Results 12,361-12,380 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith
- Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (1 Jun 2010)
Brendan Smith: There are 488 aquaculture licence applications awaiting determination â this consists of 259 applications for first time licences and 229 renewal applications. The backlog in the processing of new and renewal licence applications largely arises because the majority of areas for which the licences are sought are designated Special Areas of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive and/or...
- Written Answers — Departmental Communications: Departmental Communications (27 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The details requested by Deputy Kenny in relation to the Department's websites are provided in the following table: Website Name Annual maintenance cost (ex vat) for each site in 2010 (to date) Annual maintenance cost (ex vat) for each site in 2009 http://www.agriculture.gov.ie â¬7,306.69 â¬7,306.69 http://www.fawac.ie â¬62.99 â¬62.99 http://www.fishingnet.ie â¬69.99 â¬69.99...
- Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (27 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: A number of REPS 4 plans produced using eREPS included chemical phosphorus levels which appeared to be in excess of the levels permitted. This situation was not caused by any deficiency in the eREPS system but because instructions for using the system were not followed. To try to prevent this happening again, work was carried out in February 2010 on the eREPS system to provide additional...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Payment in full for 2009 has issued to 1,736 out of a total of 1,898 Donegal farmers who applied to participate in REPS 4. The remaining 162 cases are being processed as issues outstanding are being resolved and full payments will be made as soon as possible in these cases.
- Written Answers — Harbours and Piers: Harbours and Piers (27 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Greencastle harbour is owned by Donegal County Council and the maintenance and development of the harbour is the responsibility of the Council in the first instance. My Department has, however, in recent years, project managed works on phase 1 of the Greencastle Harbour development project on behalf of Donegal County Council as well as providing funding. The position with regard to...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My officials have now received satisfactory clarification from the Revenue Commissioners on this matter. Processing of the payment will now take place and it will issue to the applicant in the coming days.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: REPS 3 participants were paid for a twelve months period in advance at each anniversary of the start of their contract. Almost all of the final-year payments to participants in REPS 3, the last version of the scheme to which this payment arrangement applies, have now issued. Participants in REPS 4 are paid in respect of each calendar year rather than for each twelve-month contract period....
- World Trade Negotiations (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: I conveyed our Government's serious reservations about the decision to re-engage in negotiations with Mercosur directly to Commissioner Ciolos when I spoke to him on Monday, 17 May. In my discussion with him, I expressed our deep concerns over the decision to relaunch the negotiations and the threat which these negotiations could pose for Irish and European agriculture, at a time of great...
- World Trade Negotiations (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: As Deputy Creed quite rightly says, we are all very concerned about this proposal. It is no secret, and it has been in the public domain, that President Barroso, head of the European Commission, has been the driving force behind this particular initiative to re-open these talks. It is no secret either that there were robust discussions at the college meeting of the Commissioners in early...
- World Trade Negotiations (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: I would not underestimate the commitment or the capacity of the new Commissioner, who is totally committed to the agriculture sector and to maximising the best possible budget we all want post-2013 towards an adequately resourced CAP. At the Council of Ministers, Ireland, together with France, Austria, Finland, Greece, Hungary and Poland, submitted a joint paper which was discussed at the...
- Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The continuation of a strong decoupled direct payments system is of fundamental importance, in my view, to stabilising farm incomes at times of market volatility. Decoupled payments remain the best way of underpinning the incomes of small family farms, while allowing them respond to market opportunities. In this context, it is essential to acknowledge the linkage between the income...
- Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The point made by Deputy Sherlock is that, regardless of the mechanism, we need to have some stability in income. We need to put a floor on farmers' incomes. The best way this has been achieved to date is through the direct payment system. Allied to the stabilisation of income, we also need to achieve stability through anti-volatility measures. As I have said in the House a number of...
- Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Deputy Sherlock makes a valid point about the divergence of opinion. We are much in favour of direct payments, but some within our own country will argue that the reference period should be changed. If we did an analysis of agriculture overall, we would see that not much has changed over a period of eight to ten years in terms of the number of people participating and the types of activity...
- Departmental Agencies (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The Irish National Stud Company Limited, INS, is a commercial State body established in 1946 and is a company registered under the Companies Act. It does not receive grant aid from the State. The INS is operating in a competitive international environment and the international bloodstock industry has not been immune from the consequences of the global economic downturn in recent years. The...
- Departmental Agencies (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: It was in the context of ensuring the best possible value for money in State expenditure that I wrote to all bodies under the aegis of my Department in October 2008 and November 2009. The INS does not receive any grant aid from the Department. The first time I became aware of the expenses issues was on 18 September 2009, when I wrote to the chairman of the INS asking for a full account of...
- Departmental Agencies (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: I do not accept the Deputy's contention. The chairman of the Irish National Stud has assured me that the company has in the past and will continue in the future to comply with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies. I emphasised the continuing need for the company to ensure it fully complies with all corporate governance requirements. The chairman and the newly appointed...
- Departmental Agencies (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: It is the duty of the board to manage, lead and direct the day-to-day operations of the company. Industrial relations and human resources issues are a matter for the board. I understand some of those issues are before the courts and I will not elaborate on them here. The linkage between any Department and the boards under its remit is through their chairman. It is the chairman of the...
- Departmental Agencies (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: No. A director of a company-----
- Grant Payments (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My starting point is that I see no compelling reason to change from the current historical model for determining single payments. That model has a distinct advantage in linking the payment with level of farming activity, albeit activity in 2000 to 2002. I have made my views on the benefits of the historic model clear at meetings of the Council of Ministers and in bilateral discussions with...
- Grant Payments (26 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Deputy Sherlock has made some interesting points. However, I can envisage that there are views expressed by the socialist group in the European Parliament which Deputy Sherlock would not propagate in Ireland and which his party would not support. We should all be careful in quoting fellow members of our group. I met Mr. Lyon when he visited Ireland along with Irish MEPs from that committee...