Results 14,381-14,400 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: An application under the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 16 April 2009. Processing of the approximately 135,000 applications received under the 2009 Single Payment Scheme / Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is expected to be completed in sufficient time to allow payments under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme to begin issuing in September, in line with previous...

Written Answers — Food Safety Standards: Food Safety Standards (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002, which sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law, stipulates among other things, that food business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution within the businesses under their control must ensure that foods satisfy the requirements of food law and that these requirements are met. In regard to traceability the...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Definitive legal advice as to whether the arrears due in individual cases should be considered commercially sensitive is still awaited but I expect it to be available shortly and I will communicate further with the Deputy at that stage. In the meantime I have arranged for my Department to forward the revised table as referred to in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 197 of 27 May 2009...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: My Department has no record of having received a National Reserve application from the person named under the 2008 or 2009 Single Payment Scheme National Reserve.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements under Category B of the 2008 National Reserve. This category caters for new entrants to farming who commenced farming after 31 December 2005. In addition applicants are required to fulfil certain criteria relating to on and off-farm income limits and educational qualifications. The person named did not submit...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Under EU rules payments in respect of REPS 4 are to be made in two instalments. The first instalment consists of 75% of the total payment due for the year and is paid to individual applicants once all administrative checks on all plans have been completed. The person named has received the first instalment of his payment and my officials expect to release the remaining 25% shortly.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: In 2005, Ireland adopted a fully decoupled area based scheme, the Single Payment Scheme, which was based on the average monetary value of all subsidies paid to farmers during the reference period years (2000, 2001 & 2002) divided by the average number of hectares held during these years. Under EU Regulations governing the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme, an applicant must declare...

Written Answers — Export Permits: Export Permits (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: The service provided by my Department for the export of cattle involves a considerable amount of checking on the transport vehicle(s), documentation, identification of the cattle, fitness for transport, and health status, as well as preparing the health certificate to accompany the consignment and sending a notification of the details of the export to the Member State of destination via the...

Written Answers — Special Areas of Conservation: Special Areas of Conservation (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: The area for which the licences are sought is a designated Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive (Natura 2000 site). In the course of assessing the applications a number of complexities have arisen due to the Natura 2000 status of the area. As a result further consultation was necessary with the National...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: I am informed by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara that the reason why the company received a grant of circa €136,000 in grant-aid was to develop a salmon farm on a site in Ardbear Bay, Co Galway. The licensing situation in relation to the company is currently being examined in conjunction with the Offices of the Chief State Solicitor and the Attorney General. A preliminary examination would...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Development: Aquaculture Development (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Plans for the future development of salmon aquaculture in Ireland are set out in the strategy document for fisheries called "Steering a New Course, A Strategy for a Restructured, Sustainable, Profitable Irish Seafood Industry 2007-2013". In that document it is envisaged that the Irish marine finfish farming sector, including salmon farming, could sustainably be developed to an annual output...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Development: Aquaculture Development (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Grants from the Guidance section of the FEOGA fund were available for Aquaculture Development in Ireland in the period from Ireland's accession to the EEC in 1973 until circa 1978. In 1978, an interim regulation was introduced providing for funding for aquaculture outside of the FEOGA fund. Due to the historical nature of the FEOGA scheme in so far as it relates to aquaculture and given...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: The privileges and obligations associated with an aquaculture licence rest with the holder of that licence and can only be changed following a process of assignment to another party as approved by the Minister. The issue of licences held by the companies mentioned by the Deputy and considered to be dissolved is the subject of ongoing examination by my Department in conjunction with legal...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Development: Aquaculture Development (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: The question seeks data on projects going back to 1983. The files on many of these projects have been placed in storage at an archive facility. As soon as the information has been retrieved, it will be forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Payment to the person named issued on 19 June 2009.

Written Answers — Departmental Advertising: Departmental Advertising (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 459 and 460 together. There were no advertising campaigns carried out by my Department during the first six months of 2009. The question of advertising campaigns by agencies within the remit of my Department is an operational matter for the bodies themselves.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Under EU rules payments in respect of REPS 4 are to be made in two instalments. The first instalment consists of 75% of the total payment due for the year and is paid to individual applicants once all administrative checks on all plans have been completed. The person named has received the first instalment of his payment and my officials expect to release the remaining 25% shortly.

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: My Department is not in direct negotiation with the estate mentioned by the Deputy with regard to a lease in Lough Foyle for aquaculture licensing. Section 35 of the Foyle and Carlingford Fisheries Act 2007 amends section 3 of the Foreshore Act 1933 to provide that where the Minister grants a foreshore licence to the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission "such licence may, if the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: Payments under the Farm Waste Management Scheme have proceeded very satisfactorily this year with over 13,000 payments having been approved to date in 2009 compared to 12,847 payments in the whole of the 2008 calendar year. Additional staff have been employed in certain areas of the country, including some local offices in Cork, to ensure that the remaining payments to be made under the...

Written Answers — Fallen Animal Collection Scheme: Fallen Animal Collection Scheme (23 Jun 2009)

Brendan Smith: My Department's contribution to the Fallen Animals Scheme ceased with effect from Tuesday 14th April 2009. This was as a result of budgetary constraints and also reflects the greatly reduced incidence of BSE in this country. However I did provide continued financial support for the collection of certain dead animals, in particular bovines over 48 months of age, for sampling, as required under...