John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I support a debate in the House on rural Ireland and rural issues. The farmer is the backbone of rural Ireland, and farmers have many issues. One of them is the fair deal scheme. Fair deal operates on the basis that, unless a farmer transferred his land more than five years before he enters a nursing home, it is assessed against him for the duration of his stay. If the farmer goes into a nursing home prematurely and is there for ten or 15 years, he might lose his land entirely to the fair deal scheme. The strange thing is that one would think that, if the farmer transferred his land four and a half years prior to going into a nursing home, after the end of the five-year period, which would be six months into his stay, he would no longer have his land assessed, but that is not the case. If one goes into a nursing home one day before the five-year period is up, one's land is assessed against one for the rest of one's living days. It is something we should debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. If people's family homes are assessed in respect of only three years, income from land should also be assessed in respect of only three years. It is something that warrants a debate in the House.I ask that the Leader, at some stage before the budget, bring in the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, so we can have a discussion on this. There is merit in it on behalf of farmers.