Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Many of the matters Senator Higgins raises are very important in the context of the debate. There are serious issues around succession on farms, the role of women in agriculture, young people and so on. I would respectfully suggest, however, that they are not central to what this Bill is about.As the Minister of State has outlined, this Bill is about righting an anomaly. It is complex legislation but what it is doing at its core is righting a very specific anomaly whereby farm families and small businesses were discriminated against. I am not disagreeing with the points the Senator is making but her amendments are not relevant to the Bill. While we need to have a broader debate about issues such as succession and inheritance on farms, and the huge challenge of the ageing farm profile, this Bill is very specifically dealing with an anomaly in the system. The Senator's amendments do not assist in any way in that regard.