Results 23,961-23,980 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: There are 23 measures. Their total value to agriculture is approximately €300 million. We went into this matter in great detail in the budget. However, we will not know the numbers using each measure until the end of the year and Revenue knows-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: The new measures are quite different than what used to be there.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy might find it as easy to get the information by putting a parliamentary question to me.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Let me look.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: I will see what I can do. Regarding the rural development programme, RDP, my intention is to have the money spent by the end of this round of CAP, which is 2020. As the Deputy is aware, there is a flexibility to go beyond 2020 to n+2 or n+3 if we must, just as with the last RDP when this and the previous Governments had to reduce spending. I hope that we will be able to spend the full...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: It does not have a significant impact on the single farm payment for this year because farmers will receive the same decoupled payment. The single farm payment will be the same but it will be applied for based on a lesser hectarage. It may have an impact on redistribution or disadvantaged area scheme payments but the amount of the single farm payment will be the same. Farmers need to sit...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: We must ascertain how this will pan out. We have about €53 million to spend and must make decisions. I suspect one of the first things we would do is to start with the guys with more than 60 animals. They would receive €80 per animal for as many as we could pay them. That is not unreasonable. We will prioritise the small farmer, as we do in the case of the €10 payment.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: In the west the average herd size is 15 animals. We want to make sure we keep the people concerned in business. The big operators will receive a big dividend, but if we must cut our cloth to measure, they will be making a contribution. I have not made a definitive decision, but I am providing the committee with my thinking on the matter. There were over 6,000 applicants and we will have...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Most of the funding will actually come through Science Foundation Ireland. The national research prioritisation exercise, NRPE, was published in 2012 and recommended that the majority of the approximately €500 million annual public spend on scientific research should be targeted at 14 priority investment areas, at least five of which are relevant to the agrifood and marine sectors....

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Yes, but that is not going to happen in a dramatic way, it will happen in a controlled way. We spend nearly €10 million per year supporting the World Food Programme, WFP. To be clear, some people seem to think that I if I did not spend that money thus, I would be able to spend the €10 million on farmers but that is not the case. This is part of the Government's contribution...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am not sure that is confirmed.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Under EU and WTO rules it has to go via the facilitator.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: It was the other way but I do not see the reason why farmers would be unhappy with this. If they have to pay, and we are paying directly, maybe they like the idea of getting the money first before they hand it over.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: The payments relating to hen harrier designated lands is, I believe, €370 per hectare. It is the figure we had agreed on, up to €7,000. We had to negotiate all these payments and these ceilings with the Commission in order to get agreement from it as to how the scheme would operate. The Commission is the body mentioned when talking about agreement and acceptance on these...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am aware of that but Irish prices are at about 105% of the European average at the moment. That would suggest we are in a premium category. We export to the UK and sterling is strong at the moment, which is a good thing. We are now the only European country that can sell to the United States and to China. We may also be the only European country that can sell to Japan. As a Government...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta Lands (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as construction works on wind farm sites , are the responsibility of the company. The matter outlined in the question was, however, raised with Coillte and the company advised that on the 26th January Coillte commenced minor enabling works on Sliabh Bawn, as...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Payments (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: My Department received two Transfer of Entitlements applications on 7 May 2014 and 15 May 2014 respectively to transfer 9.28 standard entitlements by way of sale and 5.16 standard entitlements by way of gift to the above herd number from another herd number. Both applications for the transfer of entitlements have been processed and payment has issued in respect of the 9.28 purchased...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Harbours and Piers Funding (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: Greencastle harbour is in the ownership of Donegal County Council and responsibility for its development, repair and maintenance rests with the Local Authority in the first instance. My Department, however provides funding for the development and repair of Local Authority owned piers, harbours and slipways under the annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Installation Aid Scheme Eligibility (24 Feb 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am aware that there is a group of young farmers who established their holdings in 2008 and 2009 and who missed out on the Installation Aid scheme which closed to applications in 2008. I intend to prioritise their applications under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation scheme (TAMS), with grant-aid payable at 40%, being introduced under the new RDP.  EU Commission approval is awaited...