Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I have to disagree with the Minister's assertion on finance. It is not an affordability issue with finance, it is an access difficulty. It is very important that the Minister accepts that affordability is not the issue here. A good example is that of a farmer with whom I spoke last week. He went to the bank for a loan to get him through the cash flow difficulties he currently faces. The bank said there was no problem with that, but that in giving him a loan for the amount he was looking for, it would also bring his overdraft to zero. He did not look for that, but that was what was offered. When he did not accept it, there was no access available. It is important that the Minister and his Department understand that it is not an affordability issue, but an accessibility one.

The MilkFlex scheme is one we should all promote. It is a very good scheme. I saw a figure recently that 45% of lending within industry across all sectors in the USA was non-bank lending. This is the first occasion on which we are going down that route here. I am very hopeful it will be a success, but we need to look at expanding it beyond dairy to other sectors of agriculture. If the Minister and his Department could push the idea and cajole people to provide access to finance in other sectors, it would be very helpful.

When are payments likely to happen under the TAMS II structure? People have had work done for months. The Minister said he felt sorry for those who are caught. People had the work done and the invoices are sitting on farmers' desks, but the grants have not been paid out.

I have two more issues to raise. The biggest difficulty associated with the late payment of a single farm payment, the BPS payment, was related to the partnerships. I believe they were left until the end in putting the payment structure in place. What is the current position? I ask that this not be allowed to happen again this year.

The figure for wages and salaries across all headings is 3%. May I have a breakdown of the figure of 3%?

I have a couple of other questions to ask.