Results 17,301-17,320 of 18,372 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (24 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: IUU (Illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing is one of the most serious threats worldwide to the sustainability of fish stocks. IUU fishing means that catches are either misreported or not reported at all and this is a significant contributor to the depletion of stocks through overfishing, as well as undermining the sustainable management of fisheries. The estimated value of IUU fishing...

Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (24 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006 was enacted on the 4th April 2006 and provides for dissuasive and effective penalties for infringements of fisheries law as required under the Common Fisheries Policy. The possibility of introducing administrative sanctions was comprehensively considered, including an examination of practices in other Member States, at the time of the...

Written Answers — Fishing Industry Development: Fishing Industry Development (24 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: Having carefully listened to specific issues raised by the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) at our meeting on the 13th June, I established the Irish Seafood Market Initiative under the Chair of Jason Whooley CEO of BIM, to discuss and identify and maximize the opportunities for domestic seafood supply to the Irish Seafood market. I also established the Irish Fisheries Science...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988 and day-to-day operational matters are the responsibility of the company. The issue you refer to is an operational matter for Coillte. I understand that the Courts have ruled on this issue and I therefore consider that it is not appropriate for me to intervene in the matter.

Fishing Industry: Statements (19 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank all Members who contributed to this debate on the very important issues facing the fishing sector and who made positive contributions, including yourself, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. One of the very strong messages from the debate is that discards are a huge problem. The Minister of State, Deputy Killeen set down, in detail, the complex issues surrounding this issue, which is global....

Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (18 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 183 and 188 together. The Government decided on 2 October 2007 that responsibility for foreshore licensing functions under the Foreshore Act 1933 in respect of port companies and harbour authorities governed by the Harbours Acts 1946, 1996 and 2000 and any other harbour or harbour related developments intended for commercial trade, and for all energy...

Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (18 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 189 together. The Government decided on 2 October 2007 that responsibility for foreshore licensing functions under the Foreshore Act 1933 in respect of port companies and harbour authorities governed by the Harbours Acts 1946, 1996 and 2000 and any other harbour or harbour related developments intended for commercial trade, and for all energy...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (18 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: As indicated in my response to Dáil Question No. 18292 of 13 May 2008, assessments of the applications referred to by the Deputy are near completion. It is not possible to give the Deputy a precise date for final determinations due to the nature of the assessment process. This process includes publication of the Ministerial decisions and allowing a one month period for appeal of any...

Written Answers — Regulatory Impact Analysis: Regulatory Impact Analysis (18 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Government decision in June 2005 to introduce Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) in the decision making processes of government Departments stated that it should be applied to all proposals for primary legislation involving changes to the regulatory framework, significant Statutory Instruments and proposals for EU Directives and significant EU regulations. My Department introduces a very...

Written Answers — Bovine Disease Controls: Bovine Disease Controls (18 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: A reactor animal was disclosed in the herd of the person concerned on 3 May 2008 following a TB skin test. The herd was restricted from that date and the official TB status of the herd remains withdrawn until all animals over six weeks of age have reacted negatively to at least two consecutive tuberculin tests, carried out at 60 day intervals, the first no less than 60 days after the removal...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (18 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Seafood Strategy Implementation Group (SSIG) was set up in March 2007 under the chairmanship of Dr Noel Cawley to oversee implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Seafood Industry Strategy Review Group: Steering a New Course. Dr. Cawley presented a progress report on the implementation of the recommendations to my predecessor in February in accordance with the terms of...

Written Answers — Coastal Protection: Coastal Protection (17 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: The beach at The Murrough, Co. Wicklow is owned by Wicklow County Council and it should be noted that responsibility for its repair and upkeep rests with the Local Authority in the first instance. My Department does, however, provide funding to various Local Authorities each year under the Coastal Protection Programme subject to Exchequer allocation and overall national priorities. Funding...

Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (17 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: Donadea Forest Park is owned and managed by Coillte Teoranta, which was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988. Day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of parks, are the responsibility of the company. I understand that the primary management objective for the Park is amenity, followed by biodiversity protection and enhancement. It is one of...

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

Brendan Smith: The 2008 forestry premium for this contract has been paid.

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

Brendan Smith: There are ten agencies under the remit of my Department. They are as follows: Bord Bia is the state agency with responsibility for trade development, information and promotion of Irish food, drink and horticulture. Its mission is to deliver effective and innovative market development, promotion and information services to assist companies grow and win new business. Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM)...

Written Answers — Farm Improvement Scheme: Farm Improvement Scheme (17 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: To date, 330 approvals have issued to farmers to commence work under the Scheme referred to by the Deputy in County Mayo. The remaining applications will be processed by my Department up to the level of funding provided for the Scheme by the 2006 Partnership agreement, Towards 2016.

Written Answers — Energy Conservation: Energy Conservation (17 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: I understand that energy inputs are calculated by the Environment Protection Agency for the whole agriculture sector, but not for the sub-sectors or at the level of individual farms. Baseline data have been produced on greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, including fuel usage, and it is worth noting that in recent years the sector has achieved significant production efficiencies which...

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

Brendan Smith: Under the relevant EU legislation, in order to draw down full payment in respect of Single Payment Entitlements, an applicant must declare an 'eligible hectare' to accompany each entitlement; an 'eligible hectare' is land that is used for an agricultural activity i.e. land used to grow cereals, etc, grass for silage, grazing or hay, or land that is in set-aside — the provisions of the...

Written Answers — Regulatory Impact Analysis: Regulatory Impact Analysis (17 Jun 2008)

Brendan Smith: To date my Department has carried out a screening regulatory impact analysis (RIA) on the proposed legislation transposing the Shellfish Waters Directive and a proposal for a EU Directive on variations to the terms of marketing authorisations for medicinal products. As the legislation for the Shellfish Waters Directive is still in the deliberation process it is not possible to say whether or...

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

Brendan Smith: I am aware of the European Parliamentary Question referred to by the Deputy. However, the revised Farm Waste Management Scheme introduced in March 2006 was approved by the EU Commission under a specific EU state aid decision, which does specify a time limit of end-2008 for completion of the works concerned. As I have previously indicated, I have no plans to seek an extension to this deadline.