Results 16,921-16,940 of 18,645 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The estimated annual cost to my Department of the 2.5% September 2008 pay increase arising under Towards 2016 is approximately €3.972 million. The estimated cost to my Department of the 3.5% pay increase with effect form 1 September 2009, arising under the recently negotiated draft pay agreement under Towards 2016, is €2.776m in 2009 and €8.333m in a full year. The estimated annual...

Written Answers — Harbours and Piers: Harbours and Piers (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department has provided significant funding for the development in Greencastle since it commenced in 2007. In the current year €3.6 million has been provided for the construction of the breakwater. As the 2009 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme has not yet been drafted I am not in a position to state the level of funding available for Greencastle or any...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The bulk of capital expenditure for my Department relates to payments to individual farmers under demand led schemes involving capital expenditure at farm level. Attached are details of the total capital expenditure for each year since 1997. A detailed breakdown by county for the period in question is not readily available and would take an inordinate amount of time to complete. However, if...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Single Payment Scheme application for the person named has been fully processed and any payment due will issue shortly. In addition the person named submitted an application under Category A of the 2008 National Reserve. Category A caters for farmers who inherited land or received land free of charge or for a nominal sum from a farmer who had retired or died by 16 May, 2005 and who had...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: While under the EU regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme, the earliest date payments may issue is 1 December of the scheme-year concerned, provision is also made for payments to be made earlier, subject to EU approval. Prompted by the very wet summer, which seriously affected farming, I approached the Agriculture Commissioner seeking agreement to an early advance 50% payment, in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named is not currently the registered owner of the herd number quoted. An application under 2008 Single Payment Scheme was received on 6 May 2008 in the name of the father of the person named. An official of my Department is in direct contact with the person named with a view to regularising the position, in order that payment may issue at an early date.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department has supplied all of the information sought by the Ombudsman in relation to her examination and subsequent formal investigation into the Lost at Sea Scheme. The Ombudsman will decide when her investigation is finalised and when a report on the matter will be published. The Department will of course provide any further information if requested by the Ombudsman.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The purpose of the Lost at Sea Scheme was to enable qualifying applicants, who were otherwise unable to do so for financial or related reasons, to provide replacement capacity for the purposes of introducing a replacement vessel in respect of fishing boats lost at sea between 1980 and the establishment of the fishing boat register in 1990, in order to continue a family tradition of...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department submits a quarterly return to the Decentralisation Implementation Group detailing the non-property costs of the programme. To the end of June 2008, the last reporting deadline, the costs reported for the programme to date amounted to €147,031 (see table for details by year). Figures for the third quarter will be available at the end of October. Year € 2006 23,278 2007...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The original Government decision on the decentralisation of my Department was that 600 headquarters staff would move to Portlaoise; some 100 staff in the local offices in Cork city would move to Fermoy; and up to 100 staff in the laboratories in Cork and Limerick would move to Macroom. Fisheries joined the Department in 2007 and the move of that function of my Department to Clonakilty is now...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: Applications received under the Farm Improvement Scheme prior to its suspension on 31 October 2007 are being processed by my Department up to the level of funding provided for the Scheme in the 2006 Partnership agreement, Towards 2016.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The information requested is set out in a table. It includes staff in my Department who availed of Cost Neutral Early Retirement (CNER) introduced in 2005 and staff whose early retirement on ill health grounds was approved by the Minister for Finance. Year Ill health Pensions Ill health Lump sums CNER Pensions CNER Lump sums â'¬ â'¬ â'¬ â'¬ 2003 (from 1/11/2003) 17,037.60...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: In relation to the amount spent on staff who replaced those who took early retirement in each of the past five years, a table sets out the salary cost for replacement staff. Staff retiring early were not replaced in all cases. Year Total salary cost â'¬ 2004 95,625 2005 192,632 2006 132,701 2007 256,690 2008 193,581

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department has a secure and robust Information Technology infrastructure, at both the hardware and software levels, that provides protection for all of its electronic information. Laptops distributed to staff within my Department are used primarily to facilitate secure remote access to the Department's computer network and applications and to assist staff in preparing work related...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named submitted a Single Payment/Disadvantaged Area Scheme application in 2008 and his application was selected for a satellite inspection. The inspection results have been returned, the application for the person named has been fully processed and payments due under both Schemes will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Dumping at Sea: Dumping at Sea (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The application by Iarnród Éireann for a Dumping At Sea permit to facilitate disposal at sea of dredge material arising from maintenance dredging is being processed by my Department. In accordance with standard procedures, the application was referred to the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC) for examination. The MLVC has indicated that it is of the view that the proposed dredging of...

Written Answers — Nitrates Regulations: Nitrates Regulations (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The requirements in relation to phosphorus are set out in the Nitrates Regulations introduced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in 2006 (SI No. 378 of 2006). The Regulations set maximum limits on the application of fertilisers containing nitrogen and phosphorus and require a farmer to take account of the phosphorus content of any concentrated feedstuffs fed to...

Written Answers — Nitrates Regulations: Nitrates Regulations (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: Annual statements indicating the production of nitrogen and phosphorus (N&P) by cattle on a holding have been supplied to farmers since 2006. Mid-year statements have also been provided as a service to farmers to assist them in calculating N&P production on their holdings and to enable them to take appropriate steps if they appear likely to exceed the maximum of limit of 170 kg per hectare of...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person concerned was paid grant-aid under the Farm Waste Management Scheme by my Department on 13 October 2008.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Oct 2008)

Brendan Smith: Advance payments of 75% under the EU regulations governing REPS 4 can only issue when all administrative checks on all 2008 applications for REPS 4 and the 2008 Single Payment Scheme are completed. This work is still ongoing with a view to beginning payment in November. The balancing 25% payment will follow when all 2008 REPS on-farm inspections have taken place.