Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

We did not. Unlike one of the stalwart members of one of the Deputy's party, by keeping out of the war we saved a lot of our people.

I note again the payments for areas of natural constraint. The Minister's document is saying, "Don't do anything extra for small farmers, don't do anything for people who have environmental restrictions, don't do anything for people who are in an area of natural constraint". The Minister has stated there is a Commission proposal to divert a proportion of the direct payments pillar to areas of natural constraint and he wants this to be optional. I can see the get-out-of-jail card for the Government so that those who live on the really poor land in this country do not get extra funding which they badly need in order to survive and to have decent livelihoods.

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