Results 13,961-13,980 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under the Government's decentralisation programme my Department's Dublin headquarters will be transferred to Portlaoise, my Department's laboratories in Cork and Limerick will move to Macroom and my Department's local offices in Cork city and Mallow will move to Fermoy. No other regional or local offices of my Department are included in the decentralisation programme. However, as part of a...

Written Answers — Lough Key Forest Park: Lough Key Forest Park (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I have recently given approval to Coillte Teoranta to enter into a joint venture arrangement with Roscommon County Council and Fáilte Ireland in the development of Lough Key Forest Adventure Park at a capital cost of just under €8 million. This project involves the leasing of 110 acres of land by Coillte for the venture. As Coillte was established as...

Written Answers — Plant Protection Products: Plant Protection Products (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The regulatory system for plant protection products is designed to ensure a high level of protection for man, animals and the environment. The authorisation process for individual plant protection products involves a detailed assessment of the degree of potential exposure of honeybees that could arise as well as an assessment of possible impacts on honeybees. Plant protection products are not...

Written Answers — Single Farm Payment: Single Farm Payment (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: In general, the single payment scheme is applicable to farmers who actively farmed during all or any of the three reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002, who were paid livestock premia and-or arable aid payments in one or more of those years and who, or whose successors, will farm in 2005 single payment scheme. My Department has been aware, from an early stage in the negotiations leading to the...

Written Answers — Tuberculosis Incidence: Tuberculosis Incidence (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department operates an official bovine tuberculosis, TB, eradication programme through which farmers contribute by means of the payment of bovine disease levies on animals slaughtered and milk sold to co-operatives. In common with many other diseases my Department does not operate an official programme for the eradication of tuberculosis in farmed deer and therefore there is no...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Following the submission of an action programme in October 2004 and the EU Commission response that it did not fully meet Ireland's obligations under the nitrates directive, my Department has been working closely with the Department of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Department's voted budget provision for 2004 was €1,405 million, gross. At the end of 2004, unspent budget amounted to €146.2 million. Of this, €17.949 million was carried over to 2005 under the multi-annual capital envelope arrangements agreed with the Minister for Finance, and a further €3.3 million was carried over under the administrative budget agreement. Most of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: In the year to date my Department has spent €27,000 on the implementation of the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003. It is estimated that in the region of €100,000 will be spent in total on the implementation of the Act for the year 2005.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Following the submission of an action programme in October 2004 and the EU Commission response that it did not fully meet Ireland's obligations under the nitrates directive, my Department has been working closely with the Department of the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The level of grant payable to qualified young farmers under the current installation aid scheme is €9,523.04, which represents a 34% increase on the amount payable under the preceding scheme. I have no plans at present to further increase the value of the grant payable under the scheme.

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 together. In appointing persons to the boards under my aegis, I follow the guidelines set out in the Cabinet handbook regarding eligibility, transparency and gender balance. The Department of Finance, in conjunction with other relevant Departments, has been considering whether tax clearance certificates can and should be required of those being...

Written Answers — Suckler Cow Quota: Suckler Cow Quota (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The single payment scheme was introduced in Ireland with effect from 1 January 2005 and all quotas including suckler cow quotas have been abolished since that date. The person named did not submit an application to the 2004 suckler cow quota national reserve. The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the single payment scheme national reserve under...

Written Answers — Tuberculosis Incidence: Tuberculosis Incidence (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: As laid down in Annex A of Council Directive 64/432/EEC, as amended, the officially tuberculosis-free status of a herd is suspended when an inconclusive reactor animal is disclosed in the herd and remains suspended while the herd contains such animals of unresolved status. The directive provides a derogation which allows animals from such herds to be traded on the domestic market provided...

Written Answers — Sugar Beet Industry: Sugar Beet Industry (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: A Commission communication on the reform of the sugar regime was presented to the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament on 14 July 2004 and was subsequently the subject of considerable debate within the Council of Ministers and also at official level committees. I also discussed the Commission communication with the new Commissioner when I met her bilaterally in Brussels on 20...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has been notified that the circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure-exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No.1782/2003. Following this decision, the person named submitted an appeal to the independent single payment appeals committee on 1 June 2005. A full review of the circumstances of the case will be...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 314 to 317, inclusive, together. The person named included a parcel of land on his 2004 area aid application that was also claimed by another herd owner. Both applicants were contacted and, as the person named did not have entitlement to the land, a penalty of between 3% and 20% was assigned to him and the matter was resolved in favour of the other applicant....

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has been notified that the circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure-exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003. Following this decision, the person named submitted an appeal to the independent single payment appeals committee on 1 June 2005. A full review of the circumstances of the case will be...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named, having been notified that the circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure-exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No.1782/2003, submitted an appeal to the independent single payment appeals committee. Following a full examination of the circumstances outlined in the appeal, the independent single payment appeals...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application in respect of three animals under the 2004 special beef premium scheme on 5 October 2004. Following computer validation, it was found that the three animals in question had been sold prior to the end of the regulatory two-month retention period. Under the terms and conditions of the 2004 special beef premium scheme, it was appropriate that these...

Written Answers — Veterinary Regulations: Veterinary Regulations (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Coughlan: In my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 535 of 28 June, I outlined my general views on the points raised by the Competition Authority in its recent letter to my Department. With regard to the specific points raised in the letter from the Competition Authority, I fully accept the need to promote competition in all sectors of the economy. In this regard, my Department proposed certain...