Results 33,041-33,060 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 31: In page 18, before section 16, to insert the following new section: 16.--(1) Subject to subsection (3), a person shall not, except in accordance with animal health and welfare regulations, carry out an operation or procedure to mutilate or cause or permit another person to mutilate an animal (including the docking or nicking of the tail of a bovine, canine or equine,...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: That issue will be dealt with when we put in place codes or regulations, whichever is appropriate, on terrier work, which we are proposing to do. The term "unnecessary suffering", used in this section, is actually defined in a previous section. I know the Deputy does not agree with the way we have dealt with hunting, upon which we have just voted. I am not proposing to ban hunting or...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 28: In page 17, subsection (1)(e), line 10, to delete “bull” and substitute “bovine”.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 29a: In page 18, subsection (7), line 2, after “not,” to insert “save for an investigative purpose or”.This amendment deals with line 2 of subsection (7) where the Bill currently says "A person shall not, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, record an animal fight or performance by photograph, video or any other means." We are adding...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: That is a fair concern but the definition of "investigative purpose" in the Bill, which also appears on page 18, reads as follows: “investigative purpose” means investigating an animal fight or performance and includes a criminal investigation or the taking of any photograph, video or filming for inclusion in a television programme service (within the meaning of section 2 of the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: Yes, but if a journalist, for example, is seeking to expose an industry, should he or she be allowed to record a dog fight? I would have thought so. We do not want vigilantism but if we are serious about stamping out this element of animal cruelty, then we should allow journalists to expose it and clearly, if the gardaí want to do it, they must be able to. We should be sending out a...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 29b: In page 18, Subsection (7), line 4, after "means" to insert "or supply, display, show or publish such".This amendment aims to deal with the issue raised by Deputy Ferris in amendment No. 29c. At the moment the Bill says that it is illegal to photograph or video an animal fight and this amendment adds to that by making it illegal to then publish photographs or videos...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: There is no preclusion here. Earlier, I used the example of a journalist but the provision is not confined to journalists. If any person suspects that a dogfight is being organised in a barn nearby, he or she can go along, make a recording of it and give the recording to a garda, and is perfectly entitled to do so under this legislation.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 30: In page 18, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following subsection: “(12) Nothing in subsection (1)(a) or (e) prevents the training of an animal by persons competent to train the animal provided--(a) unnecessary suffering is not thereby caused to the animal, (b) the public does not have access to the place where training occurs, and (c) any activity...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: This section primarily relates to the prohibition on animal fighting, but it also relates to ensuring there is no cruelty or unnecessary suffering during a performance. I have some sympathy with the amendments put forward by Deputy Ó Cuív and we try to deal with them in amendment No. 30. The problem is that the term "normal farm practices" is quite difficult to define legally....

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I agree.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: I move amendment No. 25a: In page 16, subsection (3)(c), lines 27 and 28, to delete subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) and substitute the following:"(ii) shelter and warmth, (iii) adequate light and ventilation, and (iv) adequate exercise.".

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: An error was identified during processing of the application, which, following direct contact with the person named, has now been resolved. The application is, therefore, now being further processed with a view to payment issuing shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The advance payment under the 2012 Single Payment Scheme issued to the person named on 30 October 2012 and the balancing payment on 3 December 2012. Payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme payment will shortly issue. All payments issue directly to the nominated bank account.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: As processing of the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme application has recently been finalised, payment will shortly issue to the nominated bank account.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Environment Protection Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The person named commenced REPS 4 in September 2008 and received payments for the first four years of their contract. REPS 4 is a measure under the current 2007-13 Rural Development Programme and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before any payments can issue. In the course of the administrative check an area...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: Payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme issued to the person named on 29 November 2012, directly to the nominated bank account.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: The status of this case as of 13 November was that the applicant had sought a review of a decision to reduce the payment arising from an over-claim. However, in the interim, the applicant has written to my Department accepting the reduced payment and the application is being processed for payment as soon as possible on this basis. My Department has, nonetheless, been in direct contact to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: In order to comply with EU requirements, the applicant was one of a number selected for a cross compliance inspection which took place on 20th April 2012. The inspection recorded breaches relating to both cattle and sheep animal identification and registration requirements. As a result, a penalty of 5% arises. The person named was notified of this decision on 8th of May 2012 and of the right...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments (5 Dec 2012)

Simon Coveney: Payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme has not yet issued as, at this stage, the holding concerned has not yet satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements for 2012. Immediately the holding concerned is confirmed as having met these requirements, the case will be further processed with a view to payment at the earliest possible date thereafter.