Results 11,181-11,200 of 23,978 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department currently has 21 full-time equivalent ecologists deployed to deal with all forestry licence applications, both Coillte and private. From January to end April 2021, 732 forestry licences have been issued, following input by ecologists. The average output per week is therefore 43.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The targets for the sector are already defined not by number of licences but by metrics relating to targets set for afforestation and forest road and, in the case of felling, potential harvest. The Climate Action Plan 2019 sets the target for afforestation at 8,000 ha per annum and the target of forest roadworks at 125km per annum. While there are no specific targets for felling, the COFORD...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Forestry Inspectors and ecologists work on a range of tasks including licensing as their main task. Portioning out their time to licensing on a full time equivalent basis, there are approximately 33 FTE Forestry Inspectors working on licensing and there are approximately 21 full time equivalent ecologists working on licensing for the first part of 2021. For the same period last year,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government contains an undertaking to provide additional funding to support animal welfare in the coming years to which I am fully committed. In this regard, in December 2020 I announced record funding of €3.2 million to 101 animal welfare organisations throughout the country. The Department takes its responsibilities in the matter of animal welfare most seriously...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: S.I. No. 40 of 2021 (AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND THE MARINE (DELEGATION OF MINISTERIAL FUNCTIONS) ORDER 2021) was given under the Official Seal of the Government on 2 February 2021 by An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, T.D.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: There are two forestry Senior Inspectors. Both are permanent staff members and have been in position since 2010 and 2017, respectively.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Under Section 18(1) of the Forestry Act 2014, it shall be the objective that a felling licence application is determined within four months. The Act further provides for notifications to applicants where it appears that a decision cannot be made within four months. Such notification to give reasons for the delay and in addition to set a new date, except in cases where an environmental impact...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department issues forestry related circulars to the forestry sector on a regular basis throughout the year. These circulars are issued to the trade and clarify or amend Department policy. Such policy clarification or change would then fall to be implemented by Department staff as per the contents of the circular.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I am not aware of any incidence where the Department has instructed an applicant that they will not approve a felling licence unless that applicant submits a forest road licence. I would be happy to have my officials examine if you have any written correspondence to that effect. If an applicant submits a harvest plan as part of the felling licence application, the Department may query...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I can confirm to the Deputy that the number of hectares of newly established afforestation are those confirmed as planted and paid for at Form 2 stage based on the certified species map.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine fully accepts the decision of the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) in the case of the person named in the case supplied. When screening for Appropriate Assessment, it is necessary to take into account other plans and projects and to properly record these on the file. As there was no record of this before the FAC, the application was set...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: There are nine full time ecologists working as permanent employees with the Forestry Inspectorate. The other ecologists working for the Department on forestry files work for Fehily Timoney, Environmental Facilitation Ltd while other ecologists working part time on files are predominantly sole traders.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department is continuing to make improvements to its licensing system in order to streamline the processing of licences. This does not obviate the need to consider the potential environmental impact of each individual application but there has been an increased output of 109 licences for the third week in May (of which 101 were new licences and eight were re-issued licences from...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department made very significant changes to its Appropriate Assessment procedures in 2019. These were in relation to increasing the zone of influence for consideration of appropriate assessment from 3km to 15km and to implement in the European Case law in relation to the consideration of mitigation at screening stage. There were a number of inputs to the decision including NPWS...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Jo O'Hara report recommended the recruitment of project management expertise to assist in the implementation of the project. The Department responded immediately to this recommendation by recruiting an external project management specialist, Mr. Eamon O'Doherty to this role, starting on 4th May 2021. This is a full-time role dedicated entirely to the implementation of Project Woodland...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The following table shows the number of Coillte licence applications that have been recorded as withdrawn during the years 2016 - 2020. Year Withdrawn 2017 59 2018 65 2019 60 2020 23 In most cases, licences are withdrawn when specific issues are raised by the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Bord na Móna formally ended all peat harvesting on its lands by the end of 2019. As a result of this cessation in peat harvesting, industrial cutover peatlands are becoming increasingly available for other land use options, including opportunities for the restoration of native woodland habitats. This availability of land occurs at a point in time where there is a greater demand than...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Forestry Service is part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which is amenable to the Public Accounts Committee. The Irish forestry sector is a significant employer in rural Ireland of almost 12,000 jobs. Improving the licensing situation is a key priority for me, Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has responsibility for forestry and the Department and no effort is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 542 and 543 together. In 2020, officers from the Carcase Classification Section of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) conducted 405 inspections across 32 factories classifying carcasses. There were 302 inspections in factories where mechanical classification is carried out and 103 inspections in the nine manual grading factories....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 553, inclusive, together. Circular 5 of 2021 concerns the possible requirement for planning permission from the Local Authority where broadleaf high forest is replaced by conifer species and where one or more of a number of other conditions applies. All registered foresters have been directly notified of this circular. As the agent for the land...