I commend Údarás na Gaeltachta, a body that has done tremendous work. It has been a shining example of what can be achieved when proper investment is made in an area or sector. Such bodies can deliver and not just pay for themselves but give rise to a multiplier effect in rural communities. They generally work in Gaeltacht regions. The other issue that must be addressed is tourism. The islands have a unique tourism offering that must be developed. More assistance must be put in place to ensure a tourism offering is…

Insurance is the problem.

I take it that the Minister of State was not expecting us to reach Question No. 91, which relates to participation in libraries around the country, the number of people who are members of our libraries and how much they are used. What can be done to get more people to use our library facilities, which in many areas are excellent? We spoke earlier about needing more investment. We never thought we would get as far as Question No. 91, but we have reached it because so few Deputies are here this morning. Maybe there i…

World Mental Health Day brings into sharp focus the problems we deal with all the time throughout the country regarding mental health issues. Practically every family, to some extent or other, is affected. As public representatives, we deal with this on an ongoing basis. When I was a councillor, we used to say we were counsellors as well as councillors. When people came into our offices to talk to us about various issues, that private space to talk to somebody facilitated the conversation and we ended up developing…

I accept that. The big issue we have in many areas is that people feel left behind because they do have access to the teams they need and that the CAMHS or other teams simply do not have the resources to provide the necessary services. At the end of the day, all of this is down to funding and resourcing. Many of the problems we come across with CAMHS and adult mental health services arise when people go looking for a service. I have come across situations where a family has brought in a family member who is suicida…

Rural planning issues have been around for quite a long time. I was first elected to Leitrim County Council in 2004 and An Taisce was something people talked about a lot at meetings in regard to objecting to planning and so on. However, in recent years we have not heard as much about it. The problems we have in many of these situations is the guidelines that are in place are too stringent to allow people to build houses in rural areas. I come from the rural parish of Aughavas. There is no town in the parish. It is …

Energy prices and the cost of fuel are some of the biggest issues facing people. I am always intrigued when I hear many of the various organisations that comment on the economy warning against investment in infrastructure and how it could create inflation. The truth is that the two biggest drivers of inflation in this country are the costs of housing and energy. Investing in those two areas will help bring inflation down. That is why it is vital the Government recognises that Ireland having among the highest electr…

We are not opposing the Bill. We recognise the important role that approved housing bodies have in delivering housing in many parts of the country, not least when it comes to affordable rent. The reality, however, in the Minister of State's county, County Mayo, as well as in counties Leitrim and Sligo, not one affordable house has been built under this Government, and that is a problem. The previous speaker spoke about County Carlow and I understand it is the same there. In vast areas of the regions outside of our …

The level of anger around the country about the phone pouch scheme is quite shocking. The Minister, Deputy Foley, mentioned principals to whom she has spoken who praised the initiative. I have heard nobody anywhere praising it. I have spoken to several principals and teachers and they are all saying the same, namely, that they need money for summer works schemes, special needs assistants and to ensure they have adequate classroom spaces to be able to teach children. In some schools, special classes are being taken …

I am glad to have the opportunity to respond to the budget and the efforts that have been made with regard to agriculture. The broader point is that the Government had huge financial resources to bring to the table for this budget. Many people out there, particularly those in rural areas and across the western seaboard, recognise that it is a part of the world that has had the least investment in the past and, therefore, has the most potential if it gets the correct investment and the chance to try to move forward.…

This is my first opportunity to be here for Question Time as my party's spokesperson on agriculture. I am delighted to hold the brief. The way was well ploughed by Deputy Kerrane, who was spokesperson before me. I am delighted to be here this morning. I want to ask the Minister about ACRES payments and get information on the number of farmers who have been scored for the scheme so far, the number who have received their scores and the payments they have received. Many farmers around the country who have been involv…

I appreciate that. I understand that the reason for the interim payment was because of the delays and difficulties, but I come back to the point that very many farmers do not know what scores they were awarded. They have seven to ten plots but they do not know the score for each plot. As the Minister is aware, they also have an opportunity to enhance those scores through non-productive investments, NPIs, whereby they can do fencing, gates, hedging or whatever else. They do not know where they stand in that respect …

Does the Minister think it was fair to write to farmers demanding money back when they still did not know their score? That is one of the big gripes that many farmers have. They got the interim payment and the next contact they had from the Department was not to tell them where they stood or what the future would hold, but a letter demanding some of that money back - in some cases up to 80% of it. As the Minister is aware, I come from a part of the country where there is low-intensity agriculture. Farmers survive o…

What about the second year?

I want to ask the Minister about the plans he hopefully has to extend the slurry season. As he will be aware, we have had a difficult and wet summer. The harvest was late and farmers in many parts of the country have had difficulty getting fodder saved, particularly in areas where there are wetter, heavier soils. As a result, many farmers are letting their cattle graze later in order to try and save their fodder. Now they are in a situation where they need to spread slurry out. It is has been difficult to do that u…

All of us recognise that both the quality of water and our waterways have to be protected. I suppose overuse of fertilisers, etc., can be a problem and is an issue in many cases. However, we also have to recognise that we were at the ploughing championships last week and it was more like a day in July than one in September. That can often happen. This is the problem when one farms by the calendar or one has strict rules set in the context of the dates that apply. Grass will certainly have been growing very well in …

I appreciate and understand all of that, but a particular situation obtains in many parts of the country at present. Many farmers have been in contact with me - I am sure they have been in contact with the Minister's office - regarding the difficulties they have had in getting their slurry out because of the particularly wet summer and as a result of the situation they find themselves in whereby they will soon have to bring their cattle back in. Their slurry tanks are still practically full. If they can go to the D…

I want to get an update from the Minister in regard to the engagement he has had regarding the commission on generational renewal in farming that, I understand, he has established or is about to establish. We all recognise that many farmers are ageing and are looking around to see who will take over their farms and what will happen. There was talk recently of some kind of a retirement package or something else to encourage farmers to move out of farming. However, the difficulty is at the other end. I refer to is ge…

As the Minister is aware my colleagues, Deputies Kerrane and Carthy, put forward a proposal earlier this year with regard to having a commission on the future of the family farm. It is about more than generational renewal. In our view, what needs to happen is we need to look at the family farm in the whole to see what the future of it will be. That is for the suckler, sheep, pig and every sector. Where will they be in the future? What evidence is there, if you sit with a young person in their early 20s today, that …

A major issue is that the price the farmers get for their produce is dominated by processors and the big players. Often, they do not get an opportunity, because they are basically price takers. That is the key problem, along with how to organise and how to form production groups and so on to ensure we get a fair price for farmers. I was speaking to the grain growers at the ploughing last week. A lot of their grain goes to the alcohol industry. They said if they got 1 cent more per pint of alcohol - beer, Guinness o…