Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I referenced the CAP earlier. Approximately €10 billion, between EU and Exchequer funding, will support 130,000 farm families under the new CAP.

On forestry, there is a new €1.3 billion forestry programme, which is open for applications. New licences are issuing every week. We believe this will be a significant departure from previous years where the industry was in difficulty. It will see an increase in forestry premiums of between 46% and 66% and farmers will receive 20 years of premium payments compared to 15 years for non-farmers. A farmer planting, for example, 1 ha of native broadleaf trees will receive €1,103 per year for 20 years tax free. That is approximately €22,000 for planting 1 ha of land. Farmers can plant a hectare of native woodland without the need for a licence. There are certainly improvements in forestry but delivery will be key in that respect.

On the residential zoned land tax, that has been deferred. There is a remapping under way which, I think, is coming close to completion. I understand the points the Deputy has made. We are endeavouring to make sure that those who are in production and who want to continue farming are not taxed unfairly. That is a fair objective to try to achieve.

It is beyond shocking that no time has been set aside this week to discuss the recent referendum results. I and the Rural Independent Group called for a full debate on the topic. However, it seems that the political establishment, which includes all Opposition parties apart from Aontú, wants to conveniently forget about the result. The reality is that the referendum results mark the largest "No" vote in referendum history, with figures of 73% in the referendum on care and 67% in the referendum on the family. The Government parties and the legions of supporting NGOs could only convince an average of 13% of the eligible voters to vote "Yes", dropping to 7% in Donegal, despite all the parties' efforts. These figures underscore the detachment of Ireland's political establishment from the political realities faced by ordinary people. There is a glaring political disconnect, which is a colossal issue. People saw that and continue to see it. The hypocrisy of those who advocated a "Yes" vote but are now distancing themselves from it is pointed out by examples such as Senator Lisa Chambers from Fianna Fáil. This is astonishing. Two Fine Gael Senators did not vote at all, despite campaigning for a "Yes" vote. Do they take the people for complete fools?

I am demanding dedicated Dáil time for an in-depth analysis of how the Government and political parties have become so out of touch in this country. The Dáil must discuss the implications of this vote, the message from the people and the ramifications for governance. The House must reflect on the nationwide concerns and place emphasis on the real question. Will the well-funded political parties repay €23 million to the taxpayers for the referendums? No one requested these referendums apart from the Government's fancy assemblies. Serious questions have been raised as to why Ministers and Government spokespersons constantly misled the Dáil. That includes the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. Spokespersons misled the Dáil and the Irish people.

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