(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Agriculture if it is his intention to reintroduce a farmer retirement scheme.

There are at present no plans to reintroduce a farmer retirement scheme, which would have to be financed solely from national funds. The new agricultural structures regulation recently adopted by the EC Council of Ministers does not provide for Community funding of such a scheme, as heretofore.

(Limerick West): If it is the Minister's intention to positively promote land leasing surely the introduction of a progressive farmer's retirement scheme is part and parcel of land leasing?

As a concept farmer retirement has always been a big talking point. As the Deputy is aware it did not work on two previous occasions.

(Limerick West): That is not the question.

We would all like to see a retirement pension scheme, but we want one that will work. At this stage it seems a strange decision by the EC Council of Ministers not to get involved in the funding of pension schemes as such. In relation to land leasing everybody would accept that because of the progress made during the last 12 months or so this concept will become real in the future.

(Limerick West): Has the Minister, Deputy Deasy, applied for funds to introduce a farmer retirement scheme? After all, your Government could initiate it and the Minister must realise that he is in Government.

As a nation we would certainly like to have an EC-funded retirement pension scheme but on this occasion the Council of Ministers decided not to have it.

(Limerick West): Surely the Minister is aware that he is a part of that Council. Why does the Minister not initiate a retirement scheme, having admitted that it is desirable? Many schemes were initiated by previous Governments which have been scrapped by this Government.

There are things that this Government are dealing with about which your Government did nothing.

(Limerick West): Name them?

Land Leasing, for one.

(Limerick West): The Minister did not answer my question.

What does the Minister mean when he refers to the success of the leasing of land over the past year? Will the Minister agree in relation to the transfer of the holdings from older to younger farmers that the situation is far worse in Ireland than in other EC countries and that we should spearhead a case to deal with this at EC level? I expect the Minister will agree that 607 farmers participated in the farm retirement scheme since the commencement of the farm modernisation scheme and would he agree that half a loaf is better than none?

That is argument.

At least we did have some land available for the smaller holders because of that scheme.

That is argument. The Deputy can argue and the Minister can argue back——

Can we have an answer to the question?

Question No. 14.

A Cheann Comhairle, can I have an answer to the question?

The Deputy did not ask a question. I am moving on to the next question.

I asked the Minister what he meant by the success of the leasing of land?

That is patently argument. It is not a question.

Before the Government withdrew that scheme did they examine how retirement schemes operated successfully in other EC countries?

Yes, there were many in-depth investigations. In relation to the transfer of land, the House is well aware that we had a greater amount of land transfer since the Government introduced the stamp duty exemption on the transfer from father to son than we had with the previous farm retirement pension schemes. Maybe there is a better way of doing the same job.