Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Common sense is not all that common and the more time I spend here, the more I realise that.

I also want to talk about the amendment that was also ruled out of order on the case of working farmland being a total of 90% of farm assets for the fair deal scheme and that it should be exempted from any valuations or means assessment. This amendment was an attempt to correct a significant anomaly in the fair deal scheme which unfairly discriminates against farm families. My office in County Mayo, and indeed Senator Ó Clochartaigh and Senator Mac Lochlainn and I am sure many other rural Senators and Deputies, has received many requests about this issue. Farm families should be concentrating on the health of their loved ones rather than worrying about the potential sale of part of their farming homestead. Working farmland is not a financial asset for farming people. It is their main means of production and it is required to continue living in rural Ireland.