John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I intended to speak on the banking crisis and the economy but Senator Donohoe anticipated my remarks. There is a terrible sense of fear among the public. Last night I attended a political meeting at which questions were raised about the safety of bank deposits. People are concerned about their children's future and keeping a roof over their heads. As previous speakers have noted, the people are resilient but there are actions which that need to be taken. I agree with Senator MacSharry that certain matters are within our control. Despite the terrible miasma that has come over commentators who claim it is the fault of the European Union, the media or someone else, we can take positive measures to address the situation.

The reality is that the European Union will be instrumental in helping us resolve our difficulties. As Senator Harris pointed out, now is not the time to wrap the green flag around us. While the slogan "ourselves alone" was meaningful a long time ago, we are a different country now. We need help and support from friends in all parts of the world, on the continent of Europe in particular.

Senator McFadden raised a number of questions about the single farm payment which is threatened with a significant reduction in the review of the Common Agricultural Policy. I do not make my appeal solely on behalf of farmers, even though I have been contacted by a significant number of farmers who face financial difficulties because they have not received payments, but also in the interest of rural businesses which depend on the income generated by the payment. Last week I was contacted by a school friend who set up a business several years ago. He has had to take out five figure overdraft to pay his preliminary tax bill because the majority of farmers in the area have not yet received their single farm payments. He was lucky to get an overdraft even though his business is successful. The other people who work in rural Ireland are also coming under pressure because of delayed payments. These delays can arise on flimsy grounds. One farmer in my area was denied a payment for six months because he wrote "barley" instead of "spring barley" on one part of his application form. That is bureaucratic nonsense and I ask the Government to ensure payments are made at the earliest opportunity.