asked the Minister for Agriculture the estimated number of full-time farmers in the country in December, 1982.

Information as to the number of full-time farmers is not collected either by my Department or by the Central Statistics Office. In the Farm Management Survey 1981, An Foras Talúntais estimated the number of full-time farmers at just under 120,000.

Would the Minister agree that there is a serious continuing drop year by year? As other manufacturing industries are finding it so difficult to compete, would he consider that it is time to have a hard look to see if he can arrest that decline?

The flight from the land is not new. It has been going on for many years. I agree that we should make every possible effort to stem it. It is slowing down naturally because of the recession and lack of opportunities in industry.

Nevertheless, I believe that between full-time and part-time farmers the reduction is between 4,000 and 5,000 per annum. I would like that trend to be arrested.

Is the Minister aware that the previous Government in their planning for employment and economic development had projected 3,000 farmers to leave the land? That figure is progressive, it is becoming higher all the time. Has the Minister checked this figure to see if they were right in their calculations?

The figure I have given is only a guess because the up-to-date figures are not available. The latest figures are included in that farm survey in 1981 which I referred to. The figures for 1982 will be available at the end of next month.

Do I understand the Minister for Agriculture to tell the House that his Department do not know the number of farmers in this State?

I said 120,000 full-time farmers.

I thought the Minister said that that was a guess.

No.

What is the number of farmers in the State as per the Department?

The question asked the number of full-time farmers. It is 120,000.

Do the Department accept that figure?

Yes.

What percentage of the labour force of the State at the moment is that? What was it ten years ago?

That is a separate question.

I am delighted that the Deputy from County Dublin is taking such an interest in farming, but his supplementary is not related at all to the question on the Order Paper.

My constituents have to buy the produce.

How does the Minister define a full-time farmer? From what acreage up? That is very much related to the question before us.

That is an impossible question.

It is not. We should not be playing a guessing game.

That is a separate question. If the Deputy wants that information he should put down a question.

As I said here last week, one of the troubles about Question Time is that questions put down by Deputies seem to sprout bright ideas in the heads of other Deputies which have nothing to do with the question on the Order Paper.

I am largely to blame. I am too willing with my replies.

I have said before now that the Chair does not bring his past into the Chair. Ceist 22.