Results 2,101-2,120 of 18,449 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: An application under the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 1st May 2008. This application was selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility and cross compliance inspection. This file is now processed and the advance payment under the Single Payment Scheme issued on the 6 November 2008 with the balancing payment due to issue...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The application under the Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 30th April 2008. The application was selected for a remote sensing satellite inspection. When the result of this inspection has been returned and any matters arising have been dealt with, the application will immediately be further processed with a view to payment issuing shortly thereafter.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The only early retirement arrangements which staff in my Department can avail of is Cost Neutral Early Retirement. This is a facility which allows established staff to retire between 50 and 60 and un-established staff to retire between 55 and 65 with immediate payment of pension and lump sum. These benefits are subject to actuarial reduction to take account of early payment of the lump sum...

Written Answers — Poultry Imports: Poultry Imports (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The trade statistics available to my Department do not differentiate imports on the basis of how products are packaged.

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The variation in price experienced in the latest Milk Quota Trading Scheme reflects a similar pattern in the previous four trading schemes run in the past two years. These variations arise for a variety of reasons, the more prominent being the balance between supply and demand within Co-op areas. Those areas with the largest market clearing prices display the characteristics of a strong...

Written Answers — Horticulture Industry: Horticulture Industry (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The horticulture and nursery sector contributed approximately €282 million to farm output in 2007. There are no definitive statistics of the number of persons employed but the industry is heavily labour intensive and it is estimated that as many as 18,500 are employed across the food and non-food areas.

Written Answers — Horticulture Industry: Horticulture Industry (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The horticulture and nursery sector contributed approximately €282 million to farm output in 2007 and has considerable potential for further development but producers concentrate for the most part on supplying the home market and on import substitution. The only notable exception is the mushroom sector in that up to 80% of this crop is grown for export to the UK. Aid is available under the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: An application was received on the 8 May 2008 requesting the transfer of 32.69 standard entitlements by way of lease from the first person named to the second person named. As the first person named had insufficient entitlements to cover the requested transfer, it was necessary to obtain clarification and approval regarding the number of entitlements to be transferred. This issue has now...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named submitted an application under the Single Payment Scheme/ Disadvantaged Area Scheme and he included a commonage parcel on this application. The Department is currently examining the usage of this commonage parcel on which the person named is a claimant. This examination has been necessitated as the claims submitted on this commonage exceed the area of the commonage that is...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The number of applications under the Early Retirement Scheme currently being processed by my Department is 156. There are 941 applications under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme; of these 326 have been paid. All fully completed applications for these Schemes received by my Department up to and including 14 October 2008 will be processed and, if in order, payment will be made.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: Where a valid REPS 4 application has been submitted, advance payments of 75% under the EU regulations governing REPS 4 can issue only when all administrative checks on all 2008 applications for REPS 4 and the Single Payment Scheme are completed. The balancing 25% payment will follow when all 2008 REPS on-farm inspections have taken place. Following the resolution of industrial action in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: An application under the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 7th May 2008. This application was selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility and cross compliance inspection. The file is currently being processed and payment will issue shortly. The delay in this case arose because of the need to clarify a number of issues...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Nov 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named applied for the Suckler Welfare Scheme on 15 January 2008. Each applicant is obliged to submit data in respect of animal events for beef calves born during 2008, e.g. disbudding, meal introduction and weaning. These mainly consist of dates, with the date of weaning the most important, as it triggers the payment process. To date, 17 calves have been tagged and registered,...

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I wish to share time with Deputies Collins, Conlon and Johnny Brady.

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: notes that: total expenditure in 2009 by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, including EU funding, in support of the agriculture, fisheries, food and forestry sectors, will be €3.26 billion, in recognition of the role the sector has to play and the enormous contribution it makes...

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: That is correct.

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: This meant having to make difficult decisions but I am satisfied that, in the circumstances, I made the right ones. Given some of the reactions to the budget measures I announced, one would be easily excused for forgetting that my Department will be spending €3.26 billion in support of Irish agriculture, fisheries, food and forestry in 2009. This expenditure ensures that record funding of...

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Deputies should listen to the facts.

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The average holding is 31 hectares. Given the contribution of the disadvantaged area payments to overall farm incomes, I cannot accept that the reduced expenditure in 2009 will have the impact some Members claimed it will. The decision I took on the early retirement and installation aid schemes was to suspend temporarily entry thereto for new entrants and not to abolish them, as some Members...

Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: ——some of major importance to new entrants and which are worth €65 million per annum, were extended in the budget and the Finance Bill. I have made it clear repeatedly, in response to representations from farm organisations and at meetings therewith and with public representatives, that I intend to revisit the decision to suspend entry to these schemes as soon as budgetary...