Results 10,341-10,360 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments (21 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, the holdings of eligible applicants were required to have met a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units for a retention period of six consecutive months, in addition to maintaining an annual average of 0.15 livestock units calculated over the twelve months of the scheme year. As the applicant has not as yet demonstrated that the holding...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: TB Eradication Scheme (21 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The badger removal programme is only one element of a very comprehensive tuberculosis eradication programme but this element has contributed very significantly to the improvement in the Bovine TB situation in Ireland in recent years. This is evidenced by the fact that cattle herd incidence has fallen from 7.5% in 2000 to 4.1% in 2012 and the number of TB reactors has declined from 40,000 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vesting Orders (21 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: My Department is aware of the situation and is actively working to complete the Vesting Order where one title issue still has to be resolved. In this case, the re-arrangement involves 67 plots and 14 exchange agreements all of which are inter-dependent on each other for registration purposes. Unfortunately no one individual can be vested in isolation. Every effort is being made to complete...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff Numbers (21 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: At present my Department employs 83 Agricultural Inspectors and 104 Assistant Agricultural Inspectors. There are currently 7 entry level vacancies at Assistant Agricultural Inspector.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (21 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The person named was approved for participation in the 2011 Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2011. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. The person named was also selected for a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: State Bodies Accounts (21 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The information sought by the Deputy is outlined below. State Body – Annual Reports and Accounts Non-Commercial Bodies - 2010 2011 Aqua licensing Appeals Board Awaiting Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General sign off       Awaiting Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General sign off      Bord Bia November...

Topical Issue Debate: Fodder Crisis (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. That they come from different parties and none reflects the fact that this problem has nothing to do with party politics. This is a genuine crisis that has hit many farms, depending on the part of the country affected, the soil depth and weather, particularly in the past two weeks. This is a problem that we need to solve collectively. My...

Topical Issue Debate: Fodder Crisis (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: DAS is never paid before the end of September. There is a reason for that. Legally, one cannot make a payment until one can prove that a farmer qualifies for it. One of the qualification criteria is that the farmer has to have had his animals for seven months. We are not even seven months into the year. I am being asked to give out payments to farmers before they even qualify. If I did...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Disease Controls (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Under EU rules my Department is obliged to have scrapie tests carried out each year on 10,000 fallen sheep and 10,000 sheep slaughtered for human consumption, over 18 months of age. In 2012, Ireland's Active Surveillance Programme involved the testing of 10,342 fallen sheep over 18 months of age at knackeries and 10,963 sheep over 18 months of age at slaughter plants.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fodder Crisis (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I announced on 10 May an extension of the imported fodder transport scheme for a further two weeks and the doubling of the fund to €2 million. Following consultation with Met Eireann, Co Ops, the farming organisations, Teagasc and the advice of officials working on the ground, the decision was taken to allow a further two weeks for fodder to be imported into the country with a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fodder Crisis (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Fodder Transport Subsidy Scheme had played an important role in contributing to the efforts of recent weeks, with the transport costs of sizable quantities of fodder being significantly offset by my Department's contribution. By the end of the week, approximately 2,000 loads of imported fodder will have benefited from my Department's contribution to the transport costs;this amounts to in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fodder Crisis (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I announced on 10 May an extension of the imported fodder transport scheme for a further two weeks and the doubling of the fund to €2m. Following consultation with Met Eireann, Co Ops, the farming organisations, Teagasc and the advice of officials working on the ground, the decision was taken to allow a further two weeks for fodder to be imported into the country with a doubling of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st November 2010 and full payments totalling €833.33 and €5,000.00 issued in respect of 2010 and 2011 respectively. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The person named was approved for participation in the 2011 Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2011 and full payment totalling €783.62 issued in respect of 2011. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fodder Crisis (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I announced on 10 May an extension of the imported fodder transport scheme for a further two weeks and the doubling of the fund to €2m. Following consultation with Met Eireann, Co Ops, the farming organisations, Teagasc and the advice of officials working on the ground, the decision was taken to allow a further two weeks for fodder to be imported into the country with a doubling of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Passports (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 224 and 229 together. The identification and registration of equidae is governed by EU Council Directives 90/426/EEC and 90/427/EEC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 504/2008 of 6 June 2008. The EU legislation has been transposed into national legislation via S.I. No. 357 of 2011 - European Communities (Equine) Regulations 2011 (as amended). Regulation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bovine Disease Compensation (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: BVD is a viral disease of cattle that is estimated to cost Irish farmers around €102m each year. The provision of funding for compensation in the context of the compulsory phase of the BVD programme must be placed in the context of the economic benefits accruing to farmers arising from the eradication of this disease as well as the scarce budgetary resources available to my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Applications (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The person named is one of a number of applicants under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, whose cases were impacted by the requirement that their holdings must have achieved a minimum stocking density in 2011 of 0.3 livestock units per forage hectare and who applied for and were refused derogation in this regard. While the person named was been informed of the option to appeal to the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Reform (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I have examined the briefing note prepared by the Irish Farmers Association regarding CAP reform and I agree with many, though not all, of the points made. As President of the European Council of Agriculture Ministers, my current objective is to secure an inter-institutional political agreement with the European Parliament and the Commission by the end of June. Given the range of views at...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disability Act Employment Targets (22 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Disability Act 2005 stipulates, among other things, that a public body shall ensure, unless there is good reason to the contrary for not doing so, that not less than 3% of people employed by it are persons with disabilities. My Department is complying with this statutory target for the employment of people with a disability. The most recent data available shows that 3.3% of staff have...