Results 26,881-26,900 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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: It is only the people actively farming who receive payments and only those actively farming need to be part of the 50% or 80% figure. The independent appeals system outside the Department for the land parcel identification system, LPIS, is in place and is chaired by Mr. Padraig Gibbons. Farmers who are not happy with the departmental appeals system, which is a separate appeals office from...

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: No, they do not have access to it. We have reviewed our systems in the Department to ensure that any access they may have got in the past from a departmental official, which they should not have got,-----

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: No, there were accusations that, at times, information was accessed that should not have been accessed but I have not seen verification of it. We are putting in place systems to ensure it cannot happen in the future.

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: No, an accusation was made so I asked questions. The response was that it was possible someone could have handed over information in a factory but I do not have evidence that it happened. If it is there, I am open to seeing it. We are putting a beef pricewatch application on the Department's website so that everyone can access detailed information on what is being paid for what grade of...

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 would like to have attended the committee before now. I want to give a statement on what we are doing in the inshore sector and provide a direct response to what we are doing on each of the sub-committee's recommendations. We took positive action on a majority of the recommendations. Some require consideration and I will provide background information on that. In the case of some...

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: One must qualify to be an active farmer. Plenty of people will qualify on the basis of their activities, that qualify them as an active farmer, that is not on the commonage area. It will qualify them as an active farmer to get a payment in the commonage area.

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 payments are split into two. There is a 75% payment and then a 25% payment which is the same as the other environmental scheme.

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: My understanding is that farmers apply to the scheme. Also, they cannot get any payments until it is shown they are eligible, they pass the necessary tests and we do the necessary inspections. They will then get a 75% payment and that will be followed by the 25% top-up payment after all controls have been completed. The guidelines were laid down by the Commission.

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, and they make sense because we have to make sure that everybody is involved.

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 looking to get payments out at the end of year 1. If we allow people into the scheme which will be-----

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: No. We hope to launch the scheme at the end of this year. There will probably be a four or five month period in order to get everybody in or between 25,000 and 30,000 people. We will then have to go through a series of checks before we can pay out the 75% of payments. I hope that will be done towards the end of next year or at the very start of 2016. I think it will span that period....

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 five-year scheme.

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 do not think so. People do not necessarily get payments at the start of the year. We will endeavour to get payments out before the end of year. Sometimes, as has happened in recent years, payments spill over from one year to the other and, therefore, span two different budgetary years.

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 have to check that for the Deputy. I shall come back to the committee with a written explanation. I do not want to be quoted here without giving the factors.

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: My discussions within the Department have been based on trying to get the first payments out for this scheme before the end of 2015. In all likelihood that will spill into January 2016, in GLAS payments. Let me come back with a more detailed answer as I do not want to give people a bum steer.

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 come back on the matter. I would like to answer some of the other questions before we run out of time.

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: With respect, I have a lot of questions to answer and I can answer his question afterwards.

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: And repayment. If one is not an active farmer one does not qualify for anything. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív:With respect, I specifically mentioned the 50% rule.

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.