Results 8,881-8,900 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry Irregularities (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: Officials of my Department carry out un-announced inspections at beef slaughtering plants to ensure that Carcase Dressing (Trim) is carried out in accordance with EU Regulations. Unannounced inspections are carried out by authorised officers: - According to an inspection schedule in an Annual Control Plan; - As a result of infringements noted during a previous inspection visit; -...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Application Numbers (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: Payments under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme commenced, on target, on 26 September and, to date, payments worth in excess of €203 million have issued to some 93,000 farmers. Payments continue to issue twice weekly, as individual cases are confirmed eligible. Nationally, 127 applications were subject to 100% penalty, as each was received after the final date for receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: Further to the Government decision that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests be put forward for sale, the National Treasury Management Agency, via its NewERA Unit, has been actively engaged with Coillte, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department to examine the financial and other implications of a potential transaction. NewERA, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: I fully recognise the potential of forestry and the contribution that it makes to both employment creation and maintenance, particularly in rural areas. Most recent figures show that almost 12,000 people are employed in the forestry and forest products sector in Ireland. In economic terms, it is valued at over €2 billion annually to the Irish economy. During the period 2009 –...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Properties (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: My Department owns and operates, under Statute, six Fishery Harbour Centres at Killybegs, Ros an Mhíl, Dingle, Castletownbere, Dunmore East and Howth. Properties located in the Fishery Harbour Centres are, when appropriate, offered for tenancy under lease or licence agreements. An individual agreement, which is a formal legally binding document on both parties, is voluntarily signed at...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Applications (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: Despite the challenging budgetary constraints facing my Department, last year I secured an additional €20 million annually to fund a new agri-environment scheme and on foot of this I announced the re-opening of the Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS). I decided on a maximum payment of €4,000 per annum for individual applicants to allow for up to 6,000 new participants to be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: Ireland was one of a large number of Member States to sign up in 2011 to six key principles for simplification of the CAP, in the context of the CAP reform process. These principles are that: - The CAP 2014-2020 must overall be simpler and cheaper for national authorities to administer, and have reduced administrative costs for recipients. Any increased cost or complexity to specific...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: The European Commission’s proposals for the reform of the CAP post-2013 included a proposal to use 2014 as a reference year for establishing entitlements to future direct payments. I am, of course, aware that this proposal, as currently formulated, could create a number of problems both in the land rental market up to 2014 and in the establishment of entitlements. I would emphasise...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Suckler Welfare Scheme Payments (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: With particular regard to Suckler Farmers I have made funding of €10 million available in 2013 under the Suckler Welfare Scheme to continue to make aid payments on calves born in 2012, and earlier years when applicable. In excess of €150 million has been paid to participants in the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme since its inception. In addition, I have allocated €10 million...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Reform (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: The overall funding of the CAP, including the amounts to be made available for direct payments (Pillar 1) and rural development (Pillar 2), have now been decided in the context of the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2014 to 2020. I am very pleased that we have managed to protect Irish farmers’ direct payments, given that there were substantial...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: I support the idea of encouraging sustainable forms of agriculture, which is at the heart of the Food Harvest 2020 strategy, and I can support the Commission in its desire to further enhance the green credentials of direct payments. However, my view is that it preferable to do so in a way that avoids adding excessive bureaucracy. I have concerns that the proposed structure of the greening...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Expenditure (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: The following table sets out the indicative amounts allocated to each targeted agricultural modernisation scheme (TAMS) under the Rural Development Programme, 2007-2013 (RDP), the funding committed to date and the actual expenditure in respect of each Scheme up to end-2012:- Scheme RDP Allocation (€m) Amounts committed/grant approvals (€m) Expenditure up to end-2012...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: There has been good progress to date in regard to the Common Agricultural Policy reform negotiations. The proposals, comprising four main legal texts and which were launched by the EU Commission in late 2011, are the subject of full co-decision between the three EU institutions – Commission, Council of Ministers and European Parliament. In the Council, the Polish, Danish and Cyprus...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Eligibility (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: In December 2011, I announced my intention to begin consultations with the industry in relation to the introduction of a quality and sustainability programme for the dairy sector. This announcement was made 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 realisation that such additional production...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Commonage Division (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Commonage Framework Plans, first published in 2002, have been reviewed to take account of the current vegetative condition of commonages nationally. This review, which will replace the Commonage Framework Plans, has been carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in co-operation with my Department. The review was carried out on a commonage LPIS parcel basis and sets a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Safety Authority Inspections (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 159 together. Under EU law primary responsibility for the safety and traceability of food placed on the market place lies with food business operators. The role of my Department is to verify compliance by the food business operators with this requirement. This is done by a combination of inspection of establishments and by audit on the food safety...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sale of State Assets (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: With reference to the Government decision, in the context of the asset disposal programme, that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests be put forward for sale, substantial work has been undertaken to date on the identification of the forestry assets involved, the determination of their value and the consideration of a number of issues associated with the proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Slaughter Numbers (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: The number of horses slaughtered in plants approved by my Department under EU and national food safety regulation in each of the years since 2008 was as follows: 2008 – 2,002; 2009 – 3,220; 2010 – 7,296; 2011 – 12,575; 2012 – 11,402. I understand from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland that the following numbers of horses were slaughtered in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: In 2011 a total of 1,603 applications were received for approval to plant land with forestry under the afforestation grant and premium schemes of which 151 were rejected. The corresponding figures for 2012 were 2,150 applications received and 118 rejected. The main reasons for rejection included unsuitable soil type, implications for water quality, adverse impact on the landscape, exposed...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Quotas (12 Feb 2013)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, I outlined the current and historical position in relation to this issue (in some detail) in the recent related PQ Ref No: 4436/13 dated 29 January 2013. As stated in that response, the EU Commission has not yet advised if it intends to pursue a TAC and quota regime for seabass for 2014. In that context, I will continue to press Ireland’s case at EU...