Gildernew's bungling to blame for Farm Modernisation delay - Allister
22 July 2010
Gildernew’s bungling to blame for Farm Modernisation delay - Allister
TUV Leader Jim Allister has accused the DARD Minister of bungling in her handling of Tranche 2 of the Farm Modernisation Programme, causing excessive delay in the roll out of the scheme.
In a statement Mr Allister said:
“Months ago when Minister Gildernew first announced her intention to target the 2nd tranche on LFA farmers, I wrote to the Department enquiring if such a patently discriminatory policy had been equality proofed. The Minister responded by falsely asserting that her proposal did not need equality proofed. Now, clearly having been forced to accept legal advice that she was wrong, she has belatedly submitted the proposal to a full Equality Impact Assessment, inflicting more months of delay.
“If, as she ought, she had equality proofed her plan in the first place, or better still abandoned her discriminatory proposal, the 2nd tranche of FMS would already be in payment, instead of languishing months behind schedule. This delay is entirely down to the Minister’s wrong-headed intent to favour one section of the community over another and her ‘head in the sand’ refusal to face up to the equality implications. Once more the farming community is paying dearly for this Minister’s political agenda.
“I reiterate my strong view that the present proposal is blatantly discriminatory. By prioritising the spending of modulation funds on the sector which contributes the least into the kitty, knowing the politico-sectarian benefit which this bestows to the detriment of high contributing lowland farmers, the Minister is not providing for balanced and non-partisan delivery. The blunt truth is that Protestant farmers will be more disadvantaged by the Minister’s methodology of distribution than Catholic farmers. The Minister must know this and, yet, with that knowledge she sets about such a patently discriminatory distribution of funds. Why?
“Will the Minister now publicly commit to withdraw her proposal if the Equality Impact Assessment confirms sectarian disadvantage is an inevitable consequence of her proposal? Or, will it take more months of legal advice and lobbying before she faces reality?
“In the circumstances which have blighted the roll out of this 2nd tranche of Farm Modernisation, I believe the Finance Minister should be taking a close oversight interest in how this matter has been and is being handled. I, therefore, urge him to do so.”
