Results 10,121-10,140 of 23,991 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (16 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Like other sectors of the economy in 2020, the Irish agri-food sector has been managing the impact of COVID-19.  The entire agri-food sector was designated as an essential service from the start of the pandemic, and kept supply chains moving and supermarket shelves stocked with Irish food and drink,  not just in Ireland but across our European and world markets. The closure of food...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (16 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I would like to assure the Deputy that fisheries remains a high priority for Ireland.  Brexit poses enormous challenges for the Irish fisheries sector and our coastal communities which are so reliant upon this sector.  This Government is seeking to protect the interests of the Irish fleet in terms of both access and the quota share it currently enjoys in UK waters....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (16 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Having previously conducted a similar exercise in Scotland, Mr. Jim Mackinnon, CBE, former Chief Planner with the Scottish Government, reviewed the forestry approval process and related issues in Ireland.  The Review was published at the end of last year and presented to the Forestry Programme Implementation Group in January.  Its implementation is one of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (16 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department meets and liaises with the main banks on access to finance issues relating to the agri-food sector and is currently scheduling meetings for me with the CEOs of the main banks. There is also good cross-Departmental cooperation on banking matters with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) and the Department of Finance. In recent years there have been a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I am fully aware of the effects caused by recent challenging weather conditions and its impact on the agri sector generally including the specialised nursery sector. This is most regrettable as many of the affected growers were facing very strong market demand for their produce after a number of challenging years.  The Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: There are currently 147 staff working across the Department's three Forestry Divisions.   There staff are a combination of forestry inspectors, ecologists, archeologists and administrative staff.   I wish to inform the Deputy that the Agriculture Appeals Office is a separate independent Office providing an appeals service for agriculture schemes of the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: There are currently 14 full-time equivalent ecologists working on forestry licensing applications for the Department. These are a combination of permanent ecologists employed directly by the Department and ecologists contracted in from outside  This is a very significant increase in ecology resources and a heavy investment by my Department in response to current...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Mackinnon Review, which was carried out by Mr. James Mackinnon, CBE former Chief Planner with the Scottish Government, reviewed the forestry approval process and related issues in Ireland.  This was similar to an exercise that Mr. Mackinnon had previously conducted for the Scottish authorities.  The Review was published at the end of last year and presented...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Proposed Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: At its meeting of 27 July, Government approved a Memorandum seeking approval to draft an urgent amendment to the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001 along the lines of the Heads of Bill presented. This will reform the forestry appeals process by bringing it into line with similar planning processes and is one of the commitments in the Programme for Government. I published the draft Bill...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 224 and 229 together. I recognise the difficulties that the delays to forestry licensing and forestry appeals are causing. The Government is committed to improvements to the licensing and appeals system as set out in the Programme for Government. It is very clear that the current system needs to be improved so that it can operate more efficiently. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The review of eligibility under the ANC scheme was completed in time for payments under the 2019 Scheme.  The detail of the review process was agreed in advance with the EU Commission and it was implemented to address inconsistencies across Member States in the previous designation process. An independent appeals process was put in place for farmers who...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Proposed Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: At its meeting of 27 July, Government approved a Memorandum seeking approval to draft an urgent amendment to the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001 along the lines of the Heads of Bill presented. This will reform the forestry appeals process by bringing it into line with similar planning processes and is one of the commitments in the Programme for Government. I have subsequently published the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 228 together. The Celtic Sea Herring stock occurs to the south of Ireland. It is prosecuted by two fleets, the main fleet which operates across the Celtic Sea (primarily ICES division 7g) and the sentinel fleet comprising of vessels that are under 17 metres in length overall that operate in the Dunmore box (inshore waters in Dunmore East...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230 and 235 together. I am acutely aware that current delays in issuing licences has led to difficulties for stakeholders. The Government is committed to reform of the planning and appeals processes as set out in the Programme for Government and we have presented draft legislation to this effect which I expect to be presenting to the House in due course....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tuberculosis Eradication Programme (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together. The Bovine TB Forum Interim Report (published July 2019)  identified the need to provide more effective information to farmers to help them reduce the risk of TB in their herd and advocated for the development of herd risk categories that are “simple, clear, and convey sufficient information to enable farmers to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Beef Finisher Payment scheme was launched on the 10th August 2020 to provide income support for farmers with beef finishing enterprises who have been impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been 28,095 applications submitted for the scheme with a further 548 applications submitted under appeal. While some of these are from farmers who slaughtered...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I recognise that there is still real concern in Ireland about the potential impact of the EU Mercosur agreement, arising, in particular, from the inclusion of a 99,000-tonne tariff rate quota for beef. Throughout the period of negotiation, Ireland consistently sought to minimise the impact of any potential deal on the Irish and European beef sector, and we continue to voice our...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ministerial Meetings (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I would like to inform he Deputy that I met with representatives of the Irish fishing industry, which included the Producer Organisations, yesterday (16th September).

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The report on the Irish tillage sector, Crops 2030, compiled by the Teagasc Stakeholder Consultative Group, was launched recently by Minister of State Heydon. I welcome the work of the Stakeholder Group which consists of a broad range of members and reflects the diversity within the sector. The tillage sector in Ireland is an important component of the Agri-food industry making a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bioenergy Strategy (17 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Indigenous renewable energy plays a vital role in our domestic fuel mix and will become even more important in the context of reducing our reliance on imported fuels and in meeting our challenging renewable energy targets for 2020 and 2030 and decarbonising our energy systems by 2050.  The Department for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE)...