Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with my colleagues in welcoming our new colleague, Senator Craughwell, to the House. I welcome his family to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Everybody is talking about the west of Ireland connection. I hope we will all work together to deliver for all of the country with a little bit extra for the west. Coming from County Leitrim, I would like to see that happen.

Today is budget day and I hope we will get some good news for the first time in seven or eight years. I have been contacted by a number of farmers. We are all aware that this is the time of year when farm payments are made. Disadvantaged area payments were made around the time of the ploughing championships. Next week single farm payments will be made. However, I have been contacted by a number of farmers in recent weeks and again this morning whose payments have been delayed. I would like to see progress in that regard. I will speak to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine about making progress. Payments are being delayed for similar reasons to last year. It is unacceptable for the same problems to crop up year in and year out. I wish the payments to be made because people in rural areas are dependent on the payments and would like to have them as soon as possible.