Results 26,861-26,880 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Eligibility (11 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The Single Payment Scheme entitlements established for every farmer under the Single Farm Payment Scheme in 2005 were based on the average number of animals or of Arable Aid, and the average number of hectares on which payment was made, under the Livestock Premia schemes and/or Arable Aid Schemes during the reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002. A change of farming enterprise from Suckler to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (11 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: A comprehensive process to finalise the results of the 2013 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Schemes inspections is nearing completion. On completion of this process the detailed range of data requested will be forwarded directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Turbary Rights (11 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Certified copies of Q3 Sale Agreements drawn up by the former Irish Land Commission can be obtained from the Records Branch of my Department located at Unit 11, Clonminam Industrial Estate, Portlaoise and are issued to the purchasers or their solicitors on payment of the prescribed fee as set out in Statutory Instrument No 260 of 2012. However, it appears from the details supplied that no Q3...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (11 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The person named applied to lease in additional Single Payment Scheme entitlements for the 2013 scheme year. Following correspondence with the person named requesting additional information, this application was processed. Payment on these specific entitlements is due to issue shortly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: We are making good progress with regard to licensing. Up to three years ago there had not been a licence granted for about five years in any area of aquaculture. Two years ago I signed off on about 130 licences, with 134 last year and this year it will be more than 200 licences. This shows we are making progress, but all these bays must first be assessed because they are all Natura 2000...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Anyone who has been to places such as the Gascanane Sound in west Cork will know there are hundreds, if not more, seals, in other places. I get mixed reports on seals and their impact on wild fisheries. Bord Iascaigh Mhara is assessing that, but we are not in a position to decide on seal culls without a lot of science to back it up. That would be a very unpopular thing to do among the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Does that relate to the CFP generally?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Yes, it is a stimulus initiative to try to get physical work done on piers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Does that relate to aquaculture or what type of licensing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: I will address Deputy Ó Cuív's questions first. He asked about the advertising for new applicants for the scheme. That is either happening today or it is about to happen and, therefore, it is rather difficult to give an assessment of the take-up. Reference was made to mackerel allocation. There has been a significant increase in the mackerel quota this year, largely linked to a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The figure is 127 mm.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The increases will be from 50 to 200 and 100 to 250, respectively. We tried to take into account that some smaller boats lost more pots than large boats, a point Deputy Ferris and a number of others made in the Dáil. As a result, we quadrupled the limit for smaller vessels from 50 to 200 and increased the figure for larger boats slightly more than twofold, from 100 to 250. All those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The issue is the old pots and the need to prove that one had pots. We do not want to significantly increase the number of pots in use through a scheme of grant aid. Overfishing of lobster is already taking place in some areas. We want people who can show they have lost pots before being able to replace the pots they have lost. The problem is that it is very difficult to have a grant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Bord Iascaigh Mhara is responsible for rolling out the scheme. It was my understanding that it was originally intended that receipts would be provided by shrimp and lobster fishermen. I will ask Bord Iascaigh Mhara the reason for the difference in approach.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Whatever approach we take, it will be audited, as is required, and I will have to appear before a different committee to explain the reason we are spending money and show receipts for this expenditure. The last time we launched the scheme, we took a conservative approach and I indicated we would revisit the scheme if the allocation was not fully spent. We have done this and reopened the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The scheme has only been opened. I am not sure to what type of cut-off date the Deputy is referring as the losses must have occurred during the storms.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The scheme will certainly be open for the next month. I can check the exact date.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair point. Let there be no doubt but that we have take the report of the sub-committee very seriously. I have taken its recommendations seriously and I hope that is reflected in what we have announced since its publication. For far too long the inshore sector has essentially been operating in a way that is unregulated and does not have proper representation in terms of...