Results 31,401-31,420 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Payments (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Council has taken into account the debate that has been happening in rural Ireland. I am now trying to give the Government as many options as possible in terms of flexibility. This is in order that when we conclude, hopefully by the end of June, a political agreement with the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council on what CAP reform will look like, we will have a series of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Payments (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Payments are made under the various schemes implemented under the Common Agricultural Policy to eligible applicants who meet the provisions in the EU regulations governing the schemes. In the case of the single payment scheme, eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria: they must declare eligible hectares as defined under the provisions of article 34 of Council Regulation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Development Programme (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Under the Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013 [RDP] close on €4.8Bn, including national exchequer top up of €516 million, is allocated at programme level. This amount includes an allocation of EAFRD funding of €2.94Bn. Since the launch of the RDP expenditure under the programme up to the end 2012 amounted to €3.74bn. This represents close on 77.6% of the total...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Labelling (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I assume that the Deputy is referring to food processors and traders in this question. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) under the aegis the Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food safety in Ireland. It carries out this remit through service contracts with my Department and other agencies including the Health Service Executive (HSE), Local...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112, 118 and 121 together. The negotiations on the reform of the CAP have made considerable progress across a number of fronts in recent weeks. Following the agreement by the European Council on the Multiannual Financial Framework in early February, the European Parliament two weeks ago agreed its position on the CAP reform package. This was followed last...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: District Veterinary Offices (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Following on from the successful restructuring of my Department’s local office network, which reduced the number of local offices from 58 to 16, my Department has reviewed the business processes and procedures and, in particular, the administrative support requirements, in its 16 Regional Offices. Arising from this review, the Department has recently introduced a number of significant...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Expenditure (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: In line with its budgetary proposal to limit the level of direct income support that large agricultural holdings could receive, the Commission’s original CAP reform proposals contained a mandatory cap of €300,000 on the amount of direct payments that could be paid to an individual farmer, together with provision for further cuts in payments between €150,000 and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Labelling (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation and the new EU food information regulations that were adopted by the Council of Health Minister in December 2011. However, my Department plays an important role in the enforcement of this legislation under service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). In my capacity as Chairman...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Harbour Authority Properties (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 120 together. The Deputy is aware that I have been considering introducing a charge for parking facilities within Howth Fishery Harbour Centre for some time, for the following reasons - : - to assist in operating Howth Fishery Harbour Centre on a financially-sound basis - to provide a source of revenue for further investments in Fishery Harbour...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Application Numbers (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Despite the challenging budgetary constraints facing my Department, last year I allocated €20 million annually to fund the Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS) and on foot of this I announced the re-opening of the scheme. I decided on a maximum payment of €4,000 per annum for individual applicants which, on the basis of previous experience in implementing the scheme, indicated...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The proposal for a redistributive payment allows Member States, as an add-on and not an alternative, to flat rate or partial convergence, to use up to 30% of the national ceiling for top-up payments to farmers on hectares up to the national average farm size (32 hectares in Ireland) or up to 30 hectares. I am open to considering whether it would be of benefit to Ireland to avail of this...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The total number of farmers who availed of the Consolidation measure under the Single Payment Scheme from 2005 to 2012 is 24,589. Consolidation (stacking) of entitlements means that in certain circumstances a farmer may give up to the National Reserve his/her own existing entitlements. The farmer is then re-allocated a lower number of entitlements with a higher net unit value. The overall...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Improvement Scheme (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Farm Improvement Scheme was introduced by my Department in July 2007 with a total funding allocation of €79 million. Under the Scheme, grant-aid was available up to a maximum eligible investment ceiling of €120,000 for animal housing and related facilities with a separate ceiling of €120,000 being available for investments in relation to dairy hygiene. The standard...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: This refers to the EU Commission’s proposal to move to a flat-rate payments system. This would, in the case of several Member States (including Ireland), result in significant transfers between farmers. I believe there is a need for redistribution but I am concerned that moving to a flat rate as proposed would be harmful for the Irish agricultural sector and the Food Harvest 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Proposed Legislation (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Aquaculture licensing is governed by the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act and the 1933 Foreshore Act as amended. My Department has no plans at present to amend this legislation.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The EU Commission proposal is to move to flat rate payments by 2019. Earlier this month the EU Council of Ministers agreed an alternative approach based on the approximation model put forward by Ireland and supported by a number of other Member States. This would, among other things, limit the reductions to higher payments – whether they arose from stacking or otherwise. Over the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Passports (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: The identification and registration of equidae is governed by EU Council Directives 90/426/EEC and 90/427/EEC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 504/2008 of 6 June 2008. The latter regulation, came into effect on 1 July 2009, provides that equine animals registered after that datemust be identified with a passport and a microchip. The EU legislation has been transposed into national...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Under the EU Regulations governing the scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. Successive EU audits have made it absolutely clear that compliance with the Regulations must be strictly adhered to and that all...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: While meetings have taken place between my Department, An Bord Bia and Irish Ferry Companies to explore the possibilities for the direct transport of livestock (cattle) from Ireland to Britain, the matter is primarily one for decision by the ferry companies based on commercial considerations. Currently livestock ferries operate from Larne and Belfast.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Dairy Sector (26 Mar 2013)

Simon Coveney: Under the EU milk quota regime the quota year has always been from April to March, and there were no formal proposals, either at national or EU level, to bring the milk quota year in line with the calendar year. Indeed, it was generally considered that the current quota year has advantages over a system based on the calendar year. In 2008 the CAP ‘Health Check’ review...