Results 12,761-12,780 of 23,976 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Further information is required in order to progress this query. Officials in my Department will contact the Deputy directly in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Road Improvement Schemes (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department does not have responsibility for the development of the public road network. This falls within the remit of the Department of Transport. Questions concerning the realignment of the R572 from the N71 to Castletownbere should be directed to the Minister for Transport.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Regulations (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The application for PGI status for Irish Grass Fed Beef has been sent for scrutiny by the EU Commission. The PGI Regulation provides that this period of scrutiny can be up to six months or longer. If the application is considered to be in order by the EU, an opposition procedure will be launched by the EU. The period for receipt of such oppositions is three months. Given that the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may be aware, in December 2018, following a public consultation process in which over 900 submissions were received, the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine announced that vessels over 18m will be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1st January 2020. A transition period of three years for vessels over 18m...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Felling Licences (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 634, 635, 641 and 643 to 645, inclusive, together. I fully recognise the impact the current forestry licensing delays are having on the sector at the moment. It is my immediate priority to resolve the issues which have led to this backlog and to issue licences in the volume needed for this important sector to continue to contribute to our rural economy. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may be aware, in December 2018, following a public consultation process in which over 900 submissions were received, the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine announced that vessels over 18m will be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1st January 2020. A transition period of three years for vessels over 18m...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Aquaculture Licences (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The request for statistical details in relation to the average waiting time for decisions on aquaculture licensing appeals has been referred to the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) secretariat who will provide this information directly. ALAB was established on 17 June 1998 under Section 22 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1997 (as amended) (the "1997 Act"). All Board members are...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Bodies (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department currently has no plans to digitise all of the eight million plus Land Commission records currently held in the Department. Digitisation of records on such a vast scale is not feasible at this stage, having regard to both the form and condition of many of the records held and given the sheer scale of such an operation. However, my Department is examining the possibility of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Beef Taskforce was established to provide the leadership to develop a sustainable pathway for the future of the beef sector. The Taskforce provides a robust implementation structure for commitments entered into in the Beef Sector Agreement of 15th September 2019, with timelines and stakeholder engagement. At the meeting of the Taskforce in October, the discussion centred on an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Veterinary Medicines (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: All stakeholders who are currently permitted to sell veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) under national legislation will continue to be able to sell VMPs following the new veterinary medicines Regulation coming into effect in January 2022. This includes Licensed Merchants. However, from January 2022, antiparasitic VMPs will require a veterinary prescription before they can be sold. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Following the first confirmed finding of the ash dieback disease in October 2012, intensive surveys for the disease have been conducted every year since. The surveys conducted in 2019 included a targeted survey of forestry plantations and a systematic survey of National Forest Inventory points across the country. By the end of 2019, there had been findings in ash in over 650 locations in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department, in coherence with the Programme for Government, is fully committed to equine welfare and I can assure the Deputy that equine welfare is a priority for my Department. These three distinct pieces of legislation are being enforced by the multiple agencies and bodies responsible. The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 is the primary legislative instrument that underpins...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 647 and 648 together. I fully recognise the impact the current forestry licensing delays are having on the sector and that these delays are a contributory factor in the downward trend in afforestation levels. It is my immediate priority to resolve the issues which have led to this backlog. Notwithstanding the current difficulties, over 4,000 hectares of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) is independent in the performance of its functions and scheduling of appeal hearings is a matter for the Chairman of the FAC. It is important that the Forestry Appeal Committee (FAC) operates with complete independence and I am informed that when scheduling appeal hearings a number of issues must be taken into consideration. Up to 9th November 2020, only...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. RCÉ, as part of its Strategic Plan 2018-2022, has, as a clear...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. RCÉ, as part of the modernising of the legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Meat Processing Plants (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: All slaughter plants, whose meat is destined for human consumption, must meet the requirements set out in detailed EU regulations relating to food safety and animal health and welfare. Installation of CCTV at slaughter establishments is not a mandatory regulatory requirement. My Department has a permanent veterinary presence in each of the slaughter plants under its supervision and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Budget 2021 (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The budget measures announced under Budget 2021 to support suckler farmers build directly on the schemes established in recent years. The core support for the beef sector under the current RDP is the €300m Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP). In addition to this support, over the last two years, over €200 million of additional supports were made available specifically to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Potato Sector (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 655 and 656 together. Under EU legislation, Ireland is one of a small number of areas within the EU officially recognised as a High-Grade Seed Area to produce seed potatoes. This is because the country is free from a number of significant potato diseases that occur in other Member States. My Department supports the Irish Seed potato sector by...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Aquaculture Development (17 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The National Marine Planning Framework (Marine Spatial Plan) is currently being developed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and my Department participates on the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Plan. In relation to aquaculture, the aquaculture licensing backlog in respect of shellfish aquaculture has now been eliminated as an issue affecting the...