Results 8,941-8,960 of 23,964 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 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...

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 point on TAMS is very relevant. I have completed and implemented a review of the costings and another review is ongoing. I also announced my intention to increase the ceiling from €80,000 to €90,000 as part of the next CAP. I acknowledge the Chairman's point in regard to the pressure on costs over the past year. I will consider the matter further, taking on board 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 am not sure what the various reasons might be. Every farmer's reason will be different. We had the REAP as well, but that was for farmers not currently in GLAS. There was a very successful uptake of that, which shows, even for those who are outside of GLAS, the appetite that is there to come into a scheme. My approach to GLAS was to try to make sure that, while we were in the two...

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: Is the Deputy talking about TAMS?

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: We are dealing with it. Although it has not been dealt with or completed yet, we are making progress on it every month. Members know, as I do, that this time last year there was a real crisis in the sector. Sawmills that would normally have sourced their logs from Irish forest were not able to get those logs and sawmills that did not want to import logs were importing. Thankfully, we are...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Pigmeat Sector (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Carthy for raising this important and immediate issue. The continued development of the pig meat sector is a real priority for me, given the pivotal role the industry plays in the national economic context, which the Deputy outlined in terms of it being the third-largest grossing sector in the agrifood sector. It supports approximately 8,000 jobs which span production,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Pigmeat Sector (1 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Carthy for the constructive way he has raised this issue with the focus being on how we can support pig farmers at a very difficult time. I have been engaging with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister of State, Deputy English, in particular, about the workforce. We will work to try to expedite the capacity for workforce permits for the...