Results 8,921-8,940 of 23,950 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am happy to make a short comment.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I will make a short comment. Obviously the Northern Ireland protocol is important and essential to the flow of goods from north to south and east to west. It is important that diplomatic efforts continue to ensure it works well. I will continue to do all I can to work North and South. I will continue to support the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, in his engagements at...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It has had an impact. The reduced efficacy of the programme over the previous years had an impact and reduced our contribution from the EU to the programme. Thankfully, last year was the first year we saw the figures increase again. I cannot tell the Deputy offhand how that will impact on the future contribution from the EU in support of the programme, but certainly any deterioration in the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I do not have that figure to hand, but I can forward it to the Deputy after the meeting. Two impacts have arisen from the increasing cost of the eradication programme over the past couple of years. The first is the fact that the EU contribution has been reducing and the second is that the higher incidence rates are leading to increased costs to the national Exchequer. Not only do we have...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: They continue to be ongoing and we continue to raise issues at European level. The freer the interaction is between this island and our neighbouring island, the better it will be across all ranges of goods, including all food types. There is a challenge in that Britain is now a third country and, therefore, third-country rules apply. That means that seed potatoes, many of which had...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is very much within the industry's capacity to do that. I am looking at the means by which we can support that through investment, but it is within the industry's grasp to provide that certainty and to build up relationships. I have said very clearly to it that it should do that. I will very much support it in doing so.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I do. As of 21 January, we had 3,597 licences on hand for more than 120 days. The total number on hand was 4,637. That is a reduction of 1,400 since last August. We have seen the-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is strong and is gathering momentum every month. We will keep making progress.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The stakeholder group under Project Woodland is looking at that. There has always been a gap between the number of afforestation licences issued and the number that then proceed to plantation, but it is important that is looked at. It is being considered as part of the Project Woodland review work. On the issue of the Department moving forward with those files, it is contacting farmers who...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. This is being done in particular to ensure we can maximise the percentage. Each application takes a great deal of work and it makes sense to work on applications that applicants want to proceed with. The Department is double-checking that they intend to continue and want that work done, which makes sense, to ensure then the percentage is as high as possible. The figure for those...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I do not believe we have done that but I will certainly take up Deputy Carthy's suggestion and pass it on to the Minister of State, Senator Hackett.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Teagasc allocation increased by approximately €10 million in the 2022 Estimate. Last year, the total grant to Teagasc was €145 million, €139 million of which was for current expenditure. Its allocation has increased by approximately €8 million this year to €152.5 million. The biggest part of that increase, of which €3 million is current...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: If the money is not fully utilised or taken up, it becomes available again. We prepaid some of this money from capital savings and free capital this year in forward payment. We have fully supported both the Brexit income loan scheme and also the Covid-19 income support scheme through that funding.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: By virtue of the State covering the cost of the risk, farmers are able to avail of a lower interest rate. That is how this works. In both the Brexit impact loan scheme and the future growth loan scheme, 80% of the risk of the loan is covered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland. This leads to a reduced loan interest rate for the farmer concerned. There is a cost associated with...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The way this works is that because the farmer is availing of a lower interest rate, part of the cost of that interest rate is made up by the SBCI. Ultimately, the farmer is paying back less because the SBCI is making a paying to the banking institution. While the farmer will be repaying the loan, it will be at a lower interest rate because the additional interest that would have applied has...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, although it will not all be provided in one year. Our plan is to go to tender by the end of this year and for substantial work to be done next year and into the following year. The funding will come from the national funding allocation.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It will be spread over two or three years.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It was €22 million last year. I do not know what it will be at this point. We have a total of €31.9 million in the capital Vote for 2022. That is for the fishery harbour centres. Alongside that, we have the local authority funding, which I am using the Brexit adjustment reserve to draw down. Over the next two years, it is planned to spend €35 million on the smaller...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am continuing to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the Brexit adjustment reserve to try to ensure we are supporting the fishing sector in every way we can. That is where the €35 million for the local authorities comes in. Obviously, I am continuing with our normal funding for the fishery harbour centres. That remains in place, but I am also looking at...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the opportunity to present the Revised Estimates for 2022 to the committee. Budget 2022 was set with the ongoing challenges of Brexit and Covid in the background and in the transition between the current Common Agricultural Policy and the new CAP. The agriculture Vote for 2022 provides my Department with the resources to deal with these current challenges and opportunities across...