asked the Minister for Agriculture if all of the farm modernisation grant applications which were not processed prior to budget day will be considered for grant aid when the new scheme is introduced.

It is intended to introduce a revised system of grant aid under the farm modernisation scheme later in the year with the emphasis on basic livestock housing. It will be open to farmers whose applications have been affected by the recent modifications to the scheme to make application at that stage for any works they intend to carry out provided that the investment proposed is eligible for grant aid under the revised scheme.

Would the Minister accept that many farmers were forced to commence modernisation because they required buildings and particularly silage pits. They were approached because they had an overall plan to commence work on these. Those people should be considered. As I said yesterday, there are 400 in my county in financial difficulties as a result of this drastic action taken by the financial institutions.

As I said yesterday, a condition of the scheme was that written approval had to be received and, as the Minister pointed out today in response to a previous question, certain problems have arisen and we are having an in-depth investigation of the situation.

Will the Minister consider those farmers who have begun to carry out works? In other words, will the scheme be retrospective or will farmers have to receive approval after it is introduced?

They will have to have written approval for the new scheme.

Is the Minister aware that thousands of farmers are being left in the lurch and may be put out of business as a result of what is being done in this instance?

As I have said several times here during the past few weeks, it has been a condition of the scheme always that one had to have prior written approval. That is the only way in which there can be any type of organised building programme in the farm development section.

I will allow a final supplementary on this question.

The Minister of State, who comes from a farming background, should be realistic. Will he not accept that in bringing about better conditions for farmers there should be retrospection in order to accommodate those farmers who work to an over-all plan? What the Government are doing in respect of this scheme is unfair. In view of the small amount of money involved, particularly in the west and in the north-west, would the Minister not consider making the scheme retrospective? What alternative has the Minister in mind? Is he thinking, for instance, of people in the west and in the north-west being able to avail of drainage grants within the terms of the programme for western development?

That is a different question.

It is one that does not suit the Minister.

It is question that appears further down on the Order Paper.

The Deputies on the other side are all at sea.

There is a certain category of farmers who were involved in the farm modernisation scheme and who were perhaps half way through that development.

They had completed the development.

If they had completed it, they would have had to have written permission beforehand.

The work was done.

Deputy Byrne knows well that it has been a condition always that before this type of work is started on a farm there must be written approval. However, I am considering the situation in which farmers were caught half way through their building programme. We will be having a close look at problems arising from that situation.

If in the case of a farmer who had almost completed the works, an officer from the Department having called and given verbal but not written approval will that farmer be included in the scheme?

As I have said, this is the type of problem that I am looking at closely.

Is the Minister prepared to recognise the plans that were drawn up in conjunction with ACOT advisers so that the thousands of people who have commenced works on their farms will be given special consideration? If the Government act otherwise they will ruin confidence in any farm modernisation or development plan. Would the Minister not agree that it would be tragic that any farmer who was in the process of providing winter housing for cattle should be caught by the change?

I must reiterate that down through the years it has been a condition of the scheme that before one was entitled to grant aid, written approval had to be received from the farm development service. That is a sacrosanct rule and it is applied for obvious reasons.

There was no question of the scheme being discontinued until the Minister decided to do so.

Are the Deputies suggesting that grants should be given to people who did not receive written approval?

Order, please.

Why, then, did the farm development officer bother to go out to these farms?

This sort of conduct is bringing the House into disrepute.

Is the Minister aware that some farmers are being evicted because of not being able to pay their rates?

By his action, the Minister is bringing the farm development officers into disrepute.

It is sheer nonsense to talk of farmers being evicted.

Again, I am calling on Deputies to be orderly.

In cases where the farm development officer called to farms, I am having a close look at the situation and at the allied problems that have arisen as a result of written approval not having been given.

(Limerick West): Is that a commitment?

I am looking at the problem.

We are moving very slowly through questions.

The Chair has been trying to advise Deputies to allow Question Time to proceed.