Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome many of the different measures brought in during recent days. They are helpful to people throughout the country. There are anomalies in certain areas. We have told our elderly to isolate as much as they can. If they have to isolate in the coming months, the fuel allowance should be paid to them. Obviously, they have to keep themselves warm. We should ensure we put that in place.

This morning mixed signals came out. Officials in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection sent letters to people throughout the country. The letters said it would be preferable if people used the banking system for social distancing rather than the post offices. Let us be clear on this: post offices have brought in as good a system as the banking system to ensure proper social distancing. It has now been cleared up but such mixed messages need to stop.

One sector that has been forgotten in all of this is the farming sector. At the moment the marts are closed to farmers. Will the Minister confirm whether farmers are entitled to the €350 payment? They are self-employed. They are struggling to sell cattle at the moment for the obvious reason that the marts are closed. It is well-known that there is a slowdown at the moment in the export of beef. I welcome the green lanes announced today. They have been introduced in Europe to try to get through this. However, we need to consider the sheep sector, which relies on the French market at Easter. Prices are falling flat on their face at the moment. I welcome every measure the Government has taken. All of them are needed and fair play to the Government for taking them.

There are sectors which need help. There are 300,000 people involved in the agricultural sector and 130,000 farmers. We have to make sure that something like the beef exceptional aid measure, BEAM, scheme is introduced because at the end of the day, the food system has to be kept going. I ask the Minister of State to consider those points.

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