Results 18,321-18,340 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tax Code (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: As with all the on-farm investment schemes, grant-aid under the TAMS Farm Safety Scheme is paid on the net cost of the investment, i.e. the cost exclusive of any VAT applying. This is irrespective of whether the applicant is registered or not for VAT. The question of any refund of VAT is a matter for the applicant themselves to pursue with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme Eligibility (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Only persons who received a direct payment under the 2013 scheme year hold an automatic right to be allocated entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2013. The persons named did not establish entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme and did not receive a direct payment for any year since the start of that Scheme in 2005. Consequently the persons named do not hold an automatic...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Directives (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Commission Regulation (EC) No 504/2008 of 6 June 2008 implementing Council Directives 90/426/EEC and 90/427/EEC, which has been transposed into national law via S.I. No. 207 of 2014 (as amended by S.I. 230 of 2015), provides that horses not already identified by 1 July 2009 must be identified by a microchip. To ensure the microchip meets the required ISO standard and the digits are unique to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bord na gCon (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Bord na gCon is the statutory body responsible for the regulation and development of greyhound racing under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958. BNG is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Irish Coursing Club is the controlling authority for the breeding and coursing of greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Ministerial Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I have not met with the person referred to by the Deputy or with any senior executives within that person’s media companies since being appointed as Minister for Defence.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean remains of great concern to Ireland, and to its EU and Southern partners. On 20 April, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister for Justice & Equality attended a joint meeting of EU Foreign Affairs and Justice and Home Affairs Councils in Luxembourg. At that meeting, the Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: White Paper on Defence (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The preparation of a new White Paper on Defence is a key priority and drafting of the document is well under way. I anticipate that the final draft of the White Paper will be submitted to Government by the end of July. Subject to Government approval, the White Paper on Defence will then be published.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: Civil Service policy on leave without pay is decided centrally by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There are a range of options open to staff wishing to apply to avail of periods of unpaid leave. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of staff in my Department currently on sabbatical/career breaks/carers leave is set out in the following table. ...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The total costs for photography paid by the Department in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 to date is set out in the following table: Date Company Cost 25/3/2011 Maxwell Photography €393.25 (Including VAT) 9/11/2011 Maxwell Photography €849.42 (Including VAT) 21/11/2012 Fennell Photography €116.85 (including VAT) 10/07/2013 Maxwell Photography...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Consultancy Contracts Data (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: My Department has not incurred any expenditure on external public relations since March 2011.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 392 and 395 together. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the total amount of expenditure on external IT consultants by my Department, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and in 2015 to date is set out in the following table. My Department is always mindful of the costs involved in engaging consultants. External consultants are engaged only...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Parliamentary Questions (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: A comprehensive guide to answering Parliamentary Questions, both written and oral, is available to all staff on the Department’s intranet. This guide, inter alia, addresses issues such as registration, distribution, drafting replies and formatting. All draft replies are initially approved by Heads of Branches, subsequently at Assistant Secretary level and ultimately by the Secretary...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Parliamentary Questions (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am satisfied that Parliamentary Questions (PQs) are being adequately replied to within my Department. In certain circumstances, particularly in cases where providing a comprehensive response to a PQ requires the gathering of data from across the Department, it will not be possible to respond in full to a PQ in the time available. In such instances, a holding reply issues to the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Appointments to State Boards (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Defence in March 2011 were the Civil Defence Board, the Board of Coiste an Asgard and the Army Pensions Board. The Civil Defence Board was identified in the Public Service Reform Plan as a body to be abolished. The then Minister for Defence appointed a 14 person interim Board as a temporary measure in 2011 and in this context none of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Freedom of Information Requests (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables: FOI Requests: Year Number of Requests* Refused Granted Part Granted 2009 62 10 30 10 2010 63 8 12 20 2011 40 5 20 7 2012 50 5 15 11 2013 40 5 7 11 2014 29 3 10 12 2015 to date 41 3 17 6 *Please note that this figure includes requests received which were subsequently...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reorganisation (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The current organisational structures of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) ensure that it can operate efficiently and effectively within a strength ceiling of 9,500 personnel. Within that strength ceiling , the return to the previous three Brigade structure would cause a range of inefficiencies arising from under-strength Units and an increased administrative burden. This would compromise...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Legislative Process (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: No Bills initiated in my Department have been subject to the pre-legislative scrutiny procedure in the Oireachtas. I referred the General Scheme of the Defence Forces (Forensic Evidence) Bill 2015 to the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on 12 March 2015 for consideration as to whether pre-legislative scrutiny was appropriate in this case. Following a subsequent briefing for the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Legislative Process (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: While no Bills have been initiated by my Department since September 2013 , the General Scheme of the Defence Forces (Forensic Evidence) Bill 2015 was approved by Government on 20 February 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Staff Expenses (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The details requested in respect of the total amount spent per annum in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and to date in 2015 (11th June) on staff subsistence (including foreign subsistence) and taxi payments in respect of Departmental civil servants, members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) and civilian employees, is as outlined in the following table: Year Subsistence Payments Taxi Payments...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Consultancy Contracts Data (16 Jun 2015)

Simon Coveney: The information sought by the Deputy in relation to reports commissioned and completed since March 2011, is set out in the following table. Report Cost Company Publication Date An independent review of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) fatalities in 1989 €51,660 Mr. Frank Callinan, S.C. 19th September 2011 Review of the Air Corps’ Safety Management System...