Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

The Minister for Agriculture and Food has been consistent in her insistence that at least 90% of farmers will be paid the single farm payment before Christmas. I hope that this will be the case but the tentative feedback I have received from different quarters is that only 40% of farmers will be paid before Christmas. I hope this figure is wrong. I ask that inquiries be made through the Leader to the Department of Agriculture and Food to discover the stage at which payments are at present because we must ensure farmers and their families are paid before Christmas.

If the figure of 40% is in some way accurate, we need an emergency debate on the issue because we are dealing with farmers' livelihoods and income for Christmas. Irish farmers bought into the single farm payment. It is an important issue and if the figure of 40% is accurate it should be debated as a matter of priority within the next week.