Results 8,661-8,680 of 24,092 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Acting Chairman and I thank all of the Senators for their contributions. Some of the issues included the repurposing. I have clearly said that this would be dealt with. I will deal with this as part of the regulation, for which I have the capacity. My clear advice is that I have the capacity, as it stands, to be able to do that. Likewise, with regard to additional financial...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I was taken aback when coming here today and I realised that we were only in for one hour and were adjourning for the day at 3.45 p.m. We must work our way through this legislation and finalise it. The breeding season is due to start normally around now. The onus is on me and the responsibility is on me as the Minister, on behalf of the Government, to engage with the farmers to bring this...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (3 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Information is available from late 2019 for logs moving from Britain to Ireland. The Pest Free Area (PFA) of South West of Scotland is the only zone from which coniferous roundwood with bark is imported into Ireland. This is because UK Forest Commission have surveyed and continue to survey and found it to be free from Protected Zone (PZ)  bark beetles. This roundwood must be accompanied...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pigmeat Sector (3 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am acutely aware of the challenges that Irish pig farmers are currently facing, due to a combination of extremely low prices and extraordinarily high input costs. I, along with other Agriculture Ministers, have called for an integrated EU-wide approach and for the Commission to deploy appropriate solutions to the current crisis. However, the Commission has consistently directed...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Senator for amendments Nos. 1 and 11. The issue of the standard of proof to be used by the determination panel and the appeals officer being "on the balance of probabilities" has been raised by industry on a number of occasions, including on Committee Stage in the Dáil and on previous Stages in the Seanad. It was also raised during pre-legislative scrutiny. The legal...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: While I have described it and have compared it to the penalty points system for motor traffic offences, which again is the civil sphere, it is penalty points we are talking about here, not criminal convictions. That is why the balance of probabilities is being used in regard to defining a civil penalty, a civil penalty being the application of a penalty point on a licence. If after accruing...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The difference is that while penalty points for drivers are ultimately part of the criminal system, the penalty points system for fishermen is not. It is purely administrative. There is a requirement on us to have such a system within the European situation. There are appeals mechanisms but they are not in the courts. They are through determination panels, so a person can appeal, but he...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Senator Boylan. The effect of these amendments, if they were taken together, would appear to be to expand the scope of the penalty points system for masters provided for under the Bill currently to encompass masters who are citizens of another member state as distinct from Irish citizens. The amendments would require in effect that the Minister would have to set up a register to...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Concerns were raised about this section in the context of the equivalent provision in the licenceholder system and then in pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Bill. The issue of points being removed where the master is found not guilty in criminal proceedings in respect of the infringement was raised. This proposal would involve both systems being interlinked. They would...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The penalty points system is an administrative and not a criminal system. There are appeals systems in place within this new penalty points system. If somebody who has points assigned to them feels that the law has not been properly followed, he or she can appeal that on a point of law to the courts. If the point of law is found in his or her favour, the case falls in that instance if it...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: This follows on from discussions we have had. This amendment relates to the appeals officer and confirms that the points shall be assigned when he or she considers that the alleged infringement is of a serious nature. The serious infringement referred is defined in the 2020 statutory instrument for licence holders, as well as in this Bill for masters. The legal position is that the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: All new forests proposed for planting 0.1 hectare (ha) or greater requires a licence and is regulated by the Forestry Act 2014. There is no scheme which allows the planting of one hectare without a licence.  The Government is progressing through the houses of the Oireacteas a legislative change which will allow the planting of up to one hectare of native woodland without a licence...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Research and Development (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme 2014-2020 is the principal source of public funding for the sustainable development of our fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors and is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the EMFF Regulation.   I understand that BIM awarded grants under the EMFF...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Programmes (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Programme 2014-2020 is the principal source of public funding for the sustainable development of our fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors and is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.  It has been in place since 2015 and is nearing its end, with almost all...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Harbours and Piers (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 235 to 237, inclusive, together. On 25th January 2022, I launched a new €35m scheme exclusively for the rejuvenation of local authority owned public piers and harbours, the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme 2022-2023.  The Scheme flows from the Seafood Taskforce Report which addresses the impacts...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weather Events (2 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department monitors the impact of weather on agriculture and farming both nationally and regionally on an ongoing basis and is aware of the areas potentially affected in Wexford. I understand that the damage caused to farm land in the south Wexford region as a result of the flooding that was experienced on Christmas Day has been localised. As the Deputy is aware, the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy, who raises a fair concern. It is something that I and my Department are monitoring very closely. We are having a special meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers this Wednesday and this issue will form part of those discussions in the context of the challenges relating to the unacceptable invasion of Ukraine and what it means for gas, energy, fertiliser and grain prices. I...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (1 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 817 and 818 together. My Department issued 4,050 forestry licences last year which is an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2020 and this was the starting point for developing a more ambitious plan for 2022.  In 2021, my Department issued forest road works licences for 264km and this is the highest ever volume of forest roads licenced in a single...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (1 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government has the stated policy goal of incentivising small-scale tree planting and of re-engaging farmers with afforestation. This includes greater integration between the measures in the National Forestry Programme and the Common Agriculture Policy. However, the inclusion of small-scale tree planting measures in schemes is constrained by the 0.1ha size limit imposed by the forest...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (1 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is aware of the commitment of its staff throughout recent challenging times. There are currently 1,045 staff in my Department in Annual Leave Cycle 3, with more than 5 days annual leave still to take. Ordinarily, staff in Cycle 3 must take all remaining leave before the end of the leave year or forfeit it. As you are aware, the agriculture sector was considered to...