Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important matter for debate. I am relieved to have the opportunity to raise the matter with the Minister following months of back and forth with his office and with officials from his Department. Unfortunately, I have got nowhere.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is failing farmers with learning disabilities and literacy problems who wish to be registered as professional users under the sustainable use of pesticides directive by way of statutory instrument SI 155 of 2012. I have been contacted by a farmer within my constituency who has been told that he cannot avail of the highest accredited course under one of the bodies which the Department has tasked with providing the appropriate training because he suffers from severe dyslexia. The farmer was informed by representatives of the training body that he would not be able to participate in the course as he was not capable of reading the instructions on the labels on the back of the pesticide canister. This farmer assures me that he is just one of many others who feel marginalised and discriminated against as a result of the Minister's inability to address this issue appropriately.

I wrote to the Minister regarding the matter in early September and received the following reply, "As part of the quality assurance accreditation of every provider by the awarding bodies, QQI and City & Guilds in this case, there is an undertaking to make skills/competency-based courses, such as those required by DAFM for the registration of professional users, accessible to all." This should include people suffering like my client.

In fairness to the Minister, he did say he had been in contact with three providers who indicated that the necessary supports would be put in place following consultation and agreement with the individual concerned. However, the providers cited in his response are not the preference of the farmer who wishes to participate in a top accredited City & Guilds course under Kearney Training & Consultancy. Why should he not be given the opportunity to participate in the best course available? Why can he not be facilitated? Students with similar learning disabilities are facilitated with audio facilities when taking their State examinations. Why can the instructions on the pesticide canisters not be provided in audio form? This would get this man over the hill.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, referred me to an official within his Department with the purpose of ensuring that participation would be facilitated for this farmer. There was no urgency in dealing with my queries and, as we speak, we are two days out from the deadline of 26 November and I am no better off than when I started. This man and many others have met roadblock after roadblock in their attempts to gain top accreditation, and this is as a result of having learning disabilities or literacy difficulties. Why should this man, and many others in the same situation, have to settle for a lesser qualification? This is a man who has been farming for his whole life and has more than 45 years' experience of working with pesticides and associated dispensers. He probably has more knowledge in this area of agriculture than the so-called experts who have deemed him ineligible to take part in this course and gain a full qualification.

There are only four days left to look at this man's situation. He came to me at the cow mart a couple of months ago and told me he suffered from dyslexia. He cannot read the canisters at the moment so he cannot take this course because of the rules and regulations. If we can provide audio facilities for students, why can we not do the same for a man who makes his living in this way? It is his business, and his income will be severely hit unless he can get accreditation. Will the Minister look at the case of this individual and give him time to get accreditation because we are close to the deadline?

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