Results 19,281-19,300 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Pension Provisions (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am advised that the individual in this case was discharged from the Defence Forces in May 2013, and that he made his application for a disability pension in May 2014 and was seen by the Army Pensions Board in April 2015. As outlined previously, the nature of disability pension applications means that the procedure for investigating them takes some time to complete. The length of time...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Military Archives (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 407 and 408 together. Public access to the files in question was temporarily closed in July 2014. This decision was taken by the Officer in Charge of Military Archives in order that a review be conducted arising from his concerns that release of files may breach the right to privacy of individuals, under the Data Protection Act. The Data Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: It was not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the time available. My Department is currently seeking to compile a reply and I shall provide the information directly to the Deputy when it comes to hand.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Farm Inspections (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Senator for the opportunity to set the record straight on a number of matters. I would first like to outline to the House the background of the inspection requirements relating to the direct payment scheme and other area-based schemes. In the context of the delivery of the direct payment scheme and rural development measures, my Department is required to carry out an annual...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Farm Inspections (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Yes, the charter of rights.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Farm Inspections (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Sorry, you have had your say, Senator, and I am now responding if that is okay. There is an agreement between farming organisations, that represent the interests of farmers, and the Department in terms of how a new approach towards inspections would take place, that is consistent with the regulations we need to operate under, otherwise we will be subject to disallowances. Farming...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Farm Inspections (6 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I do not think that is necessary. The Senator seems to be operating a parallel negotiation to what the farming organisations were seeking. We have spent hours discussing a charter for farmers' rights. We made decisions and signed off on that, so I am not going to start undoing that now when it has already been finalised and agreed by all the farmers' representative bodies. The focus we...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: First, there are no cutbacks early in the scheme. Second, we always said the maximum payment for GLAS was €5,000, or €7,000 for GLAS+. We also said that we thought the average payment would be very close to the maximum payment of €5,000 because the majority of farmers would be able to draw down the full amount. Let us be accurate about what was said rather than trying...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I will come back to this later.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Today is 7 October. The Deputy asked if they will be paid by 1 October.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Okay.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: We want to pay out on GLAS for the last three months of this year - October, November and December - which is what we said we would do and which we are seeking to deliver. We are also seeking to take in as many new applicants under tranche 2 as we can. We have put a figure of 10,000 on that. We will not have 50,000 farmers in GLAS next year, rather we will have about 36,000 in it. That is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: We will sort it out, yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am delivering what I said I would deliver, which is to increase incrementally and as quickly as we can the numbers coming into GLAS to get expenditure up to the maximum we have committed to under the scheme. We are getting there faster than I think most people predicted, but it cannot happen overnight and everybody understands that. There is a particular challenge with putting...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Milk Quota (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. My Department has carried out an investigation into allegations that milk collections from a milk supplier were credited to another milk supplier and that this was being facilitated by the milk purchaser concerned. Having received the report on the investigation, I instructed that a number of corrective actions be undertaken by all parties...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Milk Quota (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: I was also concerned about this case. As soon as I heard about it, we initiated an investigation straight away. There were multiple interviews, some of them taken under caution. The matter was taken extremely seriously by my Department. The investigation has not been going on for 14 or 15 months. We had a very intensive investigation initially, as soon as we heard about this case. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Milk Quota (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: First, people did not get away with it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Milk Quota (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: What happened is that a concern was raised and we investigated it immediately. We interviewed people under caution without notice. We took a very serious view of what we understood to be the situation. The investigation happened straight away. The investigation has not taken 14 months; it took place straight away and was concluded within weeks but we then handed over the file to the Chief...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Milk Quota (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Having taken the actions we could take to remedy the situation, to fully audit the processor concerned and to get a full and detailed account from the processor concerned of how its systems could have allowed that to happen, we took all the actions we could. I have taken legal advice on the basis of the Chief State Solicitor's legal advice as to whether we were likely to succeed in taking a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Inshore Fisheries (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The recommendation to which the Deputy refers requests that the Government examines the feasibility of heritage licences to be issued by the Department for rural coastal and island communities. The intended objective of such licences is, according to the report, to optimally facilitate traditional fishing practices in conjunction with the establishment of a producer organisation representing...