Results 17,361-17,380 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: A Scheme of Investment Aid for Demonstration On-Farm Waste Processing Facilities was introduced by my Department in June 2006 under the aegis of the 2000-2006 National Development Plan. In 2007, grant-aid was made available under the Scheme for the development of ten on-farm anaerobic digestion facilities. In accordance with the standard practice under my Department's on-farm investment...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Agreement on the Financial Perspectives of the EU for the period 2007-2013 was reached in the European Council in Brussels in December 2005. The main elements of the European Council's decision insofar as agriculture and rural development are concerned were to confirm budgetary allocations representing funding of €320 billion in current prices to pillar 1 of the CAP in the period to 2013,...

Written Answers — Sectoral Development: Sectoral Development (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: As outlined to the Deputy in a reply on 21st February, plans for the development of the agrifood sector are set out in the AgriVision 2015 Action Plan, the Programme for Government, the National Development Plan and the Rural Development Plan. The AgriVision Action Plan was the Government's response to the seminal Report of the AgriVision 2015 Committee on what needed to be done to secure...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Industry: Aquaculture Industry (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department has under consideration an application for an aquaculture licence in respect of 3 sites in the Kenmare River area from the CoOp in question. A number of letters of objection to this application have been received in my Department recently. My Department has accordingly written to the CoOp requesting its comments on the issues raised by the objectors. When a response is...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Under the EU regulations governing the operation of REPS 4, payments will relate to the period in each calendar year during which a participant is in the scheme. In this instance, as the plan commenced on 1 December 2007, the person named is due a payment in respect of the month of December 2007.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: the commitment of the Government to the implementation of report of the Seafood Industry Strategy Review Group, Steering a New Course, for the delivery of a restructured, sustainable and profitable Irish seafood industry; the commitment of the Government to seafood development through an...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: This round of decommissioning grants is a substantial commitment to the seafood industry and will help to put the sector on a more sound financial footing, delivering a sustainable future for Ireland's fishermen into the future. It will help to bring about a viable future for the fishing sectors that will support the economies of coastal communities dependent on fishing. To meet the...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The levels of sanctions in that Act are lower in many cases than those provided for under the amended 1959 Act.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The sanctions in place apply equally to Irish, Spanish, French or other operators found to have infringed the rules.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The actual sanction applied in each case is a matter for the judge, taking account of the maximum fine limits set in the legislation. The regime in place is required to protect fish stocks and the long-term future of coastal communities. In order to inform these discussions, I asked the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority for data on the current level of inspections being undertaken by both...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am pressed for time. The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority has also confirmed that not all those responsible for infringements detected are subject to prosecution in the Circuit Court. The Act provides for perpetrators of lesser infringements to be prosecuted in the District Court and many cases are pursued in this way, which is entirely appropriate for such offences. A warning notice is...

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Fishermen would prefer a regime of administrative sanctions, as is the norm on the Continent.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The possibility of introducing administrative sanctions was comprehensively considered, including examination of the practices in other member states, at the time of the passage of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill. The position taken by the then Minister was based on the legal advice of the Attorney General.

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I listened to the Deputy and ask him to do the same. When the Minister of State, Deputy Tony Killeen, and I met the Federation of Irish Fishermen, we were asked, and we committed to asking the Attorney General, to examine the issue further and to consider whether any new developments could support the introduction of a regime of administrative sanctions for fisheries offences in the State....

Fishing Industry: Motion (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The issue has been raised consistently by my party colleagues and I have asked the Attorney General for further advice thereon.

Fishing Fleet Protection. (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I have met the fishermen and I know their concerns. I have also heard these concerns from colleagues in the Oireachtas. Several issues were put to Commissioner Borg both in the meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Tony Killeen, and I and at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. We made progress on the IUU regulation, which I mentioned earlier in answer to a question from Deputy...

Fishing Fleet Protection. (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I do not know the differential in fuel price between countries but there is a specific measure in this country to assist fishermen with the cost of fuel. At the Council of Ministers meeting, as well as bilateral meetings, we put a range of proposals to the Commissioner for consideration. He took the views of all the different member states and he had to return to the college of...

Farm Waste Management. (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Approximately 42,000 applications have been approved.

Direct Payment Schemes. (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: For payments in excess of €5,000, additional compulsory modulation at a rate of 2% per year is proposed from 2009 to 2012. This would bring the modulation rate to 13% by 2012. A further 3% modulation is proposed on payments in excess of €100,000, an additional 6% is proposed on payments over €200,000 and an additional 9% is proposed on payments above €300,000. The objective is to...

Direct Payment Schemes. (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I agree with the Deputy. The statement he quoted from me was issued immediately after the publication of the Commissioner's proposals on 27 May, which was the first time I had sight of them. I repeat that Ireland is strongly opposed to increased rates of compulsory modulation. The CAP health check process has just begun. I responded previously to a parliamentary question tabled by the...