Results 17,581-17,600 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Common Agricultural Policy: Common Agricultural Policy (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Commission proposals on the Health Check of the CAP will be published this afternoon. They will be presented for the first time at the Informal Council of Ministers in Slovenia on 27 May where I will have an opportunity to give a first reaction. The negotiating process will commence under the Slovenian Presidency with a series of Working Groups in May and June and will continue under the...

Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 381 together. Ireland has a very important position as custodian of some of the largest and richest fishing waters within the EU but also in our location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Illegal fishing practices by all fishing fleets in Ireland's Exclusive Fisheries Zone are and have been a matter of ongoing and substantial concern. Illegal...

Written Answers — Alternative Farm Enterprises: Alternative Farm Enterprises (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The rate of obligatory set-aside has been set at 0% for the 2008 Single Payment Scheme. Therefore, a farmer with set-aside entitlements is not required to put any land into set-aside in order to draw down payments on set-aside entitlements. A farmer with set-aside entitlements must, however, declare sufficient hectares of land on his/her 2008 Single Payment Scheme application form that,...

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 382 to 384, inclusive, together. A revised negotiating text on agriculture was issued yesterday evening and a text on non-agricultural market access earlier today. These texts are being issued with a view to facilitating a final WTO agreement by the end of 2008. It is by no means clear whether such an agreement will be reached this year. The range of issues...

Written Answers — Animal Exports: Animal Exports (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Information on movements of such animals is not held centrally. Under rules applying to intra Community trade, live animals including animals destined for circuses are certified from points of origin to points of destination. Circus animals generally do not come within the ambit of the computerised EU animal movement system (TRACES) which in any event only holds data for a period of 4 months.

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The revised Farm Waste Management Scheme, introduced in order to assist farmers meet the additional requirements of the Nitrates Directive, was launched in March 2006 following the receipt of EU state aid approval for the Scheme. The EU Commission approval specifically states that all work must be completed by farmers under the Scheme by end-December 2008 in order to qualify for the grants...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table. Term of Office Number of Civil Servants Ministers 1997 – 2002 Joe Walsh 4.70 2002 – 2004 Joe Walsh 4.70 2004 – 2008 Mary Coughlan, TD 2.80 2008 – to date Brendan Smith, TD 2.00 Ministers of State 2007 – to date Trevor Sargent, TD 2.00 2008 – to date Tony Killeen, TD 0.00 2004 – 2008 Mary Wallace, TD...

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The farm improvement scheme, FIS, was introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in July 2007 with funding of €79 million, as agreed under the partnership agreement, Towards 2016. The scheme was suspended on 31 October 2007 as applications received had reached this level of funding. It was specifically made clear, at the time of its launch, that the scheme would be...

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Crawford for his good wishes. He took the opportunity in other fora, in the constituency and elsewhere, to convey them to me. As the Deputy knows, 12,675 applications were received from farmers under the FIS by the closing date, 31 October 2007. These applications are being processed up to the level of funding available. Applications received up to 31 October 2007 are...

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am not familiar with the exact office that serves County Wicklow but I can check out the matter relating to staffing levels. I understand the close-off date for projects under the farm improvement scheme may be two years away. I am open to correction but it is not imminent. I will check the position relating to staffing levels in Wicklow that Deputy Doyle queried.

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I know that some people from Deputy Crawford's county, Monaghan, would say Cavan people would not send back money. I am sure that some of the farmers from our two counties who were caught in the time lapse and spoke to Deputy Crawford also spoke to me.

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: There is provision in Towards 2016 to have a review of the terms of this scheme during 2008.

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am not familiar with the staffing levels of particular offices in County Cork but I will bring this matter to the attention of the Department's personnel section. Above all Departments, there has been a huge investment in technology in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in recent years. This has led to progress and efficiency and I am sure the programme will continue.

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I had a constructive meeting on Friday, 9 May with my French counterpart, Michel Barnier. We exchanged views on the ongoing WTO negotiations and it was clear that we had similar concerns about the lack of balance in the current situation and about the push for an early agreement, even though many important issues had yet to be resolved. Both of us had serious misgivings about the negative...

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Creed for his good wishes. I look forward to working with him and his colleagues in the Fine Gael Party, Deputy Sherlock and all Members in the best interests of Irish agriculture. The Falconer paper was published last night but I had to attend a Government meeting and did not have an opportunity to read it yet but my officials will work on that immediately. We will be...

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: First, the view within the European Commission is that there is probably no more than a 50-50 chance of a deal. The Commission has not sent out any particular message that a deal is imminent——

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I said the Commission. Deputy Creed's question referred to my meeting last Friday week with the French Minister. That was the first meeting I had outside the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food since I was appointed. I spent half a day with Minister Barnier, and we both met the Taoiseach subsequently to discuss this issue. There was a meeting yesterday with Minister Barnier and...

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Each member of the Government, be it the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Taoiseach, has taken every opportunity in every forum to express our concerns.

Food Shortages. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Increasing food prices and concerns regarding availability of food is a global situation, which is most severely affecting those people living in developing countries. This complex issue has many causes, including recurrent bad weather and changing and increasing food requirements among countries caused in particular by economic and population growth. There is also an increasing global...

Food Shortages. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Sherlock for his good wishes and look forward to working with him and our colleagues on all sides of the House. We export 80% of the food we produce in Ireland. I was very glad that this particular issue was down for discussion yesterday at the Council of Ministers. It reinforces once again the particular issues raised by Deputy Sherlock as regards the importance of the...