their offices, as I have already mentioned, but the work is now becoming more streamlined and I expect that the advisers will spend more time henceforth out on the farms.

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