Results 8,861-8,880 of 23,978 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Results Based Environment Agri Pilot Programme (REAP) is designed to trial the results-based approach on a national basis and to test the upscaling potential of the model for inclusion in the next national agri-environment scheme to follow GLAS. REAP incentivises farmers to maintain and improve the environmental condition of their land. At applications stage, farmers could bring in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 815 and 816 together. While overall forestry licensing improved significantly last year, afforestation has not improved as we would like with just over 4,200ha approved last year. Improving afforestation licensing is a key priority for 2022. A detailed licensing plan for 2022 was published last week which has as its main target the issuing of 5,250 licences...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 817 and 818 together. To the end of last year, 3,601 tree felling licence applications were received, split between 2,299 Coillte and 1,309 private applications (64%/36% respectively). The greater number of applications received are from Coillte, which is responsible for much of the mature national forest estate and supplies 75% of logs to sawmills. The tree...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may be aware, Project Woodland was established in February 2021 to ensure that the current licensing backlog is addressed and that a new impetus is brought to woodland creation in Ireland. Through the Project Woodland process, my Department is proceeding to pay for an ecology report submitted with an afforestation application, when paying for the establishment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Since the first finding of ash dieback disease in Ireland, the Department has provided support to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme and more recently the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme introduced in July 2020. Premium payments are made from the time of establishment of the plantation up to the time the crop became...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department will make direct contact with the named individual to seek further information in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Fisheries Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 822 to 825, inclusive, 829 and 830 together. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Regulation (Regulation EU 380/2013) provides that the European Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council on the functioning of the CFP by the end of 2022. On 17 December 2021, the European Commission launched an online questionnaire as part of its...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Afforestation licences have a three-year validity and therefore the 4,200 ha's licensed last year can be planted within that timeframe. I would obviously encourage any landowner to do so immediately and enjoy the significant economic benefits of doing so. Improved licensing output has a role to play in building confidence among farmers and landowners, and in increasing demand for licences...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: In 2021, my Department issued 4,050 licences, a 56% increase on the previous year. Much of that output has been felling licences, which reflects the number of felling licence applications we receive as opposed to forest roads and afforestation licence applications. To the end of last year, we received 3,601 tree felling licence applications, split between 2,299 Coillte and 1,309 private...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department engaged one consultant since 2020 in relation to COVID-19, details of which are set out below. Name of COVID-19 related Consultancy Contract Reason Cost€ UCC Pilot Study c/o professor John Wenger Investigation on air quality measurements for a pilot study in a meat processing plant ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Proposed Legislation (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968 provides for the establishment of State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs) as locations in which to promote and develop sea fishing activities. Since the introduction of the Act, six FHCs have been established in Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros an Mhíl. Overall responsibility for their management and operation rests...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Official Travel (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government is in the process of finalising the programme to mark St Patrick’s Day around the world. This will include a programme of visits by Ministers that will be approved by the Government early this month, and which will be made public immediately afterwards.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Third Level Education (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department has ongoing contact with the two colleges in Ireland, UCD and WIT, that provide forestry degree programmes for students in Ireland. I understand an introduction to ecology forms part of both courses. It is important to note that a qualified forester will have a different skillset than a qualified ecologist. It is very important that Registered Foresters are at a basic...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department employs 58 forestry inspectors and 27 FTE ecologists including contractors.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The person named submitted an application under the Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme of TAMS II on 10th January 2020. The application was approved. An application for payment was submitted on 2nd September 2021 when the approved works were completed. There were some queries with the payment application which have now been resolved and the application has now been approved for payment.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department along with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications met with Bord na Mona on 10thDecember last year. The meeting discussed how Bord na Móna could assist in alleviating the current situation that the Irish horticultural industry find itself in with regard to the supply of peat including access to Bord na Móna’s mixing plant and equipment. Bord...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Act, 2001. The Horse Racing Ireland Act, 2016 provides that HRI is responsible for the overall administration, governance, development and promotion of the Irish horse racing industry for guaranteeing funding to the Racing Regulatory Board to carry out its functions through an integrity services...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Ireland has a high grade seed status and has additional controls in place including a requirement for pre-notification of imports from EU countries. The advance notification by the importer includes a requirement to state the country of origin of the seed potatoes. However, as previously indicated in my reply to question of 841 of Feb 2022, there were two consignments imported, one in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department issued 4,050 forestry licences last year, which is an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2020, and met our revised target of 4,000 licences. It is our intention to build on this momentum in 2022. I published a licensing plan for 2022 last week, detailing a range of forestry priorities for 2022. On licensing the main priorities are: - A target of 5,250 new licences to issue,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Mackinnon report commissioned by the Department to review the processes and procedures for forestry licenses in Ireland, recommended that pre-applications discussions be implemented. This is intended as a tool to help foresters understand the regulatory aspects of a particular application through a pre-application discussion with the Department forestry inspector. The details of this...