Following the announcement this week that the Government is to hold a referendum on the powers of Oireachtas committees, I believe a cautious and careful approach is needed for any proposed amendments.

 The proposed referendum would seek to grant Oireachtas Committees far greater powers, such as powers of investigation and the power to compel witnesses. 

Whilst powers of investigation would be most beneficial in investigating the banking crisis, we must decide the most appropriate forum for such. Any body with powers to investigate must be carefully managed with a system of checks and balances to ensure fairness, transparency and the protection of individual’s rights at all times. Such a system is not easy to formulate.

 We have seen how tribunals have run and run, costing huge money and time because the proper controls were not put in place. Constitution rights and due process procedures have to be paramount. Without such I fear that this amendment would, without careful wording, create a similar uncontrollable beast.

 Powers of investigation of Parliaments were accepted in the common law and were frequent in England, however such investigations fell into disrepute given the inherent political interest in the outcome.

 It is also worth nothing that the Supreme Court in the Abbeylara Court Case stated that an Oireachtas Committee cannot make a finding of fact based on any inquiries. This proposed referendum would amend this.

 I therefore eagerly awaiting a publication of the text of the proposed referendum before I make a final judgement.   

There are a number of serious issues causing concern in relation to the vitality and future of An Garda Siochána.

A key difficulty,  is the mass exodus of senior, experienced Gardaí due to fears over the safety of their pension entitlements in the future.

Given the fact that serious cut backs and taxes have been introduced and given the fear that more is to come, many of our more experienced members of the force are deciding to leave for financial reasons. This is depriving the force of a huge source of knowledge, skills and expertise.

This knowledge depletion is a massive loss to An Garda Siochána, but this problem is in fact exacerbated by the lack of young blood coming into the force. No recruitment means no incoming vitality or energy. We need young enthusiastic members to countermand the current drain of experience and knowledge. In addition due to the huge cutbacks in the Garda budget training and upskilling for existing members has been greatly curtailed.

I am baffled therefore, at the announcement last week by the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, to minimize the numbers of serving Gardaí. At a meeting of the Garda Representative Association earlier this week, Minister Shatter stated that the numbers of the force will have to be reduced from the current 14,500 members to 13,000 by 2014. The call was met with anger and concern from existing Gardaí who stated that this move would endanger the public and severely strain the system. 

Our Gardaí are incredibly hard working, dedicated and efficient but services are already stretched to the maximum. This decision has been made without any proper study of the impact these cuts will have.

In advance of the general election both Fine Gael and Labour castigated the outgoing Government for maintaining existing numbers in the force and not bringing forward new recruits, now we see their Government actually take steps to reduce numbers. This is a total contradiction, another election promise broken. I understand and appreciate that there are economic difficulties, but Fine Gael and Labour have been dishonest with the electorate and particularly with the people of Templemore, in what they promised and what they led them to believe.

 This decision is of particular negative impact to Templemore town. We have a world class Garda Training College in Templemore which will now continue to sit empty and unused. Templemore is hugely reliant on the income generated locally by the Garda College. This announcement is a huge blow for the town economically dependent on the college.

 I am calling on Minister Shatter to examine more fully the effects of such cuts before this decision is implemented. The savings that would be made should be weighed against public safety and confidence and the cost to society of criminality and criminal damage.

I believe that the decision by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, to reduce the maximum payment available for farmers under the AEOS Scheme 2011 is unfair and unacceptable. As well as a reduction in the maximum amounts payable, the scheme will also introduce stringent new rules to limit the amount of famers eligible for remuneration under this scheme.

 In an announcement earlier this week Minister Coveney outlined alterations to the AEOS scheme which will have a significant, detrimental impact on Irish farmers, particularly smaller or lower income farms who are reliant on such supports. 

 The funding for the new scheme is now capped at €25 million, with the result that the maximum individual payment is now €4,000 per annum. In addition to this approximately 2,000 farmers will now not meet the requirements set out by the new AEOS scheme.  

For Minister Coveney to simply say that the funding is unavailable is a cop out. In the last budget I secured firm guarantees from the Government that this scheme would be protected and continued into the future. Minister Coveney has reneged on this promise. It is easy to look to the past Government and seek to pin the blame on them but the reality is that this scheme was intended to continue and it is the current Government who has amended it. Budget 2011 stated that AEOS would be re-opened to allow 10,000 farmers join the scheme with a maximum payment of €5,000. Since coming into office Minister Coveney has repeatedly delayed introducing this scheme and has now introduced a diminished version of it.

It is unacceptable to reduce funding and farmer’s entitlements without warning. We have many farmers coming out of the REPS scheme who will now be cut off. The new regulations could result in up to half of all applications received being rejected.

Countless farmers are reliant on these payments simply to stay afloat. This payment was seen as an integral part of farm income. Not only will these reductions affect farmers directly but it will also have a knock on effect on the whole rural economy from local shops to co-operatives and beyond.

The maximum AEOS payment has been reduced by €1,000, which by any objective standard is a considerable amount of money. This will have a particularly biting effect in Special Areas of Conservation or Special Protection Areas where farming practices are restricted.

I believe that farming and rural enterprises will be integral to Ireland’s economic recovery. The Government is further hobbling a sector that has already seen huge cuts to funding not to mention sharply rising costs. Farmers are having to work harder and longer, year after year simply to continue operations. If any other sector of Irish industry had such severe income drops in such a short number of years it would ultimately collapse. Farmers cannot sustain these decimating cuts to funding and to schemes, the Minister needs to take decisive action to support Irish agriculture with a view to helping Irish farming and the country get back on its feet.

I am therefore joining with the IFA in calling for Minister Coveney to reconsider his actions and in addition to guarantee all farmers that AEOS will continue into the future. The scheme in its current form will have a grave effect on farming families.