Results 9,561-9,580 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 15:In page 18, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following:“(12) The restriction contained in subsection (1)(e) does not prevent the training of an animal, for the purpose of domesticating the animal and making it safe to manage by persons competent to train that animal, provided that—(a) unnecessary suffering is not thereby caused to the animal, and...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 16:In page 20, to delete lines 11 to 14 and substitute the following:“(3) The owner, occupier or person in charge of land on which a poison or a substance containing a poison is laid shall give—(a) at least 7 days’ notice in writing in advance of the laying of the poison or substance, or (b) if the poison or substance is being laid as part of a...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Yes. We deliberately have not dealt in a detailed way in this Bill with the laying of poison because it is dealt with under the Wildlife Acts. In the case of a person laying poison - in most cases this will be at farm level - we felt a need to bring clarity to whether he or she needed to get permission from the local authority to do so. What happened recently was shocking. My...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 17:In page 24, between lines 39 and 40, to insert the following: “(5) Where a local authority or the Minister proposes to recover the costs of anything done under this section, the authority or Minister, as the case may be, shall—(a) inform by notice the person concerned of the costs (including, but not limited to, salaries, subsistence, hiring of vehicles,...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will probably have anticipated what I am going to say on this. Amendment No. 18 proposes that a code of practice may issue in respect of animals used for scientific purposes. This is not appropriate, as such animals are subject to EU regulations, given effect to by a 2012 European Union directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. This policy area falls...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I understand what the Deputy is saying, but there are instances when a Minister needs to introduce regulations quickly, particularly in emergency situations. The status quo as referred to by Deputy Ó Cuív is that those regulations need to be laid before the Oireachtas and can be annulled by it within 21 sitting days, but the Minister can act if he or she needs to do so. I have...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I would like to think that the Government is making progress on that. In general, I think the formulation of policy and legislation is not being currently rushed through unless it is forced on us. I can cite a good example of why I cannot accept this amendment. In 2001 during the foot and mouth crisis, the then Minister made an order restricting the movement of animal and animal products...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I will respond to that. The case of animal health levies which the Deputy has raised is a fair point. The section the Deputy is seeking to amend states: "Where the Minister proposes to make regulations under this section, [that is, animal health levies] a draft of the regulations shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the regulations shall not be made until a resolution...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 20:In page 27, to delete lines 4 to 18 and substitute the following: 27.—(1) A person shall not export or attempt to export an animal live from the State unless he or she—(a) has paid to the Minister the amount of any outstanding animal health levy, or (b) is acting in accordance with regulations under this section relating to the payment to the Minister...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The amendments I propose to section 27 are designed to provide for maximum flexibility so the arrangements for the collection of the animal levies can be amended in future via regulations to reflect best practice in terms of efficiency and public accounting requirements. Accordingly, the requirement for advance payment of the levy, whether in cash format or, if possible, securely, in respect...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 21:In page 27, line 22, to delete "prior to" and substitute "of".

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 22:In page 27, line 31, after "shall" to insert the following:", unless otherwise provided for in regulations under section 27(2)*".

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 23:In page 28, line 3, after "subsection (2)" to insert "or regulations made under section 27(2)*".

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 24:In page 28, line 5, after "subsection (2)" to insert the following:" or, as the case may be, regulations made under section 27(2)*".

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 25:In page 29, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:"(4) Where the Minister proposes to recover costs under subsection (3), the Minister shall—(a) inform by notice the person concerned of the costs (including, but not limited to, salaries, subsistence, hiring of vehicles, machinery or equipment, feeding and veterinary fees) the reason for the costs and...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 27:In page 35, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"(5) Section 16 of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 does not apply to a dog in a dog breeding establishment where—(a) the dog is implanted with a microchip, or (b) the dog is removed, caused to be removed or its removal has been permitted to another premises, in accordance with animal health...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: My legal advice is that the current wording allows that an officer of suitable grade can act for the Minister in appointing authorised officers and that therefore the amendment is not required, but when I read section 37 as a lay person I do not see how that view is accommodated, so I am happy to accept the amendment.

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: We are all at the same thing here. Section 37(1) states: "The Minister may for the purposes of enforcing this Act or an EU measure, appoint in writing, such persons or classes of person as he or she considers appropriate to be authorised officers for the exercise of all or any of the functions conferred on an authorised officer under this Act specified in the appointment." I do not want to...

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I accept that, but I want the flexibility to appoint the right people. We will be screening potential officers to ensure they have the experience. The last thing we want is to appoint someone with the powers of an authorised officer who means well but does not know what he or she is doing. This would cause real damage to what we are trying to achieve with the legislation.

Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 31:In page 35, line 18, after “Act” to insert the following:“in the functional area of the authority, or other authority in accordance with subsection (5)(b),”.