Results 8,281-8,300 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I assure the Deputy that would have been my preference as well.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The development of a dairy sustainability and quality programme comes against the background of ambitious plans under the Food Harvest 2020 report to increase dairy production by 50% in the period to 2020, and the need to find a home on international markets for this additional production. We are taking a series of steps on a number of levels to prepare for this. State agencies, the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The best way farmers can insulate themselves from the price volatility that will happen in the future is to ensure Irish product get differentiated from other product. Let us not forget that more than 85% of all the milk we produce is exported in various forms, be it infant formula, skimmed and semi-skimmed milk, cheese, yoghurts and all the other products in which milk is an ingredient. If...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Expenditure (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: As this is a fairly broad question, I will address the issues that might be most pertinent. There has been some criticism since the announcement of the budget that we have targeted certain schemes unfairly and I want to give the Deputy the rationale for why we did what we did. I will deal with the beef sector first. For the past five years we have had a suckler cow welfare scheme which...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Expenditure (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: There is a genuine concern about ensuring that farmers on relatively small farms in very disadvantaged areas are provided with enough support to keep them on the land. That is the reason, in terms of the savings we must make in the disadvantage areas scheme, we have excluded mountainous farmers from any of those savings to ensure nobody farming in a mountainous area - that is 32,000 out of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbours and Piers (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: My Department administers the fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure capital development programme every year. Dunmore East fishery harbour centre is one of the six designated fishery harbour centres which are owned, managed and maintained by my Department and, as such, it receives funding annually on foot of the programme. My Department continues to support the harbour's development...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbours and Piers (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The reality is that nothing can be done if one does not have the money. We have taken on consultants to examine the options-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Harbours and Piers (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is asking for more than half of my total harbours fund. I simply do not have it. If I had the money, I would be spending it on this. This is one of the harbours that has priority when it comes to dredging investment. Fish landings at Dunmore East are actually increasing every year. Quotas are significantly up this year and it is my job to negotiate another good deal on the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: Sole is one of the species whose stock is under pressure in the Irish Sea.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I am hoping to get the best deal I can for fishermen next week in a whole series of areas, particularly with regard to prawns in the Irish Sea and area VII generally. As part of that, fantastic work has been done by the Marine Institute. One of the stocks under pressure is sole. I hope the Acting Chairman feels guilty now.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I hope he enjoyed it because it might be the last one he gets.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Browne has been in this ministry before and will know the preparation required for the negotiations on total allowable catches, TACs, and fishing quotas. These preparations have been completed this year in an impressive manner. There has been much talk about getting the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy done during the Irish EU Presidency. I am equally focused on the Common...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: We worked hard during the Danish EU Council Presidency, which was before the current Cypriot Presidency, to get a Common Position on discards by the end of the Presidency, which was the end of June this year. There is a basic agreement in principle on how to address discards. However, dealing with the pelagic sector is different from dealing with the whitefish sector and there is a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased that the Deputy has asked this question because we discussed it some weeks ago. I am pleased that I have managed to bring the issue forward since that discussion. I wish to make clear at the outset that my reply relates to the public trust set up in 1919 under the provisions of the Land Purchase Acts. To avoid confusion, my Department refers to it as the Castlerea Public Trust...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: If the Deputy prefers I will get to the meat of it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I have only half a page left.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The minimum number of trustees in this trust is five and the maximum number is 12. It is important that the replacement trustees are nominated by and acceptable to existing trustees to ensure the harmonious work of the trust. This is especially important in Castlerea because at present the people who are the trustees of the Castlerea Public Trust lands are also trustees of the contiguous...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure everybody will get what they want but we are moving towards resolving the matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: That is what is happening. I turned around a situation about which the Deputy was very unhappy.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Land Reclassification (13 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: We have created time and space to try to find a solution.