Results 4,301-4,320 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Sugar Beet Sector: Sugar Beet Sector (23 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The restructuring aid is subject to the submission by the processor of a detailed restructuring plan for the industry, following consultations with the beet growers. The reform agreement provides that at least 10% of the restructuring aid shall be reserved for sugar beet growers and machinery contractors. That percentage may be increased by Member States after consultation of interested...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payments Scheme National Reserve under category C. Category C caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, sold the milk quota into the Milk Quota Restructuring Scheme and converted their enterprise to a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia/or Arable...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The application by the person concerned for grant-aid under the Farm Waste Management Scheme is currently being processed within my Department. A pre-approval visit was carried out by an officer of my Department on 17 May 2006 and written approval to proceed with the works should issue to the applicant shortly. It is a fundamental requirement of the Scheme that aid will not be granted where...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Categories B & D. Category B caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable during...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: All eligible farmers who experienced depopulation due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001 on the Cooley peninsula have been granted Force Majeure and have had the reference year 2002 excluded from the calculation of their Single Farm Payment. These farmers will also receive the National Envelope top-up on the number of ewes on which ewe premium was paid during the reference period. The...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Article 92 of Council Regulation (EC) 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 provides for a review of the Energy Crops Scheme. By 31 December 2006, the Commission shall submit a report to the Council on the implementation of the Scheme, accompanied, where appropriate, by proposals taking into account the implementation of the EU biofuels initiative. As part of this process, I will be seeking to have...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Member States may only grant State aid where authorized to do so by the EU. The Council Regulation governing the restructuring aid does not provide such authority.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 249 together. In the exercise of its functions as an agency for the payment of EU funds, my Department is bound by rules laid down at EU level. The EU regulations dealing with schemes funded by the EAGGF Guarantee Fund require member states to charge interest at a rate determined in accordance with national legislation. These EU regulations are...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has not incurred expenditure under the RAPID programme.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The information requested by the Deputy is available in respect of each Department local office only. The following table sets out the up-to-date position in regard to the number of applications received and approvals issued under the new Farm Waste Management Scheme. As the issue of Department approval to proceed with works under the Scheme involves, in most cases, an on-farm visit by a...

Written Answers — Bovine Disease Controls: Bovine Disease Controls (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The number of herd numbers registered for the purposes of the TB and Brucellosis Eradication Schemes on a county basis at present and in 2000 is set out in the table below. The reduction in the number of herd numbers between 2000 and 2006 reflects the gradual decline in the number of farmers during this period. County 13/5/2006 31/12/2000 Carlow 1,448 1,576 Cavan 5,169 5,464 ...

Written Answers — Bovine Disease Controls: Bovine Disease Controls (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Bovine disease levies are collected under the Bovine Disease (Levies) Act, 1979 and are specifically intended to ensure that farmers share the cost of compensation under the TB and Brucellosis Schemes. Revenue from bovine disease levies in 2005 amounted to €11.39m but this is expected to fall to approximately €10m this year. Expenditure on compensation to farmers under the Disease...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The Department sought applications for the 2005 National Reserve in December 2004. The closing date for receipt of completed applications was extended to 16 May 2005 to coincide with the closing date for the 2005 Single Payment Scheme applications. The National Reserve Scheme was widely advertised at that time. If the person named has extenuating circumstances that prevented him from...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application to the National Reserve under category B. Category B caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable during the reference period 2000-2002. Investments can include...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: In general, the Single Payment established for farmers is based on the three-year average number of animals (hectares in the case of Arable Aid) that attracted premium payments in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. The Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme provide that the Member State must ensure that an allocation from the National Reserve to an applicant who has already benefited...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named applied for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Category A, which 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 leased out his/her holding to a third party during the reference period 2000-2002. The National Reserve...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: My Department's records indicate that the appeal submitted by the person named was received on 27 April 2006. The Independent Payment Appeals Committee will carry out a full review of the case and will correspond directly with the person named following the outcome of their review. It should be noted that to date the National Reserve section of my Department has received 802 appeals.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: On 12 August 2004, the person named submitted an application under Category B of the Force Majeure provisions of the Single Payment Scheme. Category B provides for those farmers who suffered long term professional incapacity. Having examined the circumstances and documentation submitted, it was deemed that the application did not satisfy the criteria laid down in Article 40 of Council...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Teagasc has over 1,300 permanent staff, comprising advisers, teachers and research scientists with appropriate supporting services. These are complemented by some 250 contract staff, as well as teaching staff in the private agricultural and horticultural colleges. Teagasc staff carry out their functions from more than 90 locations. Teagasc's operating budget for 2006 amounts to about €162m....

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (25 May 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The EU provides part-financing for national apiculture programmes carried out in Member States. EU funding for Ireland's programmes amounted to €88,500 in the period from 2001 to 2005. These funds were used towards the analysis of beekeepers' samples for varroa disease and on research on the varroa mite, Irish honey analysis, the purchase of equipment for the Federation of Irish Beekeepers'...