Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

I am nearly as wise as I was before the Minister responded, but I expect all will become clearer after the House rises. I appreciate that many of the schemes funded by the Department are demand led and the Department will have no choice but to honour those schemes.

An issue that exercised us on Question Time on the past number of occasions is the sheep sector and, in particular, a package of €28 million, which was promised in May 2007 in the lead up to the general election. In the last series of oral questions the Minister confirmed that a total of €9,000 out of the package of €28 million had been paid. Will the Minister assure the House that particularly vulnerable sector of Irish agriculture, the sheep farming sector, will not be asked to carry the can in respect of efficiencies or cutbacks — call them what he may — and that package, although it requires to be re-tailored to fit the needs of the sheep sector which is in decline, will be ring-fenced for the sheep sector?

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