Results 15,881-15,900 of 18,347 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The number of servers that are owned by this Department is 376. The average memory capacity of each server is 5 Gigabytes. The average windows based server hard disk capacity is 230 Gigabytes. The implementation of servers by agencies under the remit of my Department is an operational matter for the agencies themselves.

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The deadline of 31 December 2008 for completion of work by farmers under the revised Farm Waste Management Scheme introduced by my Department in March 2006 is a condition of the EU state aid approval for the Scheme. The European Commission has since reaffirmed that it expects Ireland to respect this deadline strictly.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: An application was received on 14 May 2008 requesting the transfer of 23.93 Single Payment Scheme entitlements to the person named from another farmer by way of lease. The application was processed on 12 November 2008. In addition to the payments that issued to the person named on 16 October and 1 December relating to her own entitlements, a supplementary payment for the leased entitlements...

Written Answers — Animal Feedstuffs: Animal Feedstuffs (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: While the use of oil in the generation of feed drying facilities has not, heretofore, caused problems within the feed industry, this aspect is now being pursued with the feed industry and with the relevant Regulatory State Agencies that are involved.

Written Answers — Animal Feedstuffs: Animal Feedstuffs (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: As this matter is the subject of a Garda investigation it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: There is no specific budgetary provision for staff incremental pay increases in 2009. The cost, which is part of the overall salaries provision for the Department, will be determined by the numbers of staff qualifying for increments and the stage in the year from which individual incremental payments are made. Precise information is not readily available but the estimated cost for my...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department's original Decentralisation Implementation Plan allowed for a phased move to Portlaoise and the 2005, 2006 and 2007 advance phases were completed on schedule. To date, the Department has met its targets set out in its original plan and in total, since the programme was announced, there has been an increase of 297 full-time posts in Portlaoise and 84 in Clonakilty. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table. The total number of staff in each category is not adjusted to take account of staff working on a part-time basis. Number in each Income Band as at 17th December 2008 Grades Below €50,000 €50,001 – €60,000 €60,001 – €70,000 €70,001 – €80,000 €80,001 – €90,000 €90,001 – €100,000 Over €100,000...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The numbers of civil servants working in my Department from 2002 to 2008 are listed as follows. The figures quoted refer to Whole Time Equivalents (WTE). End Year WTE Staff Numbers 2001 4,546 2002 4,521 2003 4,5781 2004 4,538 2005 4,441 2006 4,242 2007 4,3072 End November 2008 4,165 1This figure includes Forestry staff added to my Department in that year. 2This figure includes...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: Civil servants from my Department carry out their duties in over 250 locations throughout the country. There were 4,165 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staff employed in the Department at the end of November 2008. The following table provides details of these staff, broken down by grade category. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food breakdown of staff by grade category at end November...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: Included in the Budget statement by the Minister for Finance on the 14th October was the decision to transfer the marketing functions of Bord Iascaigh Mhara to An Bord Bia and to merge the National Council for Forestry Research and Development (COFORD) into my Department. The Government's initiative in transferring the seafood marketing and promotion functions to Bord Bia will ensure the...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department pays an annual membership fee to the Institute for International and European Affairs. The amount paid in 2008 was €6,000.

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department's Compendium of Agricultural Statistics, which is published annually, provides a detailed breakdown of EU receipts in Ireland, including those from the FEOGA Guidance and Guarantee Funds, and from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund which have replaced them since 2007. The Compendium for 2008, which is at present being...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 592 to 594, inclusive, together. All badgers captured are subject to a gross post mortem. However, due to the low sensitivity of the technique, the Department carries out pooled tissue culturing on a percentage of all badgers captured (currently approximately 2,500) across all of the DVOs. Culturing a pooled sample, which involves mixing tissue extracted...

Estimates for Public Services 2008 (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I move: Vote 31 — Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Second Supplementary Estimate). That a supplementary sum not exceeding €50,000,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December 2008, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, including certain services...

Estimates for Public Services 2008 (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: No, not in this instance.

Estimates for Public Services 2008: Leave to Introduce (17 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I move: That leave be given by the Dáil to introduce the following Supplementary Estimate for the service of the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2008: Vote 31 — Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Second Supplementary Estimate).

Written Answers — Pigmeat Sector: Pigmeat Sector (16 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department is working closely with An Bord Bia and our embassies abroad to reassure our customers as to the safety of Irish Pork. For my part I visited France last week to provide the necessary assurances and will have the opportunity this week at the EU Council of Ministers to outline the safety and security of our exports. In the case of our Asian markets our diplomatic representations...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The question of the reduction of the administrative burden on Department clients has been pursued at EU level. In line with the Health Check review of the Common Agriculture Policy, the Council and Commission of the EU have declared that they will continue with the objective of obtaining further simplification at both farmer and administrative levels of the cross- compliance requirements. In...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (16 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: Payment of €80 in respect of the fifteenth animal was made on 12 December 2008. The remaining calf will not qualify for payment, as it was registered outside the statutory requirement of 27 days from the date of birth. A letter in relation to this late registration issued on 19 November 2008, and staff from the Suckler Herds Section of my Department in Portlaoise will be in contact with...