Results 1,121-1,140 of 18,449 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Farm Waste Management. (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Approximately 42,000 applications have been approved.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: the commitment of the Government to the implementation of report of the Seafood Industry Strategy Review Group, Steering a New Course, for the delivery of a restructured, sustainable and profitable Irish seafood industry; the commitment of the Government to seafood development through an...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: This round of decommissioning grants is a substantial commitment to the seafood industry and will help to put the sector on a more sound financial footing, delivering a sustainable future for Ireland's fishermen into the future. It will help to bring about a viable future for the fishing sectors that will support the economies of coastal communities dependent on fishing. To meet the...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The levels of sanctions in that Act are lower in many cases than those provided for under the amended 1959 Act.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The sanctions in place apply equally to Irish, Spanish, French or other operators found to have infringed the rules.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The actual sanction applied in each case is a matter for the judge, taking account of the maximum fine limits set in the legislation. The regime in place is required to protect fish stocks and the long-term future of coastal communities. In order to inform these discussions, I asked the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority for data on the current level of inspections being undertaken by both...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am pressed for time. The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority has also confirmed that not all those responsible for infringements detected are subject to prosecution in the Circuit Court. The Act provides for perpetrators of lesser infringements to be prosecuted in the District Court and many cases are pursued in this way, which is entirely appropriate for such offences. A warning notice is...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Fishermen would prefer a regime of administrative sanctions, as is the norm on the Continent.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The possibility of introducing administrative sanctions was comprehensively considered, including examination of the practices in other member states, at the time of the passage of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill. The position taken by the then Minister was based on the legal advice of the Attorney General.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I listened to the Deputy and ask him to do the same. When the Minister of State, Deputy Tony Killeen, and I met the Federation of Irish Fishermen, we were asked, and we committed to asking the Attorney General, to examine the issue further and to consider whether any new developments could support the introduction of a regime of administrative sanctions for fisheries offences in the State....

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The issue has been raised consistently by my party colleagues and I have asked the Attorney General for further advice thereon.

Written Answers — Farm Improvement Scheme: Farm Improvement Scheme (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Farm Improvement Scheme was introduced by my Department in July 2007 with funding of €79 million as agreed under the 2006 Partnership agreement, Towards 2016, and was suspended on 31 October 2007 as applications had reached this level of funding. Indeed, the terms and conditions of the Scheme specifically provided for its termination when this financial ceiling was reached. 12,675...

Written Answers — Fishing Industry Development: Fishing Industry Development (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The National Strategic Plan for the Irish fisheries sector 2007-2013 was prepared and approved by the Minister on the 26th November 2007, it was subsequently submitted to the Commission on the 28th November 2007. The National Strategic Plan sets down a programme of support for fisheries in line with the Seafood Sector Review Group report, Steering a New Course — strategy for a...

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Commission proposals in the milk sector cover the full range of market management measures currently in place. While milk quota expansion is at the forefront of these proposals, considerable changes to other market management measures are also proposed. These include the abolition of private storage aid for cheese and the disposal aid for butter used in the manufacture of pastry and ice...

Written Answers — Domestic Abattoirs: Domestic Abattoirs (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department has supported capital investment into the marketing and processing of agricultural products in various sectors. In December 2007 my Department invited applications in the areas of horticulture, livestock marts and small slaughterhouses and low throughput meat establishments. The closing date for receipt of applications was the 29th of February 2008. In respect of small...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The revised Farm Waste Management Scheme was introduced by my Department in March 2006 in order to assist farmers meet the additional requirements of the Nitrates Directive. Under the Scheme, grant-aid is available at a standard grant-rate of 60% (70% in the four Zone C counties) to farmers who complete investment works under the Scheme. As the Scheme formed part of the 2000-2006 National...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am concerned with all levels of safety on our farms and the use of agricultural vehicles on public roads. I fully support the work of the Department of Transport, which is the lead Department for all matters relating to road safety, and also the Road Safety Authority (RSA), which is the Agency established under the aegis of the Department of Transport to take a lead role in the area of...

Written Answers — Farm Improvement Scheme: Farm Improvement Scheme (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Farm Improvement Scheme was introduced by my Department in July 2007 with funding of €79 million as agreed under the Partnership agreement, Towards 2016. The Scheme was suspended on 31 October 2007 as applications received has reached this level of funding. It was specifically made clear, at the time of its launch, that the Scheme would be terminated when this financial ceiling had...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Climate change has potentially serious implications not just for agriculture but for all sectors of the economy. The Irish agricultural pasture-based production system has many advantages in terms of sustainability and in a decoupled environment, efficiency of production is pursued which means that carbon emissions per unit of production are kept as low as possible. In the context of carbon...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: At the Council of Fisheries meeting in Luxembourg last week, which Minister Killeen and I attended, EU Fisheries Commissioner Borg, undertook to come back to the next Council meeting on the 15th July with definitive proposals to address the issues facing fishermen. In the interim, I will continue to use every avenue open to me, as will Minister Killeen to convey in the strongest possible...