Gabhaim buíochas. Because this motion is about priorities, I was reminded today that since my election for the first time to this House in February 2020, on three different occasions I have had to sign a form to tell the Houses of the Oireachtas that I was not accepting a pay rise that I had never asked for and that I did not need. On the same number of occasions, three times, this House has debated motions in respect of providing proper remuneration for our student nurses and midwives and on three occasions the Go…

I ask the Minister to outline the new measures in budget 2022 for suckler beef farmers, sheep farmers and farmers operating in areas of natural constraint.

I thank the Minister. That was a long way of answering "There are none" to the question I asked him regarding new measures. Of course, the Minister can apply to implement new Exchequer-funded schemes next year. There is nothing stopping him from doing so. In the context of the CAP proposals he brought forward yesterday, and specifically in respect of the sectors to which I refer, will the Minister confirm that BEEP-S will remain a stand-alone scheme separate from the new suckler package he outlined and will continu…

The Minister did not deal with the specific questions I asked in respect of those three schemes. Perhaps he will furnish me with a written response on that. The difficulty facing farming is that under the old CAP, Pillar 1 payments amounted to €5.975 billion in Exchequer and EU funding. Under the new CAP, for the entire programme, that figure is exactly the same. In real terms, that is a significant decrease. Under Pillar 2, the funding allocated across all areas under the old CAP was €4.258 billion. Under the new …

We proposed a 12% increase-----

There is going to be a 10% cut under CAP----

The problem is that the Government is not delivering; it is spinning.

There is only a 1% increase next year-----

I ask the Minister of State the number of new farmers that she expects to join the organic farming scheme in 2022; the additional funding that will be allocated to the scheme; and her proposals for the sector.

For the sake of clarity, I ask the Minister of State to outline what the current organic land area is and what proportion she expects that to reach by the end of 2022. I gather from her reply that the target remains 7.5% by 2030. That is absolutely pathetic. One of the reasons for the lack of ambition is apparent in the Minister of State's comment that she wants to align the organic sector "closely with market opportunities". We know that for a sector like organics to grow, the Government must be proactive in creat…

I thank the Minister of State. The EU average was 7.5% about three years ago. Across the board, the EU has set a target of 25%. We are second to last, coming only ahead of Malta with regard to land under organic use. The question I posed was very specific. It was on the number of new organic farmers. While the amount of land under organic use is important, and the Minister of State's reply dealt with this, it is also crucial that we increase the number of organic farmers. Otherwise I fear the Department will go for…

I concur with other Members. It is vital to measure the carbon sequestration that is taking place in the agriculture sector. It is impossible to say that there is an obligation relating to carbon emissions if we do not also recognise the level of carbon storage. Does the Minister agree that we have to compile a report on a farm-by-farm basis so each individual farm is aware of the carbon that is stored on its land, the carbon sequestration that is taking place and the carbon that is being emitted, so that targets c…

I commend Deputy Conway-Walsh on raising this issue. Will the Minister confirm that the suckler scheme in the next CAP will include preventative measures for farmers who want to increase their suckler herds? If so, that would be the second time a scheme would be introduced that seeks to either reduce or limit suckler production in this State, when a similar measure has never been brought in against more environmentally damaging methods, including the factory feedlots referred to? Such a proposition would be counter…

Can they expand?

We spoke previously about the organic farm scheme and the specific supports for farmers. Will the Minister of State outline the broader measures she intends to introduce in order to expand the organic sector?

My difficulty is that the Minister of State refers to significant increases in funding, and such language, yet she keeps reverting to the pathetic target of 7.5% over the course of the next CAP. There is one magic ingredient that will ensure a substantial over-subscription by farmers to the organic farm scheme, that is, the removal of the anomaly that prevents those on the organic farm scheme from also participating in agri-environmental schemes. With a bit of imagination and flexibility on the part of the Departme…

The Minister of State can say the farmers are not prevented from applying to agri-environmental schemes but the reality has been that it has been virtually impossible for them to enter both schemes under the previous CAP and is a matter that needs to be addressed. The Minister of State referred to Bord Bia. There is a recognition that Bord Bia and Teagasc have a huge role to play in the research and marketing of organic produce, if this sector is to expand and become successful. I am not sure whether I trust either…

Five.

The Acting Chairman will know that one of the most bizarre aspects of Irish politics is the engagement that elected representatives often have with the passport service and it is not something that I am terribly comfortable with. I should make it clear that people should not have to contact their Deputies to get their passport on time. In my experience, those who do get in touch with me on passport inquiries generally do so out of desperation. Their stories in recent days and weeks have been disappointing, to put i…

I am disappointed the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is not here. I thank the Minister of State for his response, although it was not even up to date. I am dealing with a family who are due to travel on Thursday next. They have been told their baby's passport will not issue in time, even though it will have been in the system for eight weeks. My office was told earlier by the special helpline that has been set up at the Department that the current timeframe is actually ten weeks. I have been listening to the excuses rel…