Results 4,801-4,820 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Category D. Category D caters for farmers who commenced farming after 31 December 2002 or who commenced farming in 2002 but who received no direct payments in respect of that scheme year. The person named did not qualify for this category as he commenced farming...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (5 Oct 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 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 Aid Schemes would have been payable during the...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The Single Payment Appeals Committee examines appeals in relation to the decisions of the Department of Agriculture and Food corresponding to the implementation of the various facets of the Single Payment Scheme. The Agriculture Appeals Office received the appeal from the person named on 2nd October 2006. Appeals are dealt with in the order in which they are received. The case in question...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The position is that unlike the 2005 National Reserve Scheme, when there was a number of mandatory categories to be catered for, this year there is only one mandatory category — Category A. This category caters for farmers who inherited, leased or otherwise received free of charge, or for a nominal amount (€100 per hectare), from a farmer who retired or died before 16 May 2005, a holding...

Written Answers — Alternative Farm Enterprises: Alternative Farm Enterprises (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Support to farmers for growing energy crops may only be provided in accordance with EU Regulations. Under the EU Energy Crops scheme, aid of €45 per hectare is available for energy crops intended for use in the production of biofuels and electric and thermal energy produced from biomass. In addition to this scheme, set aside land can be used for a variety of non-food uses including the...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Last month, the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) in its report to the Minister for Finance included an updated schedule from the Office of Public Works (OPW) of the likely availability of accommodation for the decentralisation programme. The schedule reiterated the indicative dates that construction of the laboratories in Macroom should start by the end of 2007 and be completed by...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Decisions on the future use of the former sugar factories at Carlow and Mallow are primarily a matter for the owners, Greencore Group plc. Anybody who expressed an interest in the possibility of utilising these factories for bioethanol production was advised to pursue the matter with Greencore. The future use of the Mallow factory is, of course, linked to the EU restructuring scheme for the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payment Scheme 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...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: the persons named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the 2005 Single Payments Scheme National Reserve under categories A B C and D. 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 leased out his/her holding to a third party during the reference...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: An application under the 2006 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 12 May 2006. Following initial processing of this application, it appeared that the minimum stocking level required under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme had not been complied with. However, following direct contact between an official of my Department and the person named, he is to submit...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The above-named person is an applicant under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. A pre-approval inspection will be carried out by my Department's officers shortly and a decision in respect of the application concerned will be made following that inspection.

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: For persons who entered the Early Retirement Scheme in the year ended 31 December 2000 the pension is payable for a maximum period of 10 years but in any event not beyond the participant's 70th birthday. The person named entered the Scheme on 24 December 2000 and payment of his pension will continue until 5 June 2010, when he reaches the age of 70. It is a requirement of the EU Council...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The implementation of the Nitrates Directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who made Regulations on 18 July 2006 giving legal effect to Ireland's National Action Programme under the Directive. The Regulations, which replaced those made in December 2005, were the subject of a comprehensive consultation process involving...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named was refused entry to REPS on the grounds that his holding was artificially created in order to satisfy the conditions for REPS participation. Artificially creating a holding for this purpose is expressly prohibited in the terms and conditions of the scheme. The Department position was upheld on appeal to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office. Subsequently, when deciding...

Written Answers — Compensation Payments: Compensation Payments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: There are no funds available to me to compensate for difficulties such as those experienced by farmers in the Shannon Callows and elsewhere in the country due to the very wet weather experienced at certain times this year. However, I have secured agreement from the European Commission to make an advance payment this month, at a rate of 50%, under the Single Payment Scheme and this will be of...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The Council Regulation on Rural Development for the period from 2007–2013 includes provision for member States to operate a range of measures including an Early Retirement Scheme. Work is currently taking place on the finalisation of the new Rural Development Programme which will begin in 2007. The context of the Programme has also been discussed in the Partnership negotiations with the...

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy will be aware the current milk quota arrangements were extended until the end of the 2014/15 milk quota year as part of the 2003 Luxembourg Agreement on the reform of the CAP. While a review will take place in 2008, any further proposals for reform are a matter for the EU Commission, while the Council will make decisions on such proposals. Should the Commission come forward with...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has not to date submitted an application under the Inheritance measure of the Single Payment Scheme to transfer the entitlements currently held in his late fathers name. An Official from my Department will be in contact with the person named, to ascertain the position.

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: In May 2003, a group representing retired farmers lodged a petition with the European Parliament Committee on Petitions, alleging that Ireland had not implemented correctly the Council Regulations governing the 1994 and 2000 Schemes of Early Retirement from Farming. The Committee requested information from the European Commission. In reply, the Commission made it clear that in its...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The deduction referred to in respect of the pension of the person in question is a result of his joining the revised non-established state employees' spouses and children contributory pensions scheme in 1990. I have asked my Department to write to the person in question explaining the position in more detail.