Results 801-820 of 18,442 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: As replanting of the sites in question would not constitute first afforestation they would not be eligible for grant aid.

Written Answers — Animal Importation Licences: Animal Importation Licences (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Since the beginning of 2008, one import licence has been issued for the importation of three African Elephants from Germany via France to a circus operating in Ireland.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: A good deal of work has already been undertaken and significant progress has been made on drafting the new Animal Health and Welfare Bill and I intend, very shortly, to initiate a process of public consultation by publishing a consultation paper and inviting submissions from interested parties and other stakeholders. The Bill will be a comprehensive piece of legislation which will, inter...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Frequent informal contacts take place and meetings are held on an ongoing basis between officials in my Department and in the Department of Finance in the preparation of the annual Estimates provisions for the Department. It is also the practice for Ministers to meet with the Minister for Finance in the final stages of the Estimates negotiations. On these occasions, my predecessors were...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named is an applicant under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. His application for payment is currently being examined and a decision will be made in regard to the application as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named has been approved for a REPS 3 payment which will issue within the next ten days.

Written Answers — Agricultural Holdings: Agricultural Holdings (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The most recent statistics relating to farm numbers are available through the CSO Farm Structures Survey results for 2003 and 2005. The report shows that over that period 2003 to 2005 farm numbers declined at a rate of approximately 1% per annum to 132,500 farms. The reduction in farm numbers is part of an on-going trend, which is common throughout Europe. The rate of decline is lower in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: An application under the Single Payment Scheme /Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 18th April 2007. As part of the control procedures under EU legislation governing these Schemes, the application was randomly selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility and animal identification and registration inspection During the course of the ground...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: To date, 58 payments totalling €169,662.79 have been paid out to farmers in County Cork under the Farm Improvement Scheme. All of these payments have been made from the Clonakilty office.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: A good deal of work has already been undertaken and significant progress has been made on drafting the new Animal Health and Welfare Bill and I intend, very shortly, to initiate a process of public consultation by publishing a consultation paper and inviting submissions from interested parties and other stakeholders. The Bill will be a comprehensive piece of legislation which will, inter...

Written Answers — Turbary Rights: Turbary Rights (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: A turbary right over a plot of bog, separate to the folio in the question was sold in 1967 by the former Irish Land Commission by means of a Q3 agreement, to the person named (now deceased) in the Question. The original Q3 document cannot be found in the Records Branch of my Department despite an intensive search being undertaken. There is no indication from other source documents that...

Written Answers — Turbary Rights: Turbary Rights (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: A turbary right over a plot of bog was sold in 1966 by the former Irish Land Commission, by means of a Q3 agreement, to the person named in the Question. The turbary right is still recorded in the person's name in the Records Branch of my Department.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named was notified in writing in October 2007 that a soil sample was required before any further REPS payments could be processed. The necessary soil sample has not yet been provided.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named has been approved for a REPS 3 payment which will issue within the next ten days.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Year Payroll system costs € 2004 116,963.75 2005 152,617.91 2006 102,267.27 2007 126,656.30 2008 (to date) 26,771.27 A new payroll system was installed in my Department in 2001. The costs indicated cover software maintenance, modifications required, support and upgrades to the system including a module...

Written Answers — Alternative Farm Enterprises: Alternative Farm Enterprises (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department received a submission from the association in question in which they raised a number of issues in relation to growing miscanthus. These issues, some of which are not within the remit of my Department are being examined and a detailed response will issue in due course. I am eager to support the development of miscanthus in Ireland and I am making grant aid available to growers...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: It is a requirement of the EU Council Regulation under which the 1994 Early Retirement Scheme was introduced that the Early Retirement Pension can be paid only as a supplement to any national retirement pension to which the participant, and his or her spouse or partner in a joint management arrangement, is entitled. This means that the entire value of any such national retirement pension...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The following incentives are available from my Department to encourage farmers to produce bio-fuel feedstocks (energy crops). An EU premium of €45 per hectare available under the EU Energy Crops Scheme. A National Energy Crop Premium worth €80 per hectare. 50% establishment grants for willow and miscanthus. Areas sown with energy crops may also qualify for the single farm payment. The...

Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is an independent authority which was established under Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 on January 1st 2007. The Act provides that the Authority is independent in the exercise of its functions and may publish any reports on matters related to its functions, subject to the normal requirements regarding the Annual Report of...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named had applied under Category D of the 2005 National Reserve that catered for farmers who commenced farming after 31 December 2002 or who commenced farming in 2002 but did not received any direct payments in respect of that scheme year. The person named was deemed ineligible under this category as he had received his herdnumber in September 2001. However as outlined in my...