Results 281-300 of 4,808 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tillage Sector (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: This Government recognises the importance of the tillage sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead. Reflecting this importance, my Department has provided significant direct supports to tillage farmers in recent years. This year, the budget for the Protein Aid Scheme is €10m and will remain at €10m for the remainder of the current CAP...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Commission's proposals for the next CAP and the next EU Budget (MFF) post-2027, published on 16 July, are the first step in a long process of negotiation. The next MFF will ultimately be agreed by EU Heads of State and Government at the European Council. My Department will analyse the Commission’s proposals in detail to fully understand the implications for both the structure...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: In June the European Commission wrote to Ireland clearly outlining the need for Ireland to provide clarity and assurances that assessments will be performed on the environmental effects of any potential new nitrates derogation including with regard to the Habitats Directive and ensuring non-deterioration of sites designated under that Directive. Previously when preparing a new Nitrates...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department closely monitors the trends in agriculture costs and prices, with the Central Statistics Office producing Agricultural Input and Output Price Indices on a monthly basis. Data for 2025 shows a continued moderation of agricultural input costs, including energy costs, following the input price peak of 2022. For 2025 to date (January to May), the input price average is 15.7%...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Passports (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Pet passports are provided to individual applicants by private veterinary practitioners. My Department conducts welfare checks and compliance checks on pets that enter Ireland through Traveller Points of Entry (TPOE) as required under Regulation 576/2013. Records of incoming pets are not routinely cross-matched with those leaving the country.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Passports (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Pet passports are provided to individual applicants by private veterinary practitioners. My Department does not keep a record of the number of people applying for pet passports from their private veterinary practitioner.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is committed to ensuring that a highly skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet business needs and uses workforce planning to identify and assess these needs for all locations. My Department undertakes a broad range of services in meeting its business objectives, the delivery of which is supported by staff across administrative and specialist grades. Rather than...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Dogs (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department has overall policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts including enforcement. Each year statistics are collected and collated from local authorities in relation to dog control services. These statistics include, but are not limited to, the number of dogs...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Following the latest Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payment run over 99% of participants have had their 2023 payments finalised, almost 98% of participants have now received their 2024 advance payment (which is worth 85% of the total payment for 2024), while over 95% have also received the remainder of their 2024 payments which issue in the balancing payments. Payments...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: As the Deputy may be aware, ACRES payments continue to issue on a weekly basis. More than 99% of participants have now had their 2023 ACRES payments finalised. It should also be noted that, of the remaining 246 participants, 38 received an interim payment, which may cover the contract value for the 2023 scheme year. Nonetheless, it is a priority to resolve the 2023 scheme year payments...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Culls (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department, along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage established the Irish Deer Management Strategy group to develop a strategy for the sustainable management of deer in Ireland. The Group comprised representatives from my Department, National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Coillte. A report was published into “Developing a Sustainable Deer...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Communications (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Deputy may wish to note that my government business is carried out through secure official email accounts. My Department is bound by its Information Security Acceptable Use Policy which states that the official email accounts assigned to each member of staff are to be used for all work related correspondence.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Communications (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I wish to inform the Deputy that I do not have any messaging provider downloaded on my Ministerial phone.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: In common with all Government Departments, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine pays relevant expenses under the broad headings of Travel & Subsistence including travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses attributable to activities and expenses whilst engaged in official Department duties in Ireland and abroad. Expenses are submitted and approved via the National...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The person named was accepted into Tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) with a start date of 1st January 2023 and is up to date with payments. The ACRES contract value for the herd owner has been calculated at €4,173.78. However a conditionality penalty of €208.68 was applied. The difference of €173.78 between the contract value and the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Procurement Contracts (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department does not have any records of contracts awarded via public procurement that have used reserve contracts or that have social clauses included. As regards the 13 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Assisted Animal Reproduction (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) announced in April 2024 that it had updated its Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Practitioners to prohibit veterinarians from carrying out surgical artificial insemination in dogs due to ethical and welfare considerations. However, this new prohibition does not apply to greyhounds, as the practice is provided for in legislation under the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Dogs (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: On 1 June 2025, all policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts transferred to my Department from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG). It must be noted that local authorities retain responsibility for all operational, implementation and enforcement matters under the Acts. A high level stakeholder group was established in 2024 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Action Plan (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: As part of the governance and oversight of the Climate Action Plan process, the Department of An Taoiseach publish, on a quarterly basis, progress reports on the status of the actions within the Climate Action Plan (CAP). These reports are available online: www.gov.ie/en/publication/55fde-climate-action-important-pub lications. These include detail on the specific actions and progress...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Following the latest Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payment run over 99% of participants have had their 2023 payments finalised, almost 98% of participants have now received their 2024 advance payment (which is worth 85% of the total payment for 2024), while over 95% have also received the remainder of their 2024 payments which issue in the balancing payments. Payments...