17 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason he has not communicated to the farm development offices around the country the decision to approve farm building projects on the basis of the increased costings as announced in early August; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a backlog of such applications on hand in the local offices; if his attention has further been drawn to the inconvenience and financial hardship being caused to farmers as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The revised costings under the farm improvement schemes have been communicated to the local offices. The costings apply to all projects approved after 15 August last.

Considerable progress has been made in processing the unprecedented number of applications received in recent years for farm development work, particularly in relation to pollution control. The remaining applications are being dealt with as expeditiously as possible.

The new costings which will mean a substantial increase in the size of grants should help considerably to ease the cost to farmers of ongoing investment.

Can I take it from the Minister's reply that everybody who has been approved for grant aid since 15 August will be eligible for the new costings?

Yes.

Why were the FDS offices not notified shortly after 15 August so that they could process the applications in their offices at that stage? Why did it take over two months for this instruction to get to where it should have gone in the first instance?

All I can say is that I issued the instruction that the new rates would apply to all projects approved after 15 August and that this should have been transmitted to all the relevant offices. I think the Deputy welcomed the fact that I issued that instruction. I hope it is clear that increased rates are being paid to the people concerned. ifi

Deputy Therese Ahearn is offering.

I want to bring to the attention of the Minister that the process of approving applications is being deterred due to the fact that the officers do not receive expenses if they visit farms. I was astounded to receive a report yesterday from a local office stating that officers could not visit a farm to inspect a development because of the expenses problem. Would the Minister make a statement on that?

There are approximately 8,000 applications on hands. The field staff have been instructed to give priority to clearing claims to offset the expenditure already incurred by farmers and where special urgent circumstances occur, such as environmental risks, the applications are, on our instructions, given special priority. By providing the necessary manpower and resources, every effort is being made to meet these demands.

Deputy Paddy Sheehan and Deputy Pádraic McCormack are offering. Perhaps they will be brief, please.

Is the Minister aware that grant approvals have been delayed for a considerable period of time owing to a lack of clerical staff in the local farm development offices? In the office in Clonakilty — the hometown of the Minister of State — there has never been a permanent clerical assistant for the past year and a half. Even district supervisors are not being appointed in several areas——

Questions please, Deputy Sheehan.

——namely, East Clare, Monaghan and Roscommon. Can the Minister tell me when clerical staff will be appointed to the office in Clonakilty so that approvals can be typed out?

That is clearly a separate question.

That is a naïve answer.

Deputy Sheehan must put down a question. That is a specific matter worthy of a separate question.

If the Deputy puts down a question I will give him an answer.

It arises under Question No. 17.

A general question, Deputy.

The Minister is shying away from his responsibilities.

There is no reference to Clonakilty in the question.

I am calling Deputy McCormack——

The Minister——

The Deputy should obey the Chair.

I respect your ruling, a Cheann Comhairle, but——

I have facilitated the Deputy in every way, he has had a very good innings.

I respect your ruling, a Cheann Comhairle, but I would like to get an answer from the Minister who seems to be shying away from the problem.

If the Deputy is dissatisfied with the Minister's reply he has many remedies in this House. Deputy McCormack.

The Minister admitted that there are 8,000 applications on hands. However, many farmers who have completed this work have not yet been paid by the Department. Can the Minister tell us the reason for this?

I do not know if the Deputy was here when I gave the full details of the huge increase in the sums being paid across the whole range of grants——

That is not what the Minister was asked.

I did not ask the Minister about that.

We are paying the grants, and the facts speak for themselves. Obviously when one has so much money to pay out it takes a little longer to pay everybody.

The Minister has a budgetary problem.

I was going to dispose of questions for today but I will hear Deputy Blaney.

I seek your guidance on the manner in which to approach this matter. I believe the best thing to do is to put it in your hands: I ask you to propose an expression of sympathy of this House, regret and apology to Dessie Ellis and his family for his precipitate, inhuman, scandalous and indecent extradition today into the maw of alleged British justice.

Hear, hear.

That disposes of questions for today.