Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The budget for the areas of natural constraint should remain intact. When the assessment of biophysical status is carried out, the broader question of how land is divided should be regarded as another argument. The assumption that disadvantaged land can be divided per hectare as a percentage of the national total is a dangerous one. It is most important in the context of today's discussions about budgets, outturns and projections that the approximately €200 million is a protected budget for the people who are farming in areas of natural constraint, so that they can be compensated for what they cannot produce at the farm gate. The objective of many of the other schemes that are in place is to improve and enhance productivity. On land that is defined as an area of natural constraint the compensation should be able to make amends for that to some degree.

I appreciate that Members have stayed back until 6.30 p.m. I thank the Minister and his officials for coming in. Perhaps this can become an annual feature of the joint committee's ongoing scrutiny of expenditure. We need to allocate ourselves a little more time in future and try not to schedule a meeting or priority questions to the Minister in the same week as the national ploughing championships. It would have been fairer on everyone if we could have started at two and gone through until six.