Results 521-540 of 3,577 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. RCÉ has informed my Department that the stakeholder...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 471 to 473, inclusive, together. Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: ACRES is the first scheme of its kind to upscale results-based payments to a national level. This is a significant advancement in implementing such an innovative and ambitious scheme, but it has come with complexities and challenges. There is significant work involved in the verification of payment claims, and in the calculation and issuing of payments to over 54,000 participants. Most of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Emergency Planning (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The recent storms have resulted in considerable hardship throughout the country. We are taking all possible steps to facilitate an appropriate response to allow forest owners to clear blown trees in a safe and sustainable manner. As regards forestry and powerlines, the legislative provisions reside in section 98 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927, as amended by Section 45 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ministerial Responsibilities (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I wish to advise the Deputy that the briefing material I received on commencing my role as Minister will be published on my Department's website shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Unprecedented damage has been caused by Storm Éowyn and I am aware of reports of significant damage across the Irish horticulture sector as a result of this extreme weather event. My colleague, Minister of State for Forestry, Horticulture and Farm Safety, Michael Healy-Rae TD will meet with representatives of all the horticulture sub-sectors at a meeting of the Horticulture...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The person named submitted an application under the ACRES General stream and was approved into Tranche 1 of the scheme, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023. An interim payment of €4,000 issued to the person named in March 2024. My department's experience has been that in many instances, this interim payment approximated to or exceeded the full payment due for applicants for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The person named submitted an application under the ACRES General stream and was approved into Tranche 1 of the scheme, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023. All payments in respect of scheme year 2023 have been finalised. I can confirm that the 2024 advance payment claim associated with this herd issued on the 31st January 2025 in the sum of €6,214.35. All ACRES payments...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: There are 216 herd owners in Longford awaiting ACRES payments. Two of these herd owners are part of the ACRES Co-operation stream and 214 are in the ACRES General stream. My Department continues to work to expedite payments. I can confirm that an ACRES payment run is scheduled to issue this week and further pay runs, to participants in both Tranches, will continue on a regular basis as...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Legislative Process (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024 was initiated in Dáil Éireann on 4 July 2024 and was enacted on 29 October 2024 as the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Act 2024 (No. 38 of 2024). Sections 3-15 of the 2024 Act amend various provisions of the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001, and s. 16 of the 2024 Act amends s. 24 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997. All sixteen...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Sector Pay (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Secretary General of my Department is remunerated on a salary scale set up in January 2012 on instruction from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform with the description ‘Secretary General Level II appointed on/after 1/6/11’. This scale has not changed in the last year other than in line with public sector pay agreements. I am not aware of any...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I can confirm that there is a total of 619 ACRES contracts failing to clear pre-payment validations due to scorecard related issues. Each case must clear all validations before payment can issue. These validations will continue to be carried out, and my Department is working to resolve these issues so as to expedite payments. Further pay runs, to participants in both Tranches, will...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Following the recent storms, Storm Darragh and Storm Éowyn, my Department has accelerated the process for issuing a felling licence and to prioritise those licences needed to deal with fallen trees. All relevant stakeholders and affected applicants will receive guidance in relation to this shortly. In addition, a Forest Windblow Taskforce comprising stakeholders representing forest...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The table at the following link details the expenditure on IT External Contracting Services for 2023, 2024 & from 1/1/2025 up to and including 5/2/25. ">Expenditure relating to IT external service 2023-2025

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: In recent years, simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy has been a key focus for my Department. It is well accepted that the conditionality and regulation associated with farming has become increasingly complex. I will continue to be an advocate for simplification, including in my role representing Ireland at monthly meetings of the AgriFish Council. I want to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am committed to supporting the whole of government approach to progressing policy issues relating to the EU Climate and Energy Framework, the EU Green Deal including Farm to Fork and its long-term vision for a climate neutral economy by 2050. This includes the Nature Restoration Law which aims to restore degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to the achievement of the EU’s...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Ireland is committed to achieving climate neutrality no later than 2050 with a 51% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. These legally binding objectives are set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. The Climate Act supports Ireland’s transition to net-zero and the achievement of a climate neutral economy no later than 2050. It also establishes a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The government has on an ongoing basis developed policy and implemented schemes through both National and European funding that provides for carbon sequestration at farm level including through hedgerow maintenance and soil management. The current CAP strategic Plan provides the overarching mechanism for supporting farmers in the maintenance of hedgerows and grassland. This includes the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Climate Action Plan provides a roadmap to meet our national climate objective of a climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy by 2050. It aligns with the legally binding economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings that were agreed by Government in July 2022. The Climate Action Plan (2024) includes a variety of actions...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Prices (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: On 13 December 2023 my Department established An Rialálaí Agraibhia (The Agri-Food Regulator), an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department. While the Regulator has no function to examine price setting between suppliers and buyers, the role of the Regulator is to promote fairness and transparency in the agricultural and food supply chain, and to have regard to the...