Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the gentlemen. It is an issue I have been following closely for the past 18 months to two years. I am aware of a number of cases, and various concerns have been expressed by farmers in my part of the country. As previous speakers said, nobody would question the idea of having a unit in place that would protect human and animal health. That is essential, but the special investigation unit, SIU, was set up in the 1980s to deal with illegal substances such as hormones, BSE, the horsemeat saga and so on. Those major issues were topical at the time and it was important to deal with them but is the unit in place now just another name for what was in place previously?

How many people worked in the old special investigations unit? How many teams were there throughout the country? Were they set up on a regional basis? How many were involved in each team? Will the teams involved previously be involved in the new division? What role will those involved play in the new unit if they are to be involved? If not, where will they be in future? That is a big question. I have received numerous queries from various people who are concerned at the way some of the old units and the personnel involved dealt with individuals, sometimes in a threatening manner. This applied not only to individuals but their families and, in some cases, their children. It was totally uncalled-for. To me the SIU overstepped the mark in several ways.

Deputy Penrose will remember the legal regime. It seems to me now that person is guilty until proven innocent rather than the other way around. I used to think it was the other way around. This is a serious issue. No one questions the need to have a regime in place, but the unit seems to have overstepped the mark previously.

What role will the investigations division have in the determination of single farm payments, if any? The old unit seems to have rather unfairly imposed penalties on individuals and offered them little right of appeal. That is a serious matter. Several questions need to be addressed in respect of the old system before we move on to the new system. I agree fully with the call from Deputy Ó Cuív for a full investigation into the old unit. That is essential to put to bed once and for all whatever issues may have existed. It would wipe the slate clean and allow us to move on in a proper and efficient manner.