Results 6,261-6,280 of 18,461 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Areas Scheme: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (30 Jun 2010)

Brendan Smith: Against the background of the deterioration in public finances, my approach in preparing the 2009 Estimates for my Department was to protect expenditure for major developmental measures in the agri-food sector. To achieve this objective, savings had to be found in other areas and I decided, reluctantly, to reduce expenditure under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme for 2009 by reducing the...

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (30 Jun 2010)

Brendan Smith: REPS 3 payments, which are issued in advance, are made on an ongoing basis to those applicants who submit claims on the anniversary of their contract starting date. A total of €19,737,525 was paid to participants in REPS 3 in Co Donegal in 2009, and €5,388,798 has been paid to date in 2010. A total of €7,960,118 has been paid this year to REPS 4 participants in Co Donegal in respect of...

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (30 Jun 2010)

Brendan Smith: I announced details of the 2010 Scheme for the Allocation of Milk Quota to New Entrants on 24th February last. Following this announcement my Department published a document detailing the eligibility and other terms and conditions attached to the Scheme. Among the criteria, which were produced in consultation with the farming organisations and ICOS, was the requirement for applicants to...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (30 Jun 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named has 24 animals for consideration under the 2009 Suckler Welfare Scheme. It is a condition of this Scheme that for herds of more than 10 cows the calves must be weaned in at least two separate groups with each group being removed at a minimum interval of five days. The person named weaned all animals on 24/10/09 and consequently did not comply with this condition. Therefore,...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulation: Health and Safety Regulation (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: I am deeply concerned with the level of safety on our farms and I fully support the work of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which is the national body in Ireland with responsibility for securing health and safety at work. The HSA is also responsible for the collecting and recording of workplace accident data. The most recent CSO estimate for accidents in the agricultural, forestry...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: Against the background of the deterioration in public finances, my approach in preparing the 2009 Estimates for my Department was to protect expenditure for major developmental measures in the agri-food sector. To achieve this objective, savings had to be found in other areas and I decided, reluctantly, to reduce expenditure under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme for 2009 by reducing the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named has 13 animals for consideration under the 2009 Suckler Welfare Scheme. It is a condition of this Scheme that for herds of more than 10 cows the calves must be weaned in at least two separate groups with each group being removed at a minimum interval of five days. The person named weaned all animals on 14/11/09 and consequently did not comply with this condition. Therefore,...

Written Answers — Tax Audits: Tax Audits (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: No circumstances arose in my Department that required an unprompted voluntary disclosure to be made to the Revenue Commissioners in the years 2005-2010.

Written Answers — Tax Audits: Tax Audits (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department did not make any settlements with the Revenue Commissioners in the years 2005-2009.

Written Answers — Tax Audits: Tax Audits (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The following tax audits were carried out by the Revenue Commissioners on my Department in the period 2005- 2010: A Value Added Tax audit took place in February 2005 and the Department's operations were found to be in order. A Relevant Contracts Tax audit took place in November 2005. The audit found that the Department was a principal contractor when it engaged hauliers to bring animals to a...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Areas Scheme: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 10 April 2009. The Terms and Conditions governing the Scheme require, inter alia, that applicants maintain a minimum stocking density on their holding of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare declared, for at least three consecutive months, during the calendar year of application. However, where...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The new Grassland Sheep Scheme, which has a total budget of €54 million, will operate for three years: 2010, 2011 and 2012. This funding, which comes from the unused Single Payment funds, will provide a very important and timely boost to support incomes in the sheep sector over the next three years. The Scheme has been kept administratively simple, which will facilitate the Department in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named has 25 animals for consideration under the 2009 Suckler Welfare Scheme. It is a condition of this Scheme that for herds of more than 10 cows the calves must be weaned in at least two separate groups with each group being removed at a minimum interval of five days. The person named submitted an explanation regarding this issue but his comments did not warrant any deviation...

Written Answers — National Lottery Funding: National Lottery Funding (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: No funding was received by my Department from the National Lottery in the period in question.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (1 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: Details of the amounts paid by my Department in legal fees for each of the years from 2000 to date in 2010 are being compiled at present and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible. The amounts paid in legal fees by each of the agencies and bodies under the aegis of my Department are a matter for the agencies/bodies themselves.

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (6 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Scheme for the Allocation of Milk Quota to New Entrants was introduced in 2009 with a second scheme implemented in 2010. Applications that satisfied the eligibility criteria as set out in the detailed rules of the scheme were required to be presented for assessment to establish the extent to which each applicant could demonstrate a real and long-term commitment to dairying. A panel was...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (6 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The deduction involved in this case amounts to €308.43. The deduction was made because the Department's records indicate that in 2007 the amount of nitrogen from livestock manure applied to land on the holding (including that deposited by animals) exceeded the limit of 170kgs per hectare set down in the Nitrates Regulations. It is open to the person named to appeal this deduction, within...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (6 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Slipway at Fountainstown, Co. Cork is owned by Cork County Council and responsibility for its repair and maintenance rests with that Local Authority in the first instance. Under the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme my Department has, in previous years, provided funding for the development and repair of Local Authority owned harbours, piers and slipways....

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (6 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: The aquaculture operator referred to by the Deputy does not have a valid Aquaculture Licence within the provisions of the relevant legislation. Therefore the question of review does not arise. This information has been conveyed to the operator by my Department on numerous occasions.

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (6 Jul 2010)

Brendan Smith: An amended application from the person named is currently being examined in my Department. The applicant will be informed of the outcome once this examination is complete.