Results 13,901-13,920 of 23,995 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: An application to participate in the 2021 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme was received from the person named on 21st April 2021. The advance payment for the 2021 ANC scheme has issued to the person named and will be lodged to his nominated bank account shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 605 of 2017) give legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). The Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage is the lead Department in this regard. The Directive requires all Member States to define set periods when the land...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Malcolm Noonan T.D., Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, established a working group, which includes a representative from my Department, to address the key issues raised in a Report on the Review of the use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry. A final report from this working group is expected at the end of October. I...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 468 of 7thOctober, 2021, I would like to reiterate that the Department is continuing to consider the case for a Frost Reconstitution Scheme. It is important to note that provision is made for an additional tolerance in the case of frost damage, in terms of payment applications, which was communicated to the sector by way of Circular 9 of 2020, Inspection...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Due to the long-term nature of forestry, it is considered that the best option is to continue to deliver the successor to the current Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022) entirely separately from the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) and subject to new State aid rules rather than the requirements of the CSP Regulations. The links between these two significant programmes of CAP and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together. All applications for the planting of forests and for support schemes such as Native Woodland Conservation Scheme under the National Forestry Programme must be submitted by a registered forester. The Department compiles a list of Registered Foresters once they meet the criteria for registration, which is to hold at a minimum, an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Currently planning permission from the relevant Local Authority is required in many cases when 'replacing broadleaf high forest with conifer species'. This has introduced further difficulties for landowners wishing to clear their diseased ash plantations and replace them with other species. Contact has been made between Department officials and their counterparts in Department of Housing...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: To fell a tree or trees without a valid tree felling licence, unless exempted, is an offence under the Forestry Act 2014. S.19 of the Act provides for exemptions whereby a tree felling licence may not be required. Tree felling carried out under the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS – Ash Dieback) does not require a tree felling licence. The following are common scenarios...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The weekly dashboard is provided to give a short concise update on the licences issued for the week and month, along with other related information. As the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS - Ash Dieback) is not a forestry licensed scheme and as the Dashboard is already full we do not propose to include an update on it there. I will, however, arrange for the publication of RUS...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is well aware of the concerns in relation to the licensing of peat abstraction which are generating challenges (volume and price) for the horticulture sector. Peat extraction is subject to a planning process under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Fisheries Policy (14 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In Ireland, quotas are a public resource and are managed to ensure that property rights are not granted to individual operators. This is seen as a critical policy in order to ensure that quotas are not concentrated into the hands of large fishing companies whose owners have the financial resources to buy up such rights. In Ireland, any movement towards privatisation and concentration of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to advise the Deputy that neither myself nor officials from my Department held meetings or conducted correspondence with a company (details supplied) from 1 January 2017 to date, nor did my Department engage the services of the company for any purpose during the years in question.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022) provides significant supports for afforestation scheme which contains measures aimed at protecting the environment and biodiversity. All forestry licences issued must comply with the requirements of EU and national environmental law, environmental policy that falls within the scope of EU law, and the four environmental principles that...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I can confirm that both myself and Minister of State Pippa Hackett have held meetings with bank officials in relation to forestry. Minister Hackett met with officials from Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB in September 2020 and discussed, inter alia, cashflow for operators within the forestry sector. I met with the CEO of AIB in October 2020 and the CEOs of Bank of Ireland and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department assesses all forestry licence and scheme applications on their own merits and in combination with other plans and projects in the area.  The Deputy is aware of the backlog of forestry licences awaiting assessment and that the majority of these are referred to ecology. Circular 08/2021 published last June, set out the work the Department had conducted to streamline the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: A consultation on the draft interventions of the CAP Strategic Plan which was conducted in August and September this year has been met with a lot of interest and the Department has received many submissions in response which are currently being examined. Forest Industries Ireland (FII) made a submission containing proposals on the further integration of tree and forest planting initiatives....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware of certain Court of Justice of the European Union decisions and their subsequent application in the High Court and other appeals bodies, pertaining to the environmental assessment of planning applications. Forestry licences, that is afforestation, forest road works, aerial fertilisation and tree felling licences are considered planning applications. Therefore, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 297 together. There are three Divisions within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine dealing with forestry matters – Forestry Policy Division, Forestry Inspectorate Division and Forest Sector Development Division. The first is led by a Principal Officer and the other two are led by Senior Inspectors. The three divisions report to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Circulars (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 298 and 299 together. The European Union (Birds and Natural Habitats) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021, (S.I. No. 293 of 2021) were signed on 21stJune, 2021 by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. My Department was made aware of it later that week by that Department. These Regulations were signed after Circular 8/2021 issued. However, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (20 Oct 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for...