Results 5,881-5,900 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: The person named became the registered owner of the herd-number as of 31 August 2011. The Inheritance Enquiry Unit of my Department wrote to the person named on 6 March 2012 outlining procedures for the transfer of agriculture schemes in which the previous owner of the herd-number was involved. Legal documents required to release outstanding payment to the estate of the deceased person were...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: I have detailed below the gross annual salary costs for my private and constituency offices and those of the Minister of State in my Department, at present and the same figures for this time in 2011 as requested. Minister Coveney Office Salary (March 2011 to December 2011) 2012 Annual salary Private €316,291 €463,563 Constituency €124,048 €157,701 Minister of State McEntee ...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: My Department uses private contractors, consultants and agencies to provide certain services when such proves to be more cost effective and Department staff are not available. This can include services such as specialised laboratory services, computer services, legal advice or independent auditing services. The information requested can be found in the attached table. ...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: The person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2010 and full payment totalling €704.62 issued in respect of 2010. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: My Department uses outsourcing to provide certain services when such proves to be more cost effective and Department staff are not available. The information requested can be found in the attached table. OUTSOURCING CONTRACT NATURE OF WORK EXPENDITURE IN 2008€ Accenture Single Payment System (SPS) Development and Maintenance 385,604 Cara Data Processing Ltd. IT Helpdesk Facility...

Written Answers — Tuberculosis Incidence: Tuberculosis Incidence (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: As I have explained in reply to recent Parliamentary Questions, the changes to the TB eradication programme which were introduced by my Department earlier this year are designed to improve the effectiveness of the programme by tightening up on overdue testing and preventing the spread of disease from infected herds to clear herds. Thus, greater stress is being laid on ensuring all herds test...

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: I have no plans at present to change the rules in relation to the priority pool component, which has been part of the of the milk quota trading scheme since its inception in 2007. However, all aspects of the milk quota regime are subject to ongoing review in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. As is standard practice, the outcome of the last Milk Quota Trading Scheme will be on the...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: We are trying to cover all animals, including farm animals, in the legislation. However, we make a distinction in respect of farm animals in the context of farming practices and so forth. We also make a distinction in respect of the treatment of some animals which are hunted in the course of normal hunting or fishing practices - this is covered later in the Bill - although some requirements...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: It is not an unreasonable suggestion, particularly in regard to section 8, but if I accept an amendment I want to make sure it is legally sound. I want to explain the difference between these two amendments. Section 8 is about preventing animals straying by putting up fencing and developing an environment that ensures animals do not stray. The Senator is suggesting that all reasonable...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: That is a separate amendment. We will come to that shortly.

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: Ironically, we are asking farmers to do a little bit more here, but it is not necessarily a bad thing to do. Disease is often spread by wind borne spores or else by wild animals. For example, the badger culling programme, which nobody likes but is very necessary in my view, has produced significant results in reducing the incidence of TB in Irish herds. They have not taken a similar...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: I hope Senators do not get the wrong impression. I will not be able to accept every amendment. I will try to accept the spirit of a number of them. I know what the Senator is saying here. However, the section is not, in fact, about right of way. It, essentially, says a person shall not damage or interfere with a building, gate, fence, hedge, boundary wall or other structure used to...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: I will examine the matter again to see whether the amendment adds to the Bill. If that is the case, I do not have a problem with it, but I suspect it is probably not necessary.

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: I will provide the reasoning behind the wording as is. We are trying to ensure that the owner of an animal does not hide behind an employee working in the yard, on the farm or in the livery if that animal is being abused, subjected to cruelty or whatever. For this reason, the Bill's wording is, "unless the owner shows that he or she took all reasonable steps to ensure that all necessary...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: This is a genuine issue. What we do not want is prosecutions being taken against owners in circumstances where they may be paying for and have reason to believe, as the Senator said, that everything should be right and proper with a housing facility, livery or whatever. I will examine the issue and will try to arrive at a wording that is fair without absolving people of the responsibility...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: The reality is that such a permit would be issued by a qualified person on the ground who may be an employee of a local authority and, therefore, the term "Minister" is inappropriate. In the past this terminology has been used as a basis for litigation by those who have worked on the assumption that all permits must be issued by the Minister personally and not by one of his or her officers....

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: The vagueness of the reference is its strength because it gives authorised officers the flexibility they need in responding to any situation. The requirement is that authorised officers be of a high standard, but I would like to provide them with the flexibility they need to respond according to need. The Senator is correct that some officers may well be gardaí or Customs officials because...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: This is a technical amendment to include section 12 in the exemption contained in this section in respect of activities authorised in accordance with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, the Animal Remedies Act 1993 and the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995. The exemption relates to experiments conducted in laboratories, predominantly for the purpose of testing for human health reasons.

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: I am not satisfied with the Deputy's wording in this amendment. The difficulty is that the phrase "appropriate to the animal species" does not deal with suffering or welfare issues. One certainly might make the assumption that it does do so, but we are striving for the utmost clarity in terms of the requirements on farmers and other animal owners. Specifically, we must ensure they have...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (22 May 2012)

Simon Coveney: If the Senator comes back with something that adds to it, I will look at it.