Results 37,841-37,860 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: I recently visited Brussels to attend the European Seafood Expo and while there took the opportunity to meet with the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. I regard the Commissioner as an important ally for Ireland in both the Commission and in Europe and would like to develop a strong working relationship with her into the future. Commissioner...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: In relation to the development of local fisheries, the Irish seafood sector employs approximately 11,000 people, mostly in peripheral coastal communities. Irish seafood enterprises are indigenous businesses with significant scope for expansion and have an important role to play on the road to national economic recovery. Food harvest 2020 estimates employment in the industry has the...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: It is a requirement that animal products for human consumption imported from third countries meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in, and trade between, Member States. The FVO carries out assessment of third countries wishing to export animal products to EU and submits for Commission approval those where the responsible authorities can provide appropriate...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Chinese Vice-Minister for Agriculture, Mr Niu Dun, and a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture will visit Ireland this week. The visit is viewed as an important opportunity to facilitate greater understanding and confidence between our two countries in the integrity of our food safety and veterinary control systems, and so facilitate trade....

Written Answers — Common Fisheries Policy: Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union which was first put in place in 1983 and has been subject to reviews every 10 years, the most recent of which was in 2002 and the next is formally scheduled for 2012. The European Commission published a Green Paper on the latest reform of the CFP in April 2009 in order to launch a consultation with Member States...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: Article 68(1) of Council Regulation (EC) 73/2009 makes provision for the use of unused Single Payment Scheme funds to address specific disadvantages affecting farmers; in recognition of dairying being an economically vulnerable type of farming, it was decided that €18 million of these unused funds would be used to support a three-year Dairy Efficiency Programme. The Programme encourages...

Agricultural Price Levels (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: It is important to emphasise that we cannot fix prices.

Agricultural Price Levels (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: We cannot fix margins either. We can examine ways for primary producers to negotiate collectively to get better prices for their products. We must balance the need for primary producers to get a fair price for their products that reflects the cost of production - the poultry and pig sectors are under particular pressure because of the price of grain and feed - with the need for Irish food...

Fisheries Protection (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: In many ways this is a human rights issue rather than a fishing issue but there is a crossover. I debated this matter as a Member of the European Parliament's fisheries committee when the EU-Moroccan fisheries agreement was being considered. The current fisheries partnership agreement, FPA between the European Community and Morocco came into force in February 2007. A fisheries protocol...

Fisheries Protection (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: In terms of our approach towards the Western Sahara issue, I will reread two paragraphs into the record, as it is an important matter. They read: Ireland has been clear that our final decision would be influenced by whether it can be persuasively shown that there is appropriate benefit deriving to the Saharawi people through implementation of the FPA. Therefore, our position on the...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: As this is a general question, I might use it as an opportunity to outline the Government's position to date.

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: Yes. This question is on the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. As people will know, along with the Common Agricultural Policy review, there is also a CFP review. It is important that both get the priority they require. Those negotiations are occurring in parallel with the overall EU budget negotiations. Next month, the Commission will publish the first draft proposals on the so-called EU...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: I am answering two questions.

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: Let me conclude. The single transferable quota is a potentially lethal policy for Ireland which we need to resist, because we do not want to see quota seeping out of Ireland through loopholes in the law. This has already happened in the UK, by the way, as quota was taken by Spanish companies under British flags, and those fish never see the British coast. We do not want to see the same...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: I share the Commissioner's concern about discards but I do not agree with her solution to that problem. It is simply a moral issue, but, in addition, the killing of juvenile fish in order to catch marketable fish is detrimental to future fish stocks. Literally hundreds of thousands of tonnes of juvenile fish are dumped over the side, dead, because they cannot be brought ashore by a boat...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: Deputy McGinley raised that issue with me this morning. I am going to Killybegs and Greencastle next weekend and I hope I will have an opportunity to meet some of those fishermen and hear what they have to say. It is not as easy as the Deputy might think to simply transfer quota to them to make up for losses they have experienced, because this would mean taking quota from somebody else....

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 40 together. I had thought we would take Nos. 35 and 36 together. Maybe this is an opportunity for people to come back and ask for more detailed answers if they want. These questions are about the discussions I had with Commissioner Damanaki. To say that I made a clear case in terms of my reservations about single transferable quota would be an...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: There is a detailed discussion to be had with regard to the consequences of what happened off Arranmore Island where a localised fishing industry that was entirely reliant on crab and lobster was wiped out when the fishermen lost all their gear in a storm. That is a matter to which I will give consideration when I visit Donegal. I do not want to raise expectations without first having...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: Yes, we did discuss that matter and the Commissioner was quite taken aback when I stated that Ireland is ready to proceed with the introduction of electronic log books. I also informed her that we are hugely frustrated that she is not taking a stronger position in respect of this matter, particularly in the case of Spain. The Commission has set a date - I believe it is September - after...

Common Fisheries Policy (25 May 2011)

Simon Coveney: I do not want to make commitments in the Chamber when I may not be able to deliver on them later. However, I would be more than happy if the Deputy wished to talk to me in person about the case he raised of the 15 fishermen. Deputy Pearse Doherty does not need me to remind him that we do not have much money to spend. My Department must make significant savings next year which will stress...