Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I join the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, in wishing Deputy Dowds well in his retirement. I was honoured to serve with him on the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection. He was a fine member of that committee, to which he brought to bear his experience in the education sector. Indeed, he also brought his experience in life and in the community to bear in terms of his role in, and contribution to, the Dáil. He will be a loss to the Parliament. We come from different perspectives politically and challenged each other at times, but he has been an exceptional parliamentarian and I wish well with whatever he does next. Likewise, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I wish you well after a very distinguished career in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I and the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, will be hoping to have more opportunities to address the House in the future. However, none of us knows whether that will be the case, and we will be battling hard over the weeks ahead.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this Topical Issue and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, for coming to the House to respond to it. I will address the issue of farm assist from two perspectives. The first relates to the impact the Government has had through implementing several cuts to farm assist payments over the past three or four years, most notably through the removal of the income disregard. When this Government took office, 70% of what a farmer earns was calculated for the purposes of assessing means for a farm assist payment. Over two years the Government removed that income disregard. Now, every euro a farm family earns is deducted directly from their farm assist payment, thus removing any incentive for production and to work hard. Despite the approach taken by the Government, farm families across the country continue to work hard, because that is their ethic and tradition. They are proud to be hard-working farm families. I represent a part of the country that has a higher number of people on farm assist than probably any other part of the country. There are 1,500 farm families in County Donegal availing of farm assist out of 10,000 nationally. I have seen grown men and women sit across a table from me in very distressed states. They are proud people who have worked hard all their lives but have seen their farm assist payment cut as a result of the changes the Government has introduced, thus putting their families in a situation of penury in which they are wondering how they can continue to operate their family farms.

Alongside this, over recent weeks the approach of the Government has led many farm families to believe that the Government does not want them to continue to operate as farm families and to be assisted in doing that. That approach can be seen in the review forms that have been issued over the last couple of weeks to many farm families in Donegal. Every year review forms have been issued to farm families which basically ask them if there has been a change in their circumstances and, if so, advising them to notify the Department. On this occasion the families have received comprehensive forms asking them to outline all income for the last year. It is a periodic review that is akin to a total review. I worked hard with a number of families to appeal reductions in their farm assist payments in recent months. Having succeeded with those appeals, over the last period of time they have once again received another review form. In this review form they are asked to indicate all income for the previous year, but they are not asked for their expenditure. At the bottom of each page it is stated in big, bold print that the penalty for a false statement is a fine or imprisonment or both. In addition, it is stated at the top of the form that the form must be returned with all documentation within 14 days as otherwise the payment will cease. These farm families feel they are being harassed by the Government and that the Government does not want them to continue availing of the farm assist payment. Will the Minister ensure that all of the farm families who have received these forms will be allowed appropriate time to return the documentation that is sought from them, as much of it will take time to collect? Second, will the Minister acknowledge that these farm families must be supported and reverse the very damaging cuts that have been implemented by the Government?

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