ACOT staff scheme implementation
O’Keeffe urges the Minister to provide £1 million to implement ACOT’s staff scheme, citing disruption to advisory services. The Minister says he is working to resolve the delay and acknowledges its effects on staff mobility and morale.
As there has been a reference to ACOT and since ACOT are allocated a total of £20 million and £1 million is all that is necessary to implement the new staff scheme, would the Minister consider implementing that scheme immediately? The go-slow is having a very severe effect on farming and the advisory services are not co-operating with farmers as much as I would wish. Would the Minister be magnanimous enough to make this £1 million available so that we would have a good advisory service?
Comment on this
I am concerned that the ACOT staff scheme has not been implemented. However, that was originally agreed almost two-and-a-half to three years ago and there have been numerous occasions for its implementation. I am endeavouring to see that it will be implemented as soon as possible. I realise that this is causing problems as regards mobility of staff within ACOT and also as regards morale. I will be working towards a solution of these problems.