Mr. Brian Smyth:

I just want to address the point of free labour or work on farms. Many of the placements that we do onto farms never work on the farm. Others get involved in the activities and that includes work activities, but such activities are part of the process of supporting them as opposed to working and being productive in that regard. It is about the support that this provides. For instance, we have a number of people who are transitioning out from a disability service in the north west under the decongregation plan. Part of the process was that these people would go to the farm before leaving the institutional setting, during the process of moving into their own homes, and after. Most people had spent a generation in that congregated setting. They were on the farm for a period of time. Some of the people have issues with sight difficulties and most are in wheelchairs. They had a really good experience, including the smells they had not encountered for many years. The smells on a farm are very important; it is a sensory experience. They were involved in a variety of activities but they were not working on the farm. There was no question of them being taken advantage of. I want to clarify that this is not a work scheme. People are not working on farms. They are there and engage in the activities on a working farm, including going to the Balmoral show and attending vintage events. There is a multitude of things that happen. I just wanted to clarify that.