Results 11,841-11,860 of 18,461 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department wrote to the person named regarding the imposition of a penalty on his REPS 3 payment on 12 October 2010. The person named has submitted an appeal. My officials are examining the appeal and will be in touch with him shortly.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The EU Regulations governing REPS 4 and other area-based schemes provide that payments issue in two instalments. The first instalment of 75% may be paid once all administrative checks on all applications, as well as cross-checks against areas declared on Single Payment Scheme applications, have been completed. This process is under way and while my objective is to make all payments as soon...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: Preparation of the Animal Health and Welfare Bill, which gives effect to commitments in the Programme for Government and the Renewed Programme for Government on issues relating to animal health and welfare, is ongoing in my Department. The new Bill will consolidate and update a wide range of existing legislation to ensure that the welfare of all animals, including non-farm animals, is...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person concerned is an applicant under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. An appeal in connection with the application has been made to the Agriculture Appeals Office. No decision has yet been made in relation to the appeal by that Office.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: I have had arrangements made for an official of my Department make direct contact with the person named regarding this matter.

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: Where there are no deliveries made against a milk quota during two consecutive milk quota years (1 April to 31 March) the milk quota reverts to the national reserve with effect from the 1 April in the third year, except in cases where there was an exceptional reason temporarily affecting production capacity. The quota holder concerned was sent a letter on 9 August 2010 giving him the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 17 May 2010. This application was selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility inspection and a full cross compliance inspection. While all of the cases selected for ground eligibility inspection have now been inspected and a high level of payment has been achieved...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) was established on 01 January, 2007 under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Marine and natural Resources and came under the aegis of my Department in late 2007. The following is a table of the total budget allocations made to the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority in the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 together with the...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board is an independent statutory body and hence the internal financial management is a matter for the Board, in which the Minister does not have a role. However, the Department has forwarded the request to the ALAB for its consideration and for a direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person named was fully paid in respect of both his applications under the 2009 Single Payment Scheme (70% advance payment issued on 19 October 2009 and the 30% balancing payment issued on 1 December 2009) and the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (100% payments issued on 21 September 2009). However, subsequent to these payments, the person named was advised, by letters dated 27 April 2010...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Areas Scheme: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under the 2010 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme/Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 13 May 2010. My Department identified an over-claim error on a number of land parcels declared by the applicant. A response has now been received from the herd owner in relation to these over-claims. Further re-digitisation is now required to ensure compliance with the relevant...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person concerned is an applicant under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. The first two instalments of grant-aid have been paid by my Department to the applicant and the final instalment will be paid in January 2011.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under the 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 16 April 2010. Payments under the Single Payment Scheme commenced on 18 October, with an advance payment of 50% issuing in respect of those parcels cleared for payment at that stage. A number of parcels listed on the application required digitisation, immediately this process is complete and provided no...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under the 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 7 May 2010. The application has been fully processed and payment will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: Due to the volume of the information requested by the Deputy, it was not possible to provide it in the required time. I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: Further participation in the new Agri-environment Options Scheme will be determined by the level of funding available to my Department. All EU funding for the scheme up to the end of 2013 is now fully committed. Any further support in that period will have to be funded entirely by the Exchequer and this is a matter that will be considered in the context of the annual Estimates process.

Written Answers — Departmental Contracts: Departmental Contracts (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: The names and details of contractors engaged by the Single Payment Unit of my Department for the purposes of providing printing and as consequence mailing services/ associated costs inclusive of VAT are as follows: Printing and mailing of 2010 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Schemes application forms (containing all of the pre-printed information on each applicant, including full details...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under 2010 Single Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 2 May 2010; four of the land parcels declared required to be re-digitised. The person named also submitted a Consolidation of Entitlements application. The applications have been processed and an advance payment will issue shortly, based on the clear area, i.e. less the four parcels in question. A further...

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department's legislative responsibility in the area of animal welfare extends to farmed animals only, including animals normally bred or kept for the production of food. Accordingly, matters relating to feral cats do not come within the scope of my Department. Nevertheless, my Department provides in excess of €1million annually to animal welfare organisations involved in the provision of...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Oct 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department has received over 123,000 applications for the Single Payment Scheme and 102,000 for the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. It is expected that when processing is completed over 70,000 of these will require digitising to be carried out on some or all of the land parcels the applicant has submitted, compared to an average of 22,000 in previous years. As a result, my Department has...