Results 5,741-5,760 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Subsidies (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I have indicated on a number of occasions since the UK referendum that one of the areas in which issues are raised from an agriculture perspective is the effect on the EU budget. The UK decision to leave the EU will result in a loss of the UK contribution to the EU budget of between 5 and 10%. This could have implications for future spending decisions in what is already a very tight...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff Recruitment (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: My Department does not engage agency staff. It does however, from time to time, engage external services providers when such proves to be more cost effective when Department staff are not available. Such expenditure is based on competitive tendering with extensive use of Central Government and Department specific frameworks which continue to drive costs down. My Department engages...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: My Department does not engage agency staff. It does however, from time to time, engage external services providers when such proves to be more cost effective when Department staff are not available. Such expenditure is based on competitive tendering with extensive use of Central Government and Department specific frameworks which continue to drive costs down. My Department engages...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Websites (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: An EU Directive on the accessibility of the public sector bodies' websites will come into force in the near future. My Department welcomes this Directive and is committed to meeting its obligations in respect of the Directive and is currently exploring how best to ensure that its website is accessible to all. My Department is keenly aware of difficulties that persons with a disability...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: It is a pity it did not happen - zero - when the Deputy was Minister.

Priority Questions: Agrifood Sector (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union creates considerable challenges for the agrifood sector. The United Kingdom is by far our largest trading partner. Last year we exported almost €5.1 billion worth of agricultural products. This included more than €1.1 billion in beef products and almost €970 million in dairy products. Ireland is also the...

Priority Questions: Agrifood Sector (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: Given that the United Kingdom is a net contributor to the European Union, its departure, whenever it is finalised, will have consequences from that date forward for the CAP. The financial arrangements underpinning the current CAP are secure until a new CAP is negotiated in 2020. We are very conscious of the implications. I will be meeting the French Agriculture Minister in late August in...

Priority Questions: Agrifood Sector (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: There is no decision as to whether there will be a mid-term review. The Commissioner has not decided whether that will happen. I met the German agriculture Minister last month at the Council meeting and I will meet him again next Monday morning. There is a great deal of concern in the broader Community about Brexit and there are issues of substance to be dealt with but I urge all...

Priority Questions: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: In the context of delivering direct payment schemes and rural development measures, my Department is required to carry out on-the-spot inspections on a number of farms. These inspections address a range of issues in relation to land eligibility, scheme specific eligibility and other EU regulatory requirements. The basis for the inspections is governed by EU legislation and there are certain...

Priority Questions: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I am acutely aware of the interest the issue has raised among many farmers, not least farmers in my constituency who have spoken to me about the implications, with them having been on the receiving end of departmental disallowances, fines, increased fines on review etc. The judgment goes to the heart of the process about the failure of the Department to issue a control report prior to...

Priority Questions: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The Department has many responsibilities in this area. One is to secure the level of payments we get annually from the Commission. The amount is €1.5 billion across the various schemes. Prior to the Deputy's arrival in the House, but in the not too distant past, the State incurred fines of almost €70 million for not adequately policing EU schemes. This hit affected the...

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The new programme for Government commits to the introduction of a scheme for sheep farmers under the rural development programme, with a budget of €25 million to be provided in budget 2017. This scheme, in addition to the existing supports available to sheep farmers under the basic payment scheme, the green low-carbon argi-environment scheme, GLAS, the areas of natural constraint,...

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I do not want to get dragged into a cul-de-sac, but it is interesting to note that, with respect to the aforementioned beef data and genomics scheme which I believe will do for the beef sector what the electronic identification, EID, scheme has done for the dairy sector, there is a huge demand to have it reopened to new applicants. I do not believe it is flawed but that, over time, it will...

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: My ambition is to have payments made in 2017 as per the commitment made in the programme for Government and, therefore, to conclude the negotiations with the Commission. In that respect, I appreciate that sometimes we await decisions from the Commission and that sometimes we have to finalise the paperwork. We have a broad outline of the scheme and are discussing the detail with the...

Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The report of the Government’s interdepartmental task force on Non-EEA workers in the fishing industry recommended the establishment of a sector-specific atypical worker permission system which would provide a structured and transparent framework for the employment of non-EEA workers within defined segments of the commercial sea-fishing fleet. This system is an extension of the...

Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: That is one interpretation and I am not surprised it is the one the Deputy takes of it. There is another interpretation which is that while there is room for substantially more applications with the industry being entitled to apply for up to 500 atypical worker permits, the problem is not as widespread as might have appeared in the first instance. The 159 applications might suggest as much,...

Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: Many thousands of people work in the fishing industry at sea and in the processing sector who have valued and secure employment within a legal framework. The State is the ultimate guarantor of the legal framework within which they operate and has no vested interest in allowing the exploitation of any worker in that framework. I appreciate that Deputy Barry may not be a supporter of the...

Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: Deputy Barry had his chance. I appreciate that he wishes to paint a picture of an industry which I value and which the people who work in it value. If there is a small percentage of people who are abusing employees, we will get to the bottom of it.

Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I appreciate that the Deputy is anxious to tarnish the entire industry but I will not have that said of an industry which provides very valuable employment in peripheral locations where there are few alternative sources of work. The necessary authorities were involved in the working group. If the Deputy has specific issues he wishes to bring to the attention of the appropriate authorities...

Priority Questions: Fish Quotas (13 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: There are two herring stocks in the north west area and there have been, correspondingly, two separate International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, total allowable catch, TAC, areas. Ireland has a share in both TAC areas. Following a benchmarking exercise in 2015, ICES found that while there are two separate herring stocks, it is not possible to segregate them in commercial...