Results 181-200 of 4,109 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) provides support to sheep farmers for carrying out actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector. To date €18.5 million has been paid to 16,714 herds under SIS 2024 (Year 2). These payments were paid at a rate of 85%. The balancing payments of 15% for 2024 will commence shortly to cleared cases. To date €15.20 million...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department provides significant support to the sheep sector under the EU co-funded Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) and through the exchequer-funded 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme. The SIS is the principal dedicated support for the sector with an allocation of €100m over the duration of the current CAP Strategic Plan (CSP). This multi-annual scheme will operate until 2027 and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 333 together. I recognise that the recent storms Darragh and Éowyn have caused varying degrees of damage around the country, including significant damage to trees and that this presents challenges to all stakeholders in forestry. Alongside Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae, I set up a Forest Windblow Taskforce with stakeholders from...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine issued €19 million in payments to the Irish horticulture sector in 2024 through a range of schemes, including the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector, the EU Producer Organisation Scheme for the Fruit and Vegetable Sector, the Schemes of Investment Aid for Innovation and Diversification in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The current budget allocated to the Agri-Food Regulator for 2025 is €1.96m so a 25% increase in budget for 2026 would amount to an additional €490,000. It is important to note that the Agri-Food Regulator's level of funding for subsequent years may be altered as part of the normal DAFM budget and expenditure revision process and that the figures detailed above are based on the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 337 together. I propose to take PQs 336 and PQ 337 together. The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 was approved by the Government in September 2023 and is funded with €1.3bn. This funding represents the largest ever investment by an Irish Government in tree-planting, put in place to incentivise farmers to the greatest extent possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: As part of Budget 2025 my Department secured an allocation of €5 million for 2025 to provide support to the group of farmers commonly referred to as forgotten farmers. A key first step in this process was to launch the online survey to assist in determining the number of farmers who meet the long-standing criteria for forgotten farmers. This scheme will be called the scheme to support...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Animal welfare is a key priority for me as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and for the Government. In 2020, my Department allocated €3.2 million in funding for animal welfare organisations, under the animal welfare grants programme. In December 2023, my Department announced the record allocation of €6 million in funding, again under the animal welfare grants...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Consultations (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The development of policy is based on, among other things, scientific and other evidence, internal and cross-government consultation, consultation with state agencies, public consultation and expert advice from both within the Department and elsewhere. There are core business areas within the Department that have personnel with the required technical and scientific expertise to inform key...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Agriculture Schemes (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The person named submitted an application under the ACRES General stream and was approved into Tranche 1 of the scheme, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023. An ACRES inspection took place on the holding on the 13 February 2025. A notification of the inspection findings issued to the person named by letter dated 13 May 2025 and the following penalties were outlined: 1. A...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Fishing Industry (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The most recent data available (2023) indicates that the total annual fuel consumption for the active fishing fleet is approximately 61 million litres. Using a straight-line extrapolation and without accounting for seasonal variation, vessel activity levels, or vessel size, the indicative cost of providing a €0.20 per litre fuel aid support across different time periods is outlined in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Fishing Industry (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The EU typically defines the inshore fleet as vessels under 12 metres in length. However, in order to provide more complete costings data has been provided for vessels under 18 metres as well as 12 metres. It should be noted that vessels between 12 and 18 metres are generally considered part of the large-scale fleet (LSF) under EU classifications. The figures presented reflect gross...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The responsibility for the development and maintenance of local authority owned piers, harbours and slipways rests with each local authority in the first instance. The primary governance role for local authorities rests with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. However, my Department has, as part of its annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs), located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. This Department profiles a 5-7 year capital programme of works consistent with the objectives of the National Development Plan, and subject to project feasibility and prioritisation of resources....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The funding provided by my Department provides for the current and capital costs of the Marine Institute (MI) to enable it to perform its core functions. This includes research and data collection underpinning the Common Fisheries Policy; co-coordinating, promoting and assisting in marine research and development and providing such services related to marine research and development that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is an independent regulatory agency as set down in the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006. The SFPA promotes compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, sea-fisheries law and food safety law relating to fish and fish products, verifies compliance and, where necessary, enforces it. The budget allocation for the SFPA for 2025 is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Ireland will hold the six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2026. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to resource and deliver a successful EU Presidency. During the Presidency, Ireland will be responsible for driving the EU policy agenda and advancing work on EU legislative and policy initiatives. Planning for the Presidency is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Funding for supports for the commercial seafood sector that are implemented by my Department are provided under the Seafood Development Programme (SDP). The SDP is co-funded by the Irish government and the EU Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2021-2027. Schemes for industry under the SDP are primarily implemented by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM)...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The preparatory work necessary to develop a fisheries sector strategy is at an early stage so a timeline for publication is currently not available. My colleague, Minister of State Timmy Dooley, is currently engaging with seafood sector stakeholders to identify issues and opportunities in order to form a view on setting the Terms of Reference for a Fisheries Sector strategy.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Animal Welfare (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Control of Horses Act, 1996 was introduced to provide for the control of horses and to make provision for the licencing of horses in urban and other areas where horses cause a danger or nuisance to people or property. Enforcement of the act is a matter for the local authorities. The Act is currently under review within my Department, with work progressing on this primary, replacement,...