Farmers in the State are under huge pressure with input costs and paying bills. There is a great deal of frustration about the delays in the ACRES payment. I acknowledge there is a huge volume of applications to be processed but I want to support the IFA’s proposal that certainty be given and an 85% advance payment be made to farmers by 18 December. Is that possible? Could it be made possible by redeploying staff from other Departments to help to get the payments out? It is not fair or acceptable if 27,800 farmers must wait until February 2024 when they are already under huge strain. Can we give certainty today?

I discussed this earlier when other Deputies raised the issue of the ACRES payment. The Minister was very effective in expanding the numbers who can avail of the scheme and everything is being done to get the payments out as fast as possible. I will speak to the Minister on this.

On that very issue, there is increasing speculation within the House, and particularly outside it, and I would like to give the Government the opportunity to dispel it. The speculation is that the reason for the non-payment is not computer problems but rather that the Minister’s ambition for the scheme overshot his budget. That is an acknowledged problem in other Departments but I want to get clarity on it because there is increasing speculation that the reason it is not being paid out is because the Department does not have the money.

I am not aware of that at all.

I can say it is circulating.

Of course. It is the easiest thing in the world to create a rumour and send a hare up the field. We have expanded it; the money is there to do it and we will be doing it. Administratively, if you go from 30,000 to 46,000 or 50,000 clearly there is an impact on the administrators trying to get everything sorted out.

The money is not there.