Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

In other words, 40% is to be paid up-front while 60% will be postponed. The Government proposes to default by paying the second 40% in 2010 and the remaining 20% in 2011. The Minister should compare this rescue plan for 17,000 farmers with the instant resolution of the Anglo Irish Bank share issue whereby ten individuals could release €300 million in borrowings from Anglo Irish Bank, which I understand we as taxpayers will write off without anything in return. It is very difficult to explain to 17,000 farm families that €7 billion can be found to recapitalise two banks while €300 million cannot be found for farmers.

I urge the Minister to reconsider this issue and accept the fact that the farm families signed a legal contract under which they promised to carry out certain works to a specific standard based on the commitment that they would be paid. One should remember that a similar number of farmers to the number affected, who had their work finished at an earlier stage, have been paid in full. Questions must be asked as to whether some of the unpaid applicants were seriously held up in the system because of a lack of personnel due to retirements and transfers. How can the Minister justify the fact that, in one area, applications were dealt with in the normal way and therefore subject to payment, while, in others, applicants were victims of the failure of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to provide sufficient staff?

The Minister, but especially farmers, are victims of the Minister's failure to extend the closing time for the scheme. If he had allowed those who had commenced work under the terms of the scheme to continue into the spring of this year farmers would have saved enormous sums of money, as they had to pay over the odds for their jobs, and there would not be the same pressure on the Department to pay grants.

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