Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apart from the basic payment scheme GLAS is, by a country mile, the most popular scheme with the Department. This is because of the most recent addition of approximately 13,000 new applicants. In the early part of 2016 a further 12,000 new applications were submitted as well. It is a remarkably successful scheme. It is also complex.

With all sincerity I suggest that regardless of who would be standing in this position, the situation would not be different. We are rolling out more schemes, including complex schemes. This week, we are launching the tillage TAMS scheme. That scheme was rightly demanded by the tillage sector. There are myriad other schemes.

It is a challenge to keep the information technology systems up to speed. We could take a different approach. We could decide to try to get everything right to the nth degree before we roll out anything else. However, what we want to do is get the schemes out to farmers. We are getting payment to them. We are late with payments. I confess that and I put my hands up. However, I assure the House that we are doing everything we possibly can to get the payments out as quickly as possible.

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