Results 8,961-8,980 of 23,978 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: If the money is not fully utilised or taken up, it becomes available again. We prepaid some of this money from capital savings and free capital this year in forward payment. We have fully supported both the Brexit income loan scheme and also the Covid-19 income support scheme through that funding.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: By virtue of the State covering the cost of the risk, farmers are able to avail of a lower interest rate. That is how this works. In both the Brexit impact loan scheme and the future growth loan scheme, 80% of the risk of the loan is covered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland. This leads to a reduced loan interest rate for the farmer concerned. There is a cost associated with...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The way this works is that because the farmer is availing of a lower interest rate, part of the cost of that interest rate is made up by the SBCI. Ultimately, the farmer is paying back less because the SBCI is making a paying to the banking institution. While the farmer will be repaying the loan, it will be at a lower interest rate because the additional interest that would have applied has...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, although it will not all be provided in one year. Our plan is to go to tender by the end of this year and for substantial work to be done next year and into the following year. The funding will come from the national funding allocation.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It will be spread over two or three years.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It was €22 million last year. I do not know what it will be at this point. We have a total of €31.9 million in the capital Vote for 2022. That is for the fishery harbour centres. Alongside that, we have the local authority funding, which I am using the Brexit adjustment reserve to draw down. Over the next two years, it is planned to spend €35 million on the smaller...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am continuing to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the Brexit adjustment reserve to try to ensure we are supporting the fishing sector in every way we can. That is where the €35 million for the local authorities comes in. Obviously, I am continuing with our normal funding for the fishery harbour centres. That remains in place, but I am also looking at...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the opportunity to present the Revised Estimates for 2022 to the committee. Budget 2022 was set with the ongoing challenges of Brexit and Covid in the background and in the transition between the current Common Agricultural Policy and the new CAP. The agriculture Vote for 2022 provides my Department with the resources to deal with these current challenges and opportunities across...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The point on TAMS is very relevant. I have completed and implemented a review of the costings and another review is ongoing. I also announced my intention to increase the ceiling from €80,000 to €90,000 as part of the next CAP. I acknowledge the Chairman's point in regard to the pressure on costs over the past year. I will consider the matter further, taking on board the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am not sure what the various reasons might be. Every farmer's reason will be different. We had the REAP as well, but that was for farmers not currently in GLAS. There was a very successful uptake of that, which shows, even for those who are outside of GLAS, the appetite that is there to come into a scheme. My approach to GLAS was to try to make sure that, while we were in the two...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Is the Deputy talking about TAMS?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: We are dealing with it. Although it has not been dealt with or completed yet, we are making progress on it every month. Members know, as I do, that this time last year there was a real crisis in the sector. Sawmills that would normally have sourced their logs from Irish forest were not able to get those logs and sawmills that did not want to import logs were importing. Thankfully, we are...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Pigmeat Sector (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Carthy for raising this important and immediate issue. The continued development of the pig meat sector is a real priority for me, given the pivotal role the industry plays in the national economic context, which the Deputy outlined in terms of it being the third-largest grossing sector in the agrifood sector. It supports approximately 8,000 jobs which span production,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Pigmeat Sector (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Carthy for the constructive way he has raised this issue with the focus being on how we can support pig farmers at a very difficult time. I have been engaging with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister of State, Deputy English, in particular, about the workforce. We will work to try to expedite the capacity for workforce permits for the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: With regard to Parliamentary Question No. 328 of 20thJanuary 2022, where the Deputy asked when the GLAS appeal for the person named would be decided, as stated previously, there was no record of an outstanding appeal in respect of the person named and the GLAS Scheme on 20thJanuary 2022. The document referred to from the Department dated 15th October 2021 acknowledged the request for a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Teagasc Activities (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Teagasc was established under the “Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act”, 1988, as the national agency with responsibility for the provision of research, training and advisory services to the agriculture and food industry. It operates as a non-commercial state body under the aegis of my Department in the areas of agri-food, rural development etc. The day to day...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department has been proactive in terms of its engagement with the Old Irish Goat Society for over five years in assisting in a range of activities designed to conserve this breed. These include; - funding for characterisation work such as defining a breed standard for the Old Irish Goat (OIG). This involves assessing a large number of animals physical features and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department does not specifically provide grant aid for river erosion preventative measures. However, the Department does place a strong emphasis on the protection of our watercourses through activities like the European Innovation Partnership 'Allow' Project in the Duhallow catchment which aims to restore the status of a high-status waterbody in an agricultural catchment. Similarly, one...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (1 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 and for guaranteeing funding to the Racing Regulatory Body to carry out its functions through an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (1 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...