Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, has continued his habit of vacating the Chamber before questions on promised legislation are taken. It may be because he does not want to account for his inaction on the matter raised by Deputy Murphy O'Mahony, namely, the Dáil's vote on introducing a tillage fund. The Taoiseach indicated that, if we gave him details, he might follow up with the Minister. I will remind the Taoiseach of the details. A Private Members' motion passed by the Dáil on 19 January sought a fund for approximately 250 tillage farmers who had been affected by weather events and lost the majority of their crops. The cost would be approximately €4 million. The Department has the spare capacity to follow through on that. Unfortunately, the Minister has shown a lack of will. He claims that it is down to the process. On the one hand, he hopes that we will have confidence in his ability to deal with the vast challenges posed by Brexit but, on the other, he cannot deal with the challenge of putting together a tillage fund. Will the Government deliver on the will of the Dáil and put that fund in place or will it continue kicking the issue to touch and ignoring it?

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