5 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the proposals he has to allocate the available balance of milk quota for the marketing year 2001-02. [4276/01]

One of the results of the negotiation of the Agenda 2000 package was an increase of 2.86% in our national milk quota amounting to 32 million gallons. Already, 20.5 million gallons have been allocated, 15 million gallons being allocated to 21,600 producers with quotas of less than 55,000 and a further five million gallons to 3,100 younger dairy farmers with quotas of less than 35,000 gallons. I set aside 500,000 gallons for distribution by the Milk Quota Appeals Tribunal to special exceptional cases arising out of the operation of the general distribution.

The balance of 11.5 million gallons will be allocated in the near future and I am at present considering how that should be done. I will give care ful consideration to the views of the Milk Quota Review Group in arriving at my decision.

Will the Minister specify when he will make an announcement in regard to the allocation? Does he agree that the members of the Milk Quota Review Group have a morally just case? Will he give an undertaking not to hide behind the statute of limitations on this issue and meet the group's demands in some way?

This issue is specifically dealt with in a later question. I recently responded to a discussion on the matter raised by the Deputy during a Private Members' debate. I stated on that occasion that I would consider the allocation of the 11.5 million gallons and examine ways in which we could assist the farmers in question. I asked the Milk Quota Review Group to advise me on the matter and it has done so. There are difficult and complex legal issues involved here and I am awaiting advice from the Office of the Attorney General on the matter. I intend to make a decision in the next couple of weeks.

1 April will be too late. If the Minister is to do anything, he must make decisions soon. He must provide justice to these farmers who have waited years to receive fair treatment which they are not receiving from this Government.

Government culpability in regard to the Milk Quota Review Group goes back to the early 1980s.

The Minister should deal with the present.

The Minister is in the driving seat now.

I have received representations from many groups, particularly small farmers in the Mizen area and other parts of west Cork and younger farmers involved in Macra na Feirme.

Hungry Hill.

The Minister does not listen to farmers in the Border area.

I have received particularly strong representations from farmers west of Rosscarbery.

There are a few land mines out there.

We must all ensure that weaker sections of the farming community, namely, people with smaller or medium sized quotas, are given a fair crack of the whip and some hope for the future. Many of the applicants deserve consideration but I will give special weighting to the advice received from the Milk Quota Review Group when I make my final decision.

Time is moving on for these people.

That concludes Priority Questions. We now move on to Other Questions and I remind Members that a one minute time limit applies to supplementary questions and replies.