Results 36,301-36,320 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: An application under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 22 April 2011. The Terms and Conditions governing the Scheme require, inter alia, that applicants maintain a minimum stocking density on their holding of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare declared, for at least three consecutive months, during the calendar year of application. However, where...

Departmental Properties (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: I will try to be helpful on this but a number of important things must be said. First, if there are large arrears outstanding, it is difficult for me to examine a new mechanism for calculating rent until those arrears are paid or there is an agreed payment plan in place to pay them. Nobody should hold back on paying arrears in the expectation of some type of amnesty because we cannot do...

Departmental Properties (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: We need to be careful about some things in this regard. First, anything we do sets a precedent. I cannot have a situation where there will be an expectation that everybody's rent in fisheries harbours will be reduced dramatically. That will not happen. My commitment, however, is that I will not force people who cannot afford it to continue to pay rates that are above what the going rate...

Farm Safety (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: At this point in 2011 there have been 25 fatalities recorded in the agriculture sector. This figure constitutes half of all workplace fatalities, 52, for 2010 which unfortunately follows the trend seen in 2010, when 26 people lost their lives in agriculture as a result of a farming accident. Therefore, 6% to 7% of the working population had to deal with the tragedy of half of all workplace...

Farm Safety (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: The key issue here is to get people to change their attitude. Farm safety is not like workplace safety in a factory or an office. A farm is a person's land and their home. Farmers often farm alone; 14 and 15 year olds often drive huge machinery around farmyards and across fields. They might have to hitch up trailers containing 25 to 30 tonnes of grain. Farms are family operations and we...

Farm Safety (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: People might be surprised to hear other countries have just as bad a record as we have. Ireland is not in the bottom tier of the European Union in terms of accidents on farms. Some countries, particularly Scandinavian countries, have been very successful in dealing with the issue. If one compares the rate of accidents on construction sites per capita - the numbers are down because there...

Farm Safety (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy knows the HSA is under the remit of the Department of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. We have linked in with it in a very serious way. It is also part of the farm partnership response to safety and is working with farm organisations and a series of other stakeholders. The impression I got from the various conferences it held this year and the supportive advertising campaign it...

Marine Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: I understand the Deputy is referring to the review of herring stocks management arrangements. Earlier this year I asked the fishing industry and other interested parties to make proposals on the future management arrangements for all Irish herring fisheries, the Celtic Sea stock, the stocks off the north-west coast and the Atlanto-Scandian stock. For 2011, Ireland has a quota of 11,407...

Marine Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: We hope to return to the industry with my preferred option. Given the submissions on this issue it is impossible to keep everybody happy. Some people are diametrically opposed. Some want stocks to be managed on the basis that only people with a track record will have access to stock quota but others want full access for everybody. I will have to make a judgment call on that, which will...

Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 14 together. This about making Food Harvest 2020 happen and what we are doing to make the ambitious targets a reality. Food Harvest 2020, which I always acknowledge was originally put in place by the previous Government and which I have taken on and intend to implement in full, plans to achieve export targets of €12 billion by 2020, which is a 42%...

Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Heydon makes a fair point. I am not pretending there is some type of miracle solution to introduce economies of scale into Irish farming. What we are essentially trying to do is to keep intact the family farm ownership structure that prevails in rural areas. I am very wedded to that system; the heartbeat of rural Ireland is family ownership of farms. At the same time, we can...

Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: I got almost everything I asked for from the Department of Finance in this budget. The Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, and his team have shown a great willingness to respond to my Department's efforts to make farming more dynamic in terms of the business of farming and the productivity thereof. However, there is always more to do. For example, I would like to see more incentives to...

Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased the Deputy raised the issue of the disadvantaged areas scheme, DAS, which I meant to return to in response to Deputy Moynihan's earlier question. We are building an appeals mechanism into the qualification criteria for DAS in order to take account of cases where there is a genuine reason for a low stocking rate. In such instances, people will be able to appeal a decision and...

Grant Payments (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: Many difficult decisions had to be made by the Government in the light of the recognised ongoing weaknesses in the public finances. In that regard, savings had to be found in my Department's 2012 budget, in the context of which a decision was taken to limit the funding for the 2012 disadvantaged areas scheme to €190 million. To achieve this saving, priority is given to active farmers who...

Grant Payments (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: I will give a direct answer to the question. We do not have exact figures for the number of people who will be affected negatively by the changes to the disadvantaged areas scheme. The figure on REPS is much easier to calculate. There are 30,900 people in REPS 4 and they will experience a cut of 10% to their payments under the scheme.

Grant Payments (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: That is an entirely different question but I would be happy to try to answer it with the understanding of the Chair. We are trying to recognise the fact that, when quotas go after 2015, there will be a significant increase in the volume of milk being produced by dairy farmers. People anticipate that within the first 12 to 18 months, there could be an increase of between 15% and 20%. We...

Genetically Modified Crops (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: Responsibility for issues relating to the cultivation of genetically modified, GM, crops in Ireland rests with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, while responsibility for GM foods rests with the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. I have responsibility for issues relating to GM animal feed and, should it arise, the...

Genetically Modified Crops (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: It is important that people understand the role GM crops play in Irish agriculture. GM crops are not cultivated in Ireland nor am I aware of any plans to grow them alongside other commercial crops. The issue that arises for Ireland pertains to animal feed. If we are to create competitive industries, whether in pigs, poultry or other livestock sectors, we have to be cost competitive in...

Genetically Modified Crops (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: If licences are to be granted for trial cultivation of GM crops, applicants will have to undergo a lengthy and rigorous process beforehand. I am not aware of any specific developments in this area but if it is happening I would be happy to take note of the Deputy's concerns in order to ensure rigorous assessment procedures are followed.

Decentralisation Programme (14 Dec 2011)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy will be aware, the original Government decision on the decentralisation of my Department was that 600 headquarter posts would move to Portlaoise, 100 posts in the local offices in Cork city would move to Fermoy and up to 100 posts in the laboratories in Cork and Limerick would move to Macroom. The proposed moves to Fermoy and Macroom were initially deferred for review in 2011....