Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the new Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan. Many people have commented that she is the first woman in the post but what is most important is that she is the first Minister for Agriculture and Food from the BMW region since Mr. Ray MacSharry held the post from 1979 to 1981. Mr. MacSharry was a great friend to Irish farmers and the new Minister will be the same. She takes office at the beginning of a new era for farming and I wish her every success and am confident she will deliver great achievements. Fianna Fáil in Government is greatly committed to rural Ireland and both the Minister for Agriculture and Food and the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, will be unstinting in their efforts.

It is right to pay tribute to the great job done by the former Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Walsh. His record is unique in modern Irish politics and he made a major contribution to rural Ireland and to the farming community in particular. He provided strong leadership through times of great change and challenge. His strategy and tactics secured a Common Agricultural Policy that will continue to meet the needs of farming families and our strong food industry into the future. Deputy Walsh's successful negotiation in the Agenda 2000 talks and in the subsequent CAP mid-term review in 2003 and his decision to introduce full decoupling of support payments provide a firm foundation for the future of farming. I wish him well as he continues to serve the people of Clonakilty and Cork South-West during the years to come.

I welcome the new Bill as it meets one of the commitments contained in the farming element of the Sustaining Progress partnership agreement and demonstrates the Government's dedication to the farming sector and the partnership process. This will pave the way for the write-off of small land annuities, including arrears, where the annual sum payable is more than €200 per annum. A new scheme will allow farmers with annuities over this amount to buy out their annuities at a discount of 25% subject to the full payment of all outstanding arrears. This discount buy-out scheme will be available for a limited period following the enactment of the Bill. This is good news for almost 7,000 farmers and I hope all eligible farmers pay attention to this deadline in order to avoid later disputes.

Another fine feature of the Bill is that it makes it easier for the Department to collect money, thus making it more difficult for those paying annuities to get into debt. I hope everyone who can benefit will choose to actively consider the generous discount buy-out scheme. For cost effective reasons, some 4,200 farmers with small annuities of not more than €200 per annum will have their debt written off. These provisions could, if the discount buy-out is fully taken up, extinguish the future collection of land annuities and bring to a close the outdated land purchase mechanism that started in the 19th century.

This Bill also provides for a number of amendments to the Land Act, arising from the dissolution of the Land Commission in 1998. One of these will make it easier for the Minister for Agriculture and Food to allow for the transfer of titles in respect of former Land Commission trust property at the request of the trustees. This is important as it will remove the current burden of legal, financial and ongoing management commitments placed on trustees.

Sport is an important priority for the Government. Fianna Fáil believes the value of sport cannot be over emphasised. I am glad that the passing of the Bill will ease the transfer of land currently used by sporting clubs and community groups to such organisations. In particular, some 250 GAA grounds around the country that currently require ministerial intervention to appoint trustees should be transferred to full GAA ownership. This can only be a good thing and will help the future development of the lands, resulting in better sports facilities and grounds.

The Bill also proposes to reduce bureaucracy through the repeal of sections 12 and 45 of the Land Act 1965. The section 12 amendment will remove the need for sub-division control in acquiring or redistributing land. This is a sensible and overdue modernisation as the State will no longer be involved in the process. The section 45 amendment requires that the consent of the Minister for Agriculture and Food must be obtained before non-EU or EEA nationals may purchase agricultural land in the State. This is not the first time these rules have been changed and this amendment ensures that we meet our obligations under EU membership. The section as it exists currently imposes unnecessary red tape and additional costs on those buying or selling land, which is unhelpful in the context of an enlarged EU.

I welcome the Bill. It delivers on commitments made in Sustaining Progress and provides more evidence of the Government's commitment to rural Ireland. I wish the Minister well in the coming months and years. She is the first female Minister for Agriculture and Food and I know she will be excellent.