Results 7,981-8,000 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Priority Questions: Fisheries Offences (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: I would like to be associated with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's good wishes to Deputy Pringle. I thank Deputy Connolly for taking this question. It is an important one at this time. The European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations 2016, SI 125 of 2016, establish a points system which will apply to the licenceholder of a sea-fishing boat when a serious infringement of...

Priority Questions: Fisheries Offences (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: In fact, the timeline is slightly worse than the Deputy outlined. The original obligation to move in this direction under EU regulations dates back as far as 2009. Therefore, the period is considerable. There are many reasons for that. I intend to proceed very shortly with the new statutory instrument. I am awaiting the final drafting procedures, and while I imagine we will be moving in...

Priority Questions: Fisheries Offences (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: I meet the producer organisations regularly. I met them most recently about a fortnight ago to discuss this matter. EMFF funding amounts to approximately €241 million. It has been made clear to us that this funding, although not suspended at this stage, is conditional. The control and data collection side are in the crosshairs of the Commission in the first instance. I am concerned...

Priority Questions: Fisheries Offences (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: My intention is to have the Attorney General provide me with a list of suitably qualified people to be appointed to the panel by me subsequently.

Priority Questions: Basic Payment Scheme Payments (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: I have made the point on a number of occasions, although I am not sure if I have made it here publicly, that we should be prepared to contemplate an increase in our contribution to the EU budget. I would not like to see us making an increased contribution to the overall European Union budget if we did not see it reflected in an increased level of funding for the CAP. I accept that Europe...

Priority Questions: Coillte Teoranta Lands (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: I thank the Deputy for his question. If that was the case I would indeed be concerned. Coillte was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of its lands, are the responsibility of the company. I recently had the opportunity to meet with the chairman and the CEO of Coillte and we reviewed the...

Priority Questions: Coillte Teoranta Lands (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: First of all I should apologise for the Minister of State, Deputy Andrew Doyle, who is unavoidably absent today. This is his core area of responsibility. It is not at all as if Coillte is abandoning its core objective on these lands, which may have potential for wind harvest. The nature of much of Coillte's estate is that they are elevated lands which, apart from being suitable for growing...

Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: I fully acknowledge the Deputy's points. Even in my own constituency on the heavier ground, I know underfoot grazing conditions have deteriorated and that although there is still substantial grass cover because of the mild wet weather, it is not suitable for letting cattle out on. In parts of the country, cattle have been kept inside for a protracted period. I have asked Teagasc to...

Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: -----but it may be that in some areas there is a deficit and in others there is a surplus. We will monitor the situation. We do not envisage that the crisis is on the scale that the Deputy has spoken about. In individual cases where there may be welfare issues arising because of fodder, there is a contact point in the Department for this and the Department may step in to assist individual...

Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: The last thing we want to see is farmers selling the seed potato or the suckler cow. We do not want to see that. If there is a message that both I and the Deputy wish to send to farmers now, it is that they should engage with their advisory service to help them budget through with whatever feed they have and any supplement that might be needed. Teagasc, the State's advisory service, will...

Priority Questions: Basic Payment Scheme Payments (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: The 2016 programme for Government undertook to propose a lowering of the cap on basic payments from €150,000 to €100,000 during a mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP.  However, due to the ongoing simplification and modernisation programme of the existing CAP, it is unlikely that a mid-term review of the existing CAP will now take place. Since 16...

Priority Questions: Basic Payment Scheme Payments (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: To pursue the commitments in the programme for Government, which were entered into in good faith, there is a requirement that the door would be kept open at Commission level for a mid-term review of the CAP. That has not happened. As the Deputy is aware, having referred to his party's own submission and the leaked document from the Commission, without a mid-term review there is a headlong...

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: Quite simply, I disagree entirely with the Deputy's analysis. It is not borne out by the facts. The average rate of drawdown across the European Union is 22.68%. Ireland's drawdown is 39.01%. We are way ahead of the posse in terms of our drawdown of the EU element of the rural development programme and across the range of schemes. The Deputy referred to GLAS. More than 50,000 farmers,...

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: As I have said repeatedly, there will be a full drawdown of 50,000 applicants over five years-----

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: Average payments are approximately €4,500.

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: To the best of my recollection, it is approximately €300 million. It is 50,000 farmers and an average payment of almost €4,500. If the farmer has Natura lands, there is a possibility of a top-up up to €7,000.

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: I can get the exact figures on that for the Deputy. I acknowledge the Deputy's right to be wrong, and consistently wrong-----

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: -----but we will draw down all of the funding under the rural development programme and we will honour all of the contractual obligations we have under the scheme.

Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Data (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: What I am saying today is what I have repeated on numerous occasions. The rural development programme is a scheme of €4 billion, with €2.19 billion in EU funding and the balance funded by the Exchequer. We are on target to draw down all of the EU funding and to pay all of the matching funds required to draw down that funding. GLAS is the flagship scheme in the rural...

Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Creed: My Department has been closely monitoring weather conditions, grass growth and feed supplies. It is clear that the weather conditions over recent weeks have been challenging, and this has created difficulties for farmers in parts of the country, particularly in the western regions. Grass growth rates through September and October were ahead of recent years. Data from Pasturebase...