Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I wish him the best in his electoral contest in June. I thank him and his colleagues, the Minister of State, Deputy Tracey, and the Minister, Deputy Joe Walsh, for their work in the Department. I am pleased he mentioned in his opening address the question of the ten accession states who will join the European Union next Saturday. Their accession will have implications for the Common Agricultural Policy. It is both a challenge and an opportunity for us as members of the European Union to take part in the new CAP. A significant consultation process has taken place with meetings held around the country and the decision regarding 100% decoupling from next year has been welcomed. This will give flexibility to farmers in the way they can farm from now on. Bureaucracy hopefully will be reduced and eliminated.

On the question of bureaucracy, there has been a problem with regard to commonages, particularly in the west, for some time, as the Minister of State is aware. Dual claims have caused problems and it is amazing that people claim for the same parcel of land. People are looking forward to decoupling and I hope the Land Commission and the Department will be able to resolve those issues before it takes place.

I welcome the funding for schemes dealing with hygiene and waste management which have encouraged farmers to invest. The role of the agricultural colleges is very important and they have had to face the threat of closure in some cases. There are two agricultural colleges in my county of Galway, Mellowes College in Athenry and the Franciscan College in Mountbellew where the numbers are large. Young farmers also do CERT and business courses at the colleges and this is a positive sign for the future of farming. I ask the Minister and his Department to support those colleges.

I welcome the new rural FÁS scheme as it has been called. Herd numbers will be required by the 2,500 people who wish to participate in the scheme. It will help off-farm employment. I welcome all that has been done by the Department with regard to women in agriculture, particularly regarding the requirement for action on PRSI, carer's allowance, maternity benefits and rural transport. The county councillors of County Galway were ahead of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, in the draft guidelines which he produced. The councillors changed and amended the county plan to ensure that people would be given planning permission in rural areas on the simple principle that the further one is from Galway city, the better chance one has of building a house in rural Ireland. I believe that is a very good principle and I hope it will be supported by the Government and the Minister, Deputy Cullen.