Results 11,661-11,680 of 24,065 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Veterinary Laboratories (29 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department has published an ambitious modernisation programme of its Regional Laboratories. The Programme also includes establishing five transfer-to-laboratory centres to provide a carcase drop off/collection service at strategic locations around the country to extend the reach of laboratory services to the wider farming community and make the service more accessible on a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (29 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 176 together. The Programme for Government commitment to double the funding allocated to animal welfare organisations was based on the 2020 budget allocation of €2.435m. Savings elsewhere in the Department's vote contributed to the the eventual awarding of €3.2 million to 101 organisations in 2020. A doubling of funding by 2022 would be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (29 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In December. 2020, I announced record funding to animal welfare bodies through out the country of €3.2 million. The table attached provides details of the breakdown of the  funding provided from 2016- 2020. The Programme for Government includes an undertaking to increase the funding available to animal welfare organisations  over the coming years; I am fully committed to this...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (29 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government and the initiative identified in the recently-launched Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025, my Department will take the lead in establishing an inter-departmental group to ensure a coherent national approach to policy and regulation related to exotic animals. The focus of the group will be on regulating the keeping, breeding...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (29 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Increasing international market access for Irish agri-food exports is a core element of the current Food Wise strategy, which recognises that market access and development is essential to add value to the meat sector in particular. The market development part of the strategy is being implemented by a seven-point action plan launched in April 2017. In relation to pigmeat specifically, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Research and Development (29 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 180 together. This matter regards a collaborative research project being organised by Teagasc Moorepark and UCD to examine the potential role of In Vitro Embryo Production in bovines. The ultimate objective is to improve the efficiency of dairy and beef production in Ireland. I understand the number of veterinarians that arrived in...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Tourism Industry (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The SFPA commissioned an independent review of the Organisational Capability of the SFPA   in 2019 and this was completed by Price Waterhouse Coopers. A Steering Group comprised of three senior and expert persons, all independent of the SFPA, was put in place to oversee the review. The principal objective of the review was to contribute to the ongoing and...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Assisting 100 million people in 88 countries, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations humanitarian organisation saving and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. It works in partnership with other UN and international organisations, NGOs, civil society and the private sector to enable...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Living Wage (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In relation to substances seized directly by the Department's officers or substances identified by Customs and passed directly to Department investigators, records of these are not readily available. However, I can confirm that a single item, identified as boldoteX, was seized in Co. Tipperary and submitted to the State Laboratory for analysis on 6thMay 2020. The...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: An additional €79 million, including €23 million from the carbon tax fund, was provided in Budget 2021 to support actions by my Department in the area of biodiversity, climate, environment and farm health and safety, all the while supporting farm incomes. This is already being implemented across a range of agri-environment measures through the REAP...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department is committed to addressing the backlog in licences. Project Woodland has been established and working groups are actively examining the backlog with the aim of improving the rate of licensing in accordance with environmental compliance. The afforestation scheme is a demand-led scheme and its participation is voluntary. The Government's target is to aim to achieve an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Grants (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department offers a generous suite of establishment grants and annual premiums under the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme, with grant and premium categories and species to suit most land types. At present, there is 4,300 ha of land approved to plant forestry where planting has not yet commenced. I encourage anyone that has an approved afforestation site, to arrange...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: All Forestry Inspectors in the Department are authorised officers under the Forestry Act 2014. The powers of authorised officers are laid down in Section 24 of the Forestry Act 2014. These powers include examining any lands to which the authorised officers have reasonable grounds for believing that the relevant statutory provisions apply.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: District Inspectors may recommend suspension of a licence having regard to all the circumstances of the case, including non-compliance with any conditions. The decision to suspend a licence is made at administrative level. Any such decision may be appealed to the Forestry Appeals Committee.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Data (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The COFORD Council does not have a budget or make payments to beneficiaries. However, on a case-by-case basis, the Department does provide funding to facilitate the work of individual COFORD working groups during each council term where specific needs are identified as being necessary for their work. Individual members of the COFORD Council, except those who are there...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I understand the FAC has never cancelled, set-aside or remitted a licence on the grounds that a Forestry Inspector rather than an ecologist carried out the screening. To assist in screening for appropriate assessment, Forestry Inspectors use a Standard Operational Procedures document and other documents produced with ecologist input.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The two Senior Inspectors are Fergus Moore, Senior Inspector, Head of Forest Sector Development Division and Seamus Dunne, Senior Inspector, Head of Forestry Inspectorate Division. Within Forestry in the Department, there are nine permanent ecologists. The Head of Ecology is at Forestry Inspector Grade 1 level, one ecologist is at Ecologist Grade 3 level and seven are at...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: There are currently 27 Forestry Inspectors Grade 3 who, amongst their duties, carry out work on licensing of files. This includes work associated with the licencing of forest road applications, afforestation applications and felling applications.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department has forestry personnel deployed to buildings all over the country, often shared with other Department personnel or indeed personnel from other Departments.  Therefore, it is not possible to provide information on costs for the items requested for forestry personnel, separate to those for the entire Department. The travel and subsistence costs for 2018 to 2020 for the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (28 Apr 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I understand that the submission referred to from NPWS in 2012 was made to a sub-group of the COFORD Council called the COFORD Council Land Available Working Group.  The purpose of the submission was to highlight to participants in the group the obligations under EU and national law when considering afforestation. The paper usefully documented requirements in 2012. There...