Results 3,481-3,500 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: It will not involve planning permission.

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: I will try to deal with the questions on an issue by issue basis. I cannot go into detail on environmental impact assessments and the land reclamation amendment in the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill that is coming forward, because the detail is not agreed yet. There is much concern among farm organisations, and rightly so. There is also much frustration in my Department, and...

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: It contains a great deal of background information which makes the targets to which I refer credible. It also provides business plans in respect of how those targets might be achieved. We are trying to implement Food Harvest 2020, as well as upgrading it on a quarterly basis. We are seeking to upgrade it because markets and prices change. One of the reasons we altered the target relating...

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: Yes, it is. I have spoken to all the major banks about this issue and we are pushing them as hard as we can.

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: There are a series of topics that we have not had the chance to cover, for example, a soft landing for milk producers, the threat of superlevy fines. If Members have specific questions, I invite them to e-mail me and I will try to give as full an answer as I can. In response to Senator Quinn, ultimately we must give consumers what they want, because they have the buying power and they spend...

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: I can revert to the Senators on aerobic digestion and the fair deal. I will speak to them afterwards or provide them with a written answer.

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: I will be as brief as possible on fisheries so that we have as long as possible for questions but there are significant matters happening in fishing and I would like to give a broad outline to Members. Yesterday, I was in a European Council meeting debating the initial draft produced by Commissioner Damanaki on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. I should have said that Ireland is in...

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: It is Iceland, not Norway.

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: To answer Senator Mullins, I have a figure in my head but I do not want to give him the wrong information. However, I can tell him that at present, seafood produce sold out of Ireland is worth approximately €700 million and we want to increase this to more than €1 billion by 2020. This is a very modest target and we will be significantly above it if we do what I hope to do with regard...

Seanad: Agriculture and Fisheries: Statements, Questions and Answers (20 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: That has nothing to do with the Lisbon treaty. The Common Fisheries Policy will be decided at Council and I hope we will achieve unanimity in agreeing it. In the meantime, the way Ireland has always done its business in the European Union is not by voting against proposals. Under qualified majority voting, QMV, we have three votes at Council. The way to get things done in Europe is to...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: This matter has its origins in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive which was first introduced in 1985 and is presently implemented in Irish legislation by the Planning and Development Regulations, 2001. The primary objective of the EIA Directive is to ensure that projects which are likely to have effects on the environment are subject to a prior assessment of their potential...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: The Food Harvest 2020 (FH2020) strategy represents the strategic blueprint for the development of the agriculture, food, fisheries and forestry sector for the next decade. Its implementation, as well as the parallel negotiations at EU level to ensure an appropriate CAP policy and EU Budget framework post 2013, are the strategic steps which I am pursing to develop the agri-food sector....

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm that I have, in common with Deputy Corcoran Kennedy, been copied on correspondence between Inland and Coastal Marina Systems Ltd. and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. My Department does not have any function in relation to any investigation into the tendering process. This is a matter for the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government who have...

Written Answers — Agri-Environment Options Scheme: Agri-Environment Options Scheme (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: An application was received under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme from the person named on 20 April 2011. All applications are currently being processed and acknowledgement letters will issue shortly to all applicants. The applications will then be evaluated for eligibility and approval letters will issue to successful applicants as soon as possible.

Written Answers — National Lottery Funding: National Lottery Funding (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: My Department has received no funding from the National Lottery for 2009 or 2010.

Written Answers — Bovine Disease Controls: Bovine Disease Controls (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 574 and 582 together. I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 285 of 20 July 2011.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: The Rainwater Harvesting Scheme was temporarily suspended for new applications on 8 June 2011 pending the outcome of the comprehensive expenditure review of my Department which is currently taking place. Under the terms of the Scheme, a grant of full planning permission or an exemption from planning from the relevant local authority was required for all rainwater harvesting tanks. The...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: Revised payment procedures have recently been introduced for the Farm Improvement Scheme as a result of audit issues. The introduction of these revised procedures will enable the backlog of approximately 200 payment files under the Scheme to be processed and I would expect that all outstanding claims will be paid in the next few weeks.

Written Answers — Food Safety: Food Safety (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is responsible for the enforcement of all food legislation in Ireland through service contracts with my Department and other agencies. The Inter Agency Review of the pork dioxin incident in December 2008 recommended that the remit of the FSAI should be extended to include animal feed. The legal methods of putting this in place are currently being...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 Jul 2011)

Simon Coveney: The payments made by my Department were generally in respect of forestry-related work undertaken by the Irish Forest Industry Chain (IFIC), an affiliate of Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) – payments were, however, made payable to IBEC. Payment to: Purpose Period Amount € IBEC Forestry Promotional campaign undertaken by Irish Forest Industry Chain (IFIC), an affiliate...