Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Foresight is 20/20. Therefore, we must evaluate the scheme. I agree that its usefulness when introduced was tremendous. However, the decrease from 10,000 to 2,599 farmers to date participating in the scheme represents a major gap. It poses the question why are farmers not interested in participating in the scheme. There are a number of reasons, including that the pension is not index-linked. That feature is part of the scheme. Furthermore, the fact that the Government has introduced a good social welfare pension — I had to get my spoke in there — means that the scheme is not as attractive as it was initially for farmers.

I want to introduce a proper balance between two elements. I want to encourage young people to go into farming. Is the early retirement scheme the best mechanism for achieving that? Is there a better mechanism we need to introduce to support young farmers? I have put forward that idea and I welcome hearing what farmers have to say on it. Given that there is also the notion that we should not encourage people to retire at 55 years of age, but encourage them to remain in work until they reach the age of 65, and that we want to achieve a balance between younger and older people engaged in farming, is there an alternative view to the current scheme? Many people aged 55 still have major responsibilities at home, including providing for children at college, and they cannot afford to retire. Therefore, we need to strike a balance. I am not proposing a scrapping of the scheme but perhaps aspects of it need to be modified and other aspects should be maintained, and new initiatives should be considered. I have put forward this idea to establish what people have to say about it and whether the current scheme is the right way forward.

This is a small scheme and some people are disgruntled about it because it is not index-linked. My two colleagues opposite are smiling as if this aspect of this scheme will make me uncomfortable but it will not. The bottom line is that this is not an index-linked scheme, nor are many other schemes introduced between the European Union and ourselves. If people have novel ideas or consider that the scheme could be improved, now, rather than later, is the time to review it.

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