Results 4,941-4,960 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: An application was received on 23 December 2010 requesting the transfer of 15.25 Single Payment entitlements from the deceased person named to the first person named under the 2011 scheme year. Following communication from the Transfer of Entitlements section, relevant documents were requested and received. The final documents were received on 23 January 2012 and the transfer of entitlements...

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: BIM is an independent statutory body and the main provider of vocational training to the seafood industry and hence policy in this regard is a matter for the Agency. BIM has advised that, as an interim measure, it has sought to secure instructors on a service supply basis on the Government's eTenders site and an instructor on this basis has been secured for the Greencastle Training school....

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: The situation under the Single Payment Scheme nationally is that the vast majority of applicants have received their payment. In respect of applicants from County Galway, the position is as set out in the following tabular statement: County Applications Number Paid To be paid Amount paid Galway 11,835 11,722 113 €79,957,549 There are outstanding errors on the applications of the 113...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: The person named registered 24 beef breed calves in 2009. Payment has issued in respect of 19 animals. The five remaining animals were rejected as the calves were not retained on the holding for the required two weeks following the weaning date and the person named was notified of this in a letter dated 20 December 2011. The applicant replied on 04/01/2012 requesting a review of this...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: The person named commenced REPS 4 in January 2009 and received payments for the first two years of the contract period. REPS 4 is a measure under the Rural Development Programme, 2007-13, and is subject to EU regulations which require that detailed administrative checks on all applications be completed before any payments can issue. In the course of the administrative check of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 435, 436 and 438 to 446, inclusive, together. I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question Number 5883/12 of 1 February 2012 which outlined the 2011 Estimate and corresponding expenditures for each of the main programmes in my Department's Vote. A tabular statement giving a more detailed breakdown of these figures is being prepared and will...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (7 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: 774 applications were received under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme during the period from 1 January 2008 until the date of suspension of the Scheme for new applications on 14 October 2008. Of these, 698 have been approved for payment under the Scheme. 328 applications were received under the Early Retirement Pension Scheme from 1 January 2008 until the date of suspension of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: My Department does not currently have a proposal from Bord na gCon (BNG) seeking consent to expand into greyhound racing in China. A revised proposal received from BNG gave rise to a number of queries by my Department and was not progressed.

Written Answers — Food Imports: Food Imports (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 156 together. Imports of potatoes and potato products into Ireland for the years 2008 – 2010 are presented in the table below. In relation to fresh potatoes, the major imports are in respect of new season and baby potatoes and in the last few years a number of Irish growers have started to produce baby potatoes. My Department recognises the major...

Written Answers — Food Imports: Food Imports (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: Imports of fresh fruit and vegetables into Ireland for the years 2008 – 2010 are presented in the table below. My Department continues to encourage the production of fruit and vegetables in Ireland and in the Budget I announced the provision of €3.25 million of grant aid for the commercial horticultural sector for 2012. In addition, my Department administers the EU Producer...

Written Answers — Horticulture Sector: Horticulture Sector (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: The Department's and Bord Bia's best estimate of those employed in the Irish mushroom industry including growing, marketing and mushroom compost manufacture is the equivalent of over 2,500 full time jobs. Almost 90% of those employed are involved in production of the crop. As the mushroom industry has become more concentrated, and with fewer growers involved in production, the numbers of...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Development: Aquaculture Development (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: There are 39 aquaculture marine based finfish licences in Ireland. All stocks of salmon and trout on every farm are inspected by the Marine Institute on 14 occasions throughout the year when stock are present. Sea lice inspections take place monthly, with two inspections taking place each month during March, April and May. One inspection is carried out for the December-January period....

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: An application under the Single Payment Scheme /Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 16th May 2011. This application was selected for a ground eligibility/cross compliance inspection. During the course of this inspection discrepancies were found that resulted in a claimed area of 27.37ha being reduced to 25.37ha. If the total area found is not sufficient to...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: It is widely recognised that the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is a very important one for this country, as the total area designated as disadvantaged is almost 75% of Ireland's total land area. From an economic perspective, the Scheme is particularly significant, contributing to the support of in excess of 100,000 Irish farm families, whose ability to farm is restricted by the physical...

Written Answers — Food Safety: Food Safety (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002, which sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law, stipulates among other things, that food business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution within the businesses under their control must ensure that foods satisfy the requirements of food law and that these requirements are met. On traceability, the regulations...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: The person named registered twenty beef breed animals under the 2009 Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme. Following the completion of the validation process ten of the animals were deemed eligible and payment was issued to the applicant. The applicant was informed by my Department that the other ten animals were rejected for payment as meal was not provided to nine of them for the required four weeks...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: There have been a number of TB breakdowns in the herd in question since December 2010, the most recent in January 2012 when 3 reactors were disclosed. With regard to depopulation, the policy of my Department in relation to TB is to depopulate herds only as a last resort. Experience has shown that depopulation, which is extremely costly, is rarely necessary and that, in most cases, the herd...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: A total of 139 applications were received under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme following the suspension of the Scheme for new applications on 14 October 2008. It is not possible at this stage to determine the locations where these applications were received. Two cases were subsequently processed following successful appeals to the Agriculture Appeals Office. This has resulted in one...

Written Answers — Forestry Sector: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: Agroforestry affords farmers considerable scope to integrate the growing of trees, for commercial, amenity and/or environmental reasons, with crop or livestock production on the same unit of land. The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 identified agroforestry as providing considerable potential on many Irish farms to plant trees in ways which contribute actively to a better environment,...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (8 Feb 2012)

Simon Coveney: Despite the financial pressures facing my Department I have made provision in 2012 for €243 million under agri-environment schemes. I am also considering the possibility of re-opening AEOS on an amended basis or limited scale in 2012. This decision will be taken in the context of my Department's expenditure ceiling for 2013 as agreed by the Government, and in particular, on how a new scheme...