Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I confirm that I am in Leinster House. I thank the Minister of State for her engagement this morning. This is positive legislation. I have been following the discussion here in Leinster House and also remotely. The Minister of State is hearing from members about the need to shape this legislation in the right way. Overall, it is an excellent Bill.

On leasing and the point made by Deputy Healy-Rae, for many people leasing out is a transitional arrangement where a farm is handed over to somebody but the person may not be in a position to take it on immediately. This could be owing to a person's work, family circumstances, etc. There needs to be a degree of cognisance of that.

I have also seen an anomaly occur on a few occasions in County Clare. Land valuations have typically remained static over the past ten years or so. Agricultural land, by and large, is of a similar value to what it has been a decade ago. In the previous two Clare county development plans, the forward planning unit of the council has zoned large tracts of land without first getting the consent of the landowner. It is all done on the basis of town and village shaping. Normally, one would expect a person to be quite happy to see his or her land zoned and its value increase. However, I know of scenarios where people were not happy. They have seen the value of landholdings they had planned to farm or perhaps pass on to a younger generation of the family increase exponentially without their knowledge.

I do not know if the legislation can cater for all these scenarios but it is arising more and more often. Prior to 2009, county development plans were only based on the submissions received from individuals but I am now increasingly seeing planners make decisions in unison with councillors that may not always have the consent of the landowner. That is fine and dandy until people start looking at the fair deal scheme or something like that and suddenly find that the land they are sitting on has a very different value from what they or the people around them believed it to be.

In the vast majority of cases that I can recall, land is passed on to the next generation and the value it generates year on year in a beef scenario in County Clare would be from cattle sales and whatever comes in by way of EU grants and payments. Beyond that, there are outlays and the people hold on to the land for 40 years or so in the hope that a son or daughter, niece or nephew, as the case may be, will take it on. The land also needs to be gauged on that basis and for anything punitive to be factored in decimates the value and benefit of the farm for the generation coming afterwards.

Members should plough on with the legislation and I will tune in and make further contributions later.