Mr. John Bryan:

I want to answer one or two questions of Deputy Ó Cuív. Just as we did not agree with the Minister on decreasing the disadvantaged area hectarage attracting a payment from 45 to 34, nobody consulted us on the figure of 137. In case the Deputy was misled by anybody, he should note that under no circumstances were we consulted. At all stages, we have been very clear that the disadvantaged areas payment is an important one. The level should have been retained at that of 2008 and the hectarage should not have been reduced to 34 hectares, or 30 this time. It is a severe hit for farmers in the worst areas.

The Deputy asked about the document. It has been on the EU website for nearly a fortnight. It was not the fourth secret of Fatima in the journal. Those concerned must have just found the document on the Internet. It is on the Internet for anybody who wants to see it.