Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. My issue is not with the scheme, which is doing what it should do. I regret that the Minister cannot be here - I understand he is extremely busy as all Ministers are at the moment. I believe it is important for the Government to appoint a new Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine owing to the workload the Minister is facing and the importance of the sector.

I cannot complain about much in the Minister of State's reply. I understand the merits of the scheme and that is not the problem. The issue is with the farmers yet to be paid. In order to drive the sector forward, if people sign up to complete a scheme, they should be paid when they expect to be paid. The problem is that the appeals are taking considerably longer than they should take. The issue with AEOS is getting the information from the Department to individual farmers to explain what needs to be done. The Minister of State mentioned that some of them had not attended discussion group meetings. As I said, one farmer did not attend owing to health reasons and did not get his payment. That is completely over the top and that should not be the case.

I understand the scheme and welcome it. If anything we want to see it extended. However, individual farmers, particularly those in Galway, who have not been paid, need to be paid. The Department needs to work with them through the beef discussion groups or elsewhere as soon as possible. These farmers are on their knees at the moment. They cannot go to the banks or to the co-operatives. Instead of forcing them to these places, they should be given the money they deserve and for which they signed up. It needs to be expedited in any way possible. The resources need to be allocated to help these people out. That help must come over the next two to three weeks. There is no point in it coming in the next couple of months - we need delivery on this now. These farmers are in a very tough situation with massive debts. Let us get them the money they deserve so that they are not forced to go to the banks. They should be given an opportunity to do what they do well. Only then can the sector drive on from there.

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