Results 12,541-12,560 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (19 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223, 224 and 226 together. A total of 221 officials are employed to process applications under the Single Payment Scheme, Single Payment entitlements, CAP Rural Development Scheme, the Bio Energy Scheme, Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, Upland Sheep Payment, Sugar Diversification Fund, Sugar Restructuring Fund, Protein Aid, Grassland Sheep Scheme, Dairy Efficiency...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: There are 26 staff (whole time equivalents) working in the Export Refunds area of my Department at the present time – a quarter of the number engaged in this area ten years ago. The plan is for further substantial reductions over the next few months as remaining work is cleared and export-refund related activity continues to decline.

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (19 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: There are no claims that jobs will be created in policy papers, reports or documents commissioned by or compiled by my Department over the last five years. However, in March 2009, I announced awards of grant aid under the Beef and Sheepmeat Investment Fund indicating that the proposed investments were expected to increase net sales by €408 million, exports by €433 million and employment...

Written Answers — Installation Aid Scheme: Installation Aid Scheme (19 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department has no record of having received an application under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme from the person concerned. As the Deputy will be aware, the Scheme was suspended for new applications on 14 October 2008.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (19 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Terms and Conditions of the Suckler Welfare Scheme (section 8.5.2) clearly states that for herds of more than 10 suckler cows a gradual weaning procedure must be followed. It is open to the farmers to wean at pasture or indoors but the calves must be weaned in at least 2 separate groups with each group being removed at a minimum interval of 5 days. A copy of the Terms and Conditions is...

Written Answers — Meat Imports: Meat Imports (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Statistics below are provided by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) . In certain cases the record of import may include the re-import of Irish products that were originally the subject of an export from this country. Where every effort is made to ensure accuracy, these returns may stand to be adjusted marginally as data is rechecked by the CSO 2006 2007 2008 2009 Tonnes Tonnes...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named does not currently hold any Single Payment entitlements. He submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the 2005 National Reserve under category B. Category B of the 2005 National Reserve catered for farmers, who made an investment between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The numbers of staff employed in the State bodies that come within the remit of my Department and the number currently employed are listed below. In relation to the Deputy's query regarding the target number at which point the moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service will end, the precise ceilings in each area are subject to any future Government policy decisions and...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: This file is currently being examined and my officials have written to the person named.

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department is completing the current phase of the reorganisation of its network of local offices. When this phase has been completed, arrangements for the final phase, to include Galway, will be finalised. In the meantime my Department has asked the Office of Public Works to report on the cost of refurbishing the offices in Mellows College , Athenry. When this report is to hand the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named has 15 animals for consideration under the 2009 Suckler Welfare Scheme. One of the conditions of the Scheme, as is set out in the Terms and Conditions, is that the calves must be introduced to concentrate (meal) feeding a minimum of 4 weeks before weaning. According to the information supplied to my Department by the applicant none of the animals were fed meal for the...

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: It is clear from on-going liaison between officials of my Department and representatives of relevant stakeholders including Local Authorities, Animal Welfare Organisations and the Horse Industry that horse welfare problems continue to be reported including a risk of abandonment of horses. My Department provides annual funding in the region of €2m to Local Authorities to assist in their work...

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: Before REPS was closed to new applications in July 2009, 31,264 applications had been received including some 1,800 which are eligible to begin their contracts this year. The acceptance of REPS 4 applications is governed by EU Regulations which require exhaustive administrative checks and on-the-spot inspections. In a significant number of the applications received, the administrative...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named applied for 24 animals in 2009. Payment issued on 26 January 2010 in respect of 9 calves. There are a number of outstanding queries on the profile and an official from the Department has been in direct contact with the herd owner regarding the resolution of these queries. The REPS payment application belonging to the person named is at an advanced stage of processing and the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: I understand that the person in question was in receipt of payments under the Forest Environment Protection Scheme (FEPS) while he was a participant in REPS. As he is no longer in REPS, payments under FEPS will cease although he will continue to receive annual premiums under the Afforestation Scheme. There are no proposals to link the FEPS scheme to the new Agri Environment Options Scheme...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named joined REPS 1 on 1 January 1997 and received three years payment. He did not lodge an application for payment for his fourth year. Under the terms and conditions of REPS 1, this led to the termination of his contract and the recoupment of all the payments he had received. My officials have been in contact with the person named and have considered documentation which he...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department recently received EU Commission approval for the various targeted on-farm investment schemes announced by my Department in 2009. Due to the relatively short time-frames for completion of the investment works concerned, my priority is to introduce the Sow Welfare and Poultry Welfare Schemes first. Arrangements will then be made to introduce the three remaining schemes,...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: I have no plans to review the system of grant calculation which was applicable under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. As the Deputy will be aware, the Nitrates version of that Scheme was introduced by my Department in March 2006 and all the investment works concerned had to be completed by farmers by the closing date of 31 December 2008. I do not propose, therefore, to revise either the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: No civil servant employed in my Department is in receipt of a civil service pension. My Department, however, does not have information on the number of staff who may be in receipt of a State pension. The corresponding information requested by the Deputy in respect of the agencies under my remit is a matter for the agencies themselves as part of their day-to-day activities.

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (13 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: A representative of my Department has been in contact with the person named and has notified her that the 7.92 entitlements which were previously lost to the National Reserve due to non-usage in 2007, 2008 and 2009 have now been returned under Force Majeure due to the extenuating circumstances involved. However, these entitlements now require to be transferred to her as they are currently...