Results 13,421-13,440 of 18,482 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007–13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before the first payments issue. Payments issued in 2009 to those whose applications required no further examination following the administrative checks. However, queries arose on a significant number of...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: A 75% payment issued to the person named on 31 December 2009. The remaining 25% is currently being processed and will be issued shortly.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The first payments for the 2009 scheme year issued on 18 December 2009, and payments have continued to issue in the meantime. To date, 9,823 REPS 4 participants have been paid in full. A further 4,508 have received the first phase of 75% of their payments and are due to receive the balance shortly. Payments will issue this week to approximately 1,300 participants. My Department continues to...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (26 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007–13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before the first payments issue. Payments have issued to those whose applications required no further examination following the administrative checks. However, queries arose in the course of those checks...

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (26 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: It is clear from meetings held recently between officials of my Department and representatives of Animal Welfare Organisations, the Horse Industry and Local Authority Veterinary Inspectors that there is an increase in the number of reported horse welfare problems nationally including an increasing risk of abandonment of horses. My Department's legislative responsibility extends to farmed...

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (26 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: Mindful of the hardship and distress caused by the recent widespread flooding, on 27 November 2007 I announced the introduction of the Fodder Aid Scheme, targeted directly at those farmers who encountered damage to fodder in the affected areas. While I was very anxious that the funding reach the affected farmers as quickly as possible, it was essential that farmers demonstrate that their...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The details requested by Deputy Hayes in relation to the Department's websites are provided in the following table. Website Name Annual maintenance cost (ex vat) for each site in 2009 The number of unique visits each site received in 2009 http://www.agriculture.gov.ie €7,306.69 851,308 http://www.fawac.ie €62.99 21,256 http://www.fishingnet.ie €69.99 13,003...

Written Answers — Special Protection Areas: Special Protection Areas (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The designation of lands as Special Protection Areas or National Heritage Areas is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the first instance. Any farmer with designated land who is not in REPS can apply to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for compensation.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The person concerned is an applicant under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme. Under the terms of the Scheme, payment of the grant concerned is made once it has been established that the requirements of the Scheme have been met, including the conditions in relation to property, education and income. The outcome of my Department's examination of the application will be made known to the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: Drafting of the Animal Health and Welfare Bill, which gives effect to commitments in the Programme for Government and the Renewed Programme for Government is ongoing in my Department. The legislation will amend and consolidate legislation in the area of animal health, particularly to reflect the changed disease status of our animals and will update existing legislation, to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The number of farmers in County Galway who received payments in REPS 2 and REPS 3 in the years in question were as follows: 2006 2007 2008 2009 6,571 6,098 5,200 4,052 In 2008 and 2009, 2,726 applications for REPS 4 were received from farmers in County Galway. The decision to close REPS 4 to new applicants was taken against the background of the situation in the public finance, the...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: To date payments amounting to a total of €1.4m have been paid to applicants from County Galway under the Pigmeat Recall Scheme. A listing of the beneficiaries concerned is being supplied separately to the Deputy. Some claims are still being processed and therefore it is not yet possible to provide a final list of the individual sums involved.

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: In view of the prevailing economic situation cuts had to be made in all sectors in the 2008 Budget and my Department was not immune from these cuts. However, these cutbacks were kept to a minimum in so far as my Department was concerned and every effort has been made to minimize their impact on farmers since. The Deputy will be aware of the reasons for the reduction in the budget for the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The number of farmers in County Galway who received payments in REPS 2 and REPS 3 in the years in question were as follows: 2006 2007 2008 2009 6,571 6,098 5,200 4,052 In 2008 and 2009, 2,726 applications for REPS 4 were received from farmers in County Galway. The decision to close REPS 4 to new applicants was taken against the background of the situation in the public finance, the...

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: Mindful of the hardship and distress caused by the recent widespread flooding, on 27 November 2007 I announced the introduction of the Fodder Aid Scheme, targeted directly at those farmers who encountered damage to fodder in the affected areas, for which I assigned a budget of €2 million. While I was very anxious that the funding reach the affected farmers as quickly as possible, it was...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007–13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before the first payments issue. Payments in 2009 to those whose applications required no further examination following the administrative checks. However, queries arose on a significant number of...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 307 together. The first and second instalments of 40 per cent under the Farm Waste Management Scheme have been paid or authorized for payment to all farmers who have been approved for payment under the Scheme, to date. In a small number of cases, grant payment has not yet been approved to applicants under the Scheme (i) as applicants have either not...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The number of farmers in County Mayo who received REPS payments in the years in question, and the total amounts paid, were as follows: 2007 2008 2009 Participants 5,620 5,208 5,818 Amount paid €33.6m €31.7m €31.9m

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: There are 5,675 farmers in Mayo participating in REPS. The value of REPS payments to these farmers in 2010 is approximately €18 million in REPS 3 and €17 million in REPS 4.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The decision to close REPS 4 to new applicants was taken against the background of the situation in the public finance, the budgetary resources available to my Department and the level of expenditure arising from commitments, particularly in future years, from the increase, between 2008 and 2009, from 46,694 to approx. 63,000 in the number of REPS participants. All participants already in the...