Results 18,241-18,260 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The strength figures for year end to 31 December 2104 are set out below. I wish to advise the Deputy that the strength figure for 2012 includes personnel who were on secondment to, and being paid by other organisations, or on career breaks. Since September 2013, all strength figures have been calculated on the basis of actual numbers serving, excluding those members on secondment or career...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel Data (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, at 31 May 2015, the latest date for which figures are available was 9,294, comprising 7,442 Army, 766 Air Corps and 1,086 Naval Service personnel. The following table outlines the establishment, strength and vacancies of the Permanent Defence Force, by Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as at 31 May...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The table below sets out the number of females in the Defence Forces at all ranks over the past five years (i.e. on the 31stof December, 2010 to 2014 inclusive). I wish to advise the Deputy that the strength figures for 2010, 2011 and 2012 include personnel who were on secondment to, and being paid by other organisations, or on career breaks. Since September 2013, all strength figures have...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Deployment (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: As of 01 June 2015, Ireland is contributing approximately 497 Defence Forces personnel to 13 missions throughout the world. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas including the lead organisation for each mission are listed in the tabular statement attached. The most recent deployment overseas was the despatch of the Irish naval vessel, L.É. Eithne, to assist the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Operations (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: At a special meeting of the European Council on 23 April 2015, the Taoiseach announced that Ireland would deploy an Irish Naval Service vessel to assist in the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean. Following Government approval and agreement with the Italian authorities, L.É. Eithne arrived in the South Central Mediterranean on 23 May 2015, to assist the Italian authorities in...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Deployment (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: As of 01 June 2015, Ireland is contributing approximately 497 Defence Forces personnel to 13 missions throughout the world. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas including the lead organisation for each mission are listed in the tabular statement attached. The most recent deployment overseas was the despatch of the Irish naval vessel, L.É. Eithne, to assist the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: European Defence Capabilities (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am regularly in touch with my EU colleagues both in the context of European Defence and Security and other matters. In addition to bilateral contacts two official meeting of EU Defence Ministers are held during each six month EU Presidency. The most recent meeting that I attended was the meeting of Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers, which took place in Brussels on 18 May 2015....

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order including the protection of the internal security of the State rests with An Garda Síochána. However, one of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence (2000) is to provide Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: UN Missions (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The UN reimburses some personnel and Contingent Owned Equipment costs in respect of contributions of personnel to UN led operations. Rates of reimbursement, fixed in accordance with UN categories of equipment and personnel, are agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding between Ireland and the UN for each mission. The missions for which Ireland is currently entitled to reimbursement of some...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Commissions of Investigation (9 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 521 to 523, inclusive, together. No Commissions of Investigation have been established by my Department since the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 came into effect.

Topical Issue Debate: Superlevy Fine (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and thereby giving me an opportunity to provide the House with an update on this important issue and clarify a number of aspects of it. The milk quota regime ended on 31 March 2015. The overriding sentiment throughout the country from farmers to processors and along the value chain is that the abolition of the milk quota presents a massive...

Topical Issue Debate: Superlevy Fine (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I come from the southern part of County Cork, which is one of the dairy heartlands of the country. I have spoken to many dairy farmers about this issue. We need to be honest about a couple of things here. The superlevy is not a surprise. Farmers knew it was coming. Many farmers factored it in last year in the context of the price they were then being paid for milk. They calculated that...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Data Programme (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The person named submitted applications under the 2014 Beef Data Programme and Beef Genomics Scheme on 20 March 2014. Validations under the 2014 Beef Data Programme will commence shortly with payments to issue in the coming weeks to all eligible applicants. Under the Beef Genomics Scheme the person named was required to genotype six animals within prescribed time periods, however four...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Payments (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: An application under the 2014 Single Farm Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 11thMay 2014 with a claimed area of 32.99 hectares, 4.08 hectares of which were forestry. Afforested land was eligible to draw down a Single Farm Payment in 2014 provided that the applicant who declares afforested land is the person (or persons in joint management) in receipt of the afforestation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Premium Payments (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The applicant received the first premium for the contract number CN67593 in November 2014 for an amount of €1656.76. The second premium was paid in January 2015 for the same amount. Both premiums were paid at the correct rate and in full, and no deductions were made.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Payments (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The person named submitted applications under the 2014 Beef Data Programme and the Beef Genomics Scheme on 24 March 2014. As all of the required data has not been received for the Beef Data Programme and all of the genotype samples were not returned within the time limits under the Terms and Conditions of Genomics Scheme, the person named is ineligible for payment under both Schemes. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Eligibility (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Following the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Basic Payment Scheme and the Greening Payment replaced the Single Payment Scheme with effect from January 2015. The requirements in relation to land eligibility under these and other Direct Payment Schemes are contained in Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council and Commission Delegated Regulation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Appeals (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: A review of the lands declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that a number of the land parcels declared contained ineligible features. In order to clarify the position regarding the area of any ineligible features my Department arranged for a ground verification check to be undertaken. This check confirmed the 2013 area over-declaration as 20.85 % in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: GLAS Eligibility (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: At the outset, I would like to note that almost 27,000 applications were submitted in the first tranche of GLAS applications, which is very much in line with the projections I made when launching the scheme. The online application system developed within my Department functioned extremely well but some issues did arise as can be expected with the roll out of any new IT system. Issues were...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Landings (10 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I have recently received a request to designate Renard Pier in County Kerry for the landing of Monkfish and Hake. Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, fish species subject to a multi-annual plan must be landed at designated ports of landing. Hake is a species subject to a multi-annual plan and any landings of Hake greater than 2 Tonnes must be landed at a port designated in accordance...