John Ellis (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

We will leave that to another day. Increases will be made in the forestry programme. The most important increase in agriculture payments is the proposed scheme of grant aid for suckler farmers. If Ireland wants to maintain its agricultural sector, it will have to be in the high-quality and high-value produce market. The day of the mass markets is over. They have been taken over by other economies which can produce agricultural produce at low costs. However, the consistency and quality of such produce leaves much to be desired. We must encourage our agricultural sector to develop the high-quality produce end of the market.

The CLÁR and Leader programmes will receive more funding. Those in CLÁR areas find the benefit when topping up various Government schemes to ensure they come to be completed by local authorities and State agencies. Some schemes are not priced outside of the local contribution, which must be welcomed. I hope those under the Leader scheme will receive more assistance than some of the other schemes. In the past, some felt they had been left in the margins under the Leader programme.

The increase in funding for the Western Development Commission is also to be welcomed. I hope, however, the commission will be easier to deal with and there is less red tape. While I accept the commission must do its job with due diligence, many voluntary organisations are frustrated by its red tape and unnecessary documentation being sought in some cases. Some of this is beyond what one would expect from any lending institution.

While I welcome the Estimates, when the budget is announced I hope many projects Members have promoted will be included in it.

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