Results 11,661-11,680 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (14 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: As I stated in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 990 of 25 January, 2006, a REPS 2 plan from the persons involved, received on 31 December 2001, was rejected as being ineligible and returned to them on 28 May 2002. In that letter they were given a further two months to submit an acceptable REPS 2 plan, but did not do so. In the circumstances, my Department had no option but to terminate...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (14 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has received considerable correspondence since December 2005 from my Department in relation to the special discounted buy out scheme introduced by me on 1st January 2006. This discounted scheme provides Land Purchase annuitants with the opportunity to buy out their annuities at a reduced price. The person named received circa 36.78 acres of agricultural land from the Land...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (14 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The Land Annuity Capital Discounted Buy-out Scheme is open to all land purchase/reclamation annuitants. When the Scheme commenced on 1st January 2006 there were some 2150 annuitants. To date some 614 have elected to participate. On 9 June 2006 my Department issued a final reminder to each annuitant, the last in a series of 5 communications designed to inform, encourage and facilitate...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (14 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has 8.52 Single Payment entitlements with a value of €2,207.53. In order to be eligible for payment of entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme, the applicant must declare at least the same number of eligible hectares as his/her number of entitlements. The person named did not declare any land on his 2005 Single Payment Scheme application. Payment cannot, therefore, be...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (14 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The make up of the Interview Boards, of which there were four, was as follows: Dublin Board 1. A private HR Consultant who acted as Chairperson and two Assistant Principal Officers in my Department, one in the Beef Export Refunds Division and one in the Staff Training and Development Unit. Johnstown Castle Board. A private HR Consultant who acted as Chairperson, an Assistant Principal Officer...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (13 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: I am advised that a decision has not yet been taken by the Appeals Office on the case referred to.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (13 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: It is a requirement of the EU Council Regulations under which the 1994 and 2000 Early Retirement Schemes were introduced that the Early Retirement Pension can be paid only as a supplement to any national retirement pension to which the participant, and his or her spouse or partner in a joint management arrangement, is entitled. This means that the value of any such national retirement pension...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (13 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: There is no provision for additional payments to participants in the Early Retirement Schemes in relation to leased quotas. However, my Department was aware, from an early stage in the negotiations leading to the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme, of the possible implications for retired farmers who had leased their holdings. In so far as it proved possible in the context of the EU...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (13 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The persons named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Categories B and D. Category B caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable...

Written Answers — Land Registry: Land Registry (13 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: As the Land Commission allotment in this case has been registered in the Land Registry and there are now registered Land Registry folios available for the parcels of land, copies of maps used in the registration process, or a certified copy of up to date Land Registry maps must be obtained from the Land Registry Office and not my Department.

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (13 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Mr. Brendan Smith T.D. Minister of State, was given delegated statutory powers and duties in relation to Food and Horticulture and additional responsibilities for the following work areas: ∙Development of the Food Industry ∙Monitoring of the Food Industry under the National Development Plan ∙Local Slaughter Houses ∙Livestock Breeding ∙Horticulture/Plant Health/Organic...

Written Answers — Sugar Beet Industry: Sugar Beet Industry (8 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: As Minister I hold a Special Share in Greencore plc. That share has the same monetary value as any other share in the company but has conditions attached which prevent the company from engaging in a number of activities without the prior written consent of the Minister. In summary, the Special Share prevents the disposal of the controlling interest in Irish Sugar Ltd, or the sale, transfer or...

Written Answers — Farm Land Prices: Farm Land Prices (8 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The rise in agricultural land prices over the last 10 years has been primarily driven by the decline in the amount of land available for sale as well as our strong economic growth. The volume of agricultural land being offered for sale has declined by 71% between 1995 and 2004, while the average price of agricultural land has increased from €5,641 to €16,261 per hectare. Clearly the lack...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application, on 03 November 2004, for consideration of his circumstances under the Force Majeure/Exceptional Circumstances measure of the Single Payment Scheme. Following processing of his application the Single Payment Entitlements Unit informed the person named that his application was successful with the year 2000 excluded from the calculation of his Single...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: Every case for Force Majeure is dealt with on its merits. In order to be accepted under Force Majeure provisions, it must be found that production was adversely affected by the particular circumstances of the case. In this case it was found by both my Department and the independent Single Payment Appeals Committee that production was not adversely affected throughout the three reference years...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: All hill sheep farmers in REPS are paid in accordance with their REPS contracts. The REP scheme Terms and Conditions provide that REPS farmers must comply fully with Commonage Framework Plan requirements and consequently no further REPS payments are due for destocking. Because of a European Court of Justice judgment, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the Single Payments Scheme National Reserve under category B. Category B caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and /or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable during the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted a Single Payment Scheme application on 6 May 2005. He established 17.58 entitlements but only declared 14.47 eligible hectares on the application form. On 1 December 2005 payment, therefore, issued in the amount of €5,140.37 in respect of 14.47 entitlements. On 9 March 2006 the person named made an application under the consolidation measure of the Single Payment...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The records of the animals slaughtered from the herd number of the person named under the 2002 Slaughter Premium Scheme are being examined with a view to identifying those that may be eligible for payment. Eligibility under the 2002 Slaughter Premium Scheme and the other Livestock Schemes required, inter alia, that the animals concerned comply with the relevant identification and registration...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (7 Jun 2006)

Mary Coughlan: The Single Payment Scheme, which was introduced on 1 January 2005, replaced the following Schemes: Special Beef Premium (1st Age, 2nd Age and Bull), Suckler Cow Premium, Ewe Premium, Supplementary Ewe Premium (Rural World), Slaughter Premium, Extensification Premium, Arable Aid Scheme and the National Envelope Top-Ups relating to Ewe Premium, Dry Heifer, Calved Heifer and Slaughtered Heifers....