Today, 3,099 farmers are waiting to be paid their GLAS payments. This has gone on for far too long. Farmers are being punished for IT failures within the Department, which is simply not fair. I urge the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to put farmers out of their financial misery and finally pay them their hard-earned money. There are 187 farmers in Kerry struggling to pay their bills and awaiting this money, and I know every one of them. I would very much like the Taoiseach and the Minister to get them paid as a matter of urgency.

This is more suited to a Topical Issue debate. The Taoiseach-----

No. It is clear from the programme for Government - I have studied it and was there for the negotiations on it - that the Taoiseach is entitled to respond to my comments, and he should do so.

The Deputy knows both its written and unwritten parts.

It seems Deputy Michael Healy-Rae knows them all as well. I do not know whether they cashed or they are a stroke for him but good luck to him in that regard.

If the Taoiseach gives him the cheques, the Deputy will deliver them all.

I raised with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food this morning a number of cases from different counties that had been raised. I understand more than 90% of payments have been made. I do not know whether the difficulty lies with the Department or the application or whether, as the Deputy stated, it is related to information technology. However, the Deputy can take it that the Minister is working to get payments to the farmers who remain to be paid, including those whom he knows, and the problems associated with them sorted out in order that people can get the money that is available and ready to be sent to them. The Minister is working actively to ensure the issues, whatever they are, are sorted out and the farmers paid.