Dáil debates

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

7:00 pm

Photo of Joe CareyJoe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

The Minister and the Government make much of the current international economic situation. We have had the call for patriotic duty and the standing ovation, but if there is one truism about this budget, it is that the Taoiseach, his Minister for Finance and the Government have made a complete hash of things. They have failed to deal with the fundamentals that would position the economy on a sounder footing. The rush to budget action in October has been shown up as ill conceived. One would be hard pressed to find nastier cuts than those to the young farmer's installation aid scheme and the early retirement scheme. I remind the House, that the Government was not tardy in providing full pension cover for a colleague when the issue had apparently been overlooked. How can a Government have the authority to then say to people we are all in this together when it acts in a such a manner?

I understand approximately 500 applicants are caught out by the suspension of the young farmer's installation aid scheme. I have received a number of representations on the matter. One young Clare farmer in particular comes to mind. The young man to whom I refer has spent the past 12 months trying to transfer his land. Through no fault of his own he found it difficult to find land to rent in his area. He managed to do that on the Sunday before the budget and had made an appointment to meet with his local agricultural adviser for the following Friday. The case involved both installation aid and early retirement. He learned on budget day that the early retirement and installation aid schemes were to be suspended by midnight that night. There was no time for those involved in the process to conclude their business. The case to which I refer is replicated around the country.

For the first time in years agricultural colleges have increased their numbers and then the Government removed the only incentive there is to keep people on the land. If it is good enough for a former Minister to receive retrospective attention to his pension details, then it should be good enough for everybody else.

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