Results 1,841-1,860 of 23,915 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The following table shows the total amounts and number of payees per county in payments made by my Department under the forestry schemes in 2023. These payments include grants and premiums under the afforestation schemes and grants under the support schemes. The major component of these payments were subsequent premiums due for forests planted under the Afforestation schemes. It includes...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The named person applied to sell entitlements in 2023, although a different amount to that stated. Processing of that application has been fully completed and letters have issued to both parties. This was all of the entitlements available to the named person in 2023 and there is no record of a further application to sell entitlements. The named person also has additional entitlements which...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Properties (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department did not pay any ground rents in the years 2016 to date. As regards the 13 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Work Permits (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has lead responsibility for employment permits. Arising from my ongoing engagement with our sector stakeholders, my Department is in regular contact with that Department regarding the labour shortages that exist in certain sub-sectors of agri-food. I am informed that 1,385 employment permits were issued in 2023 to the Agriculture,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Change Policy (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: At the end of January, I launched a public consultation to guide the development of the National Biomethane Strategy with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan T.D. There has been a considerable response to the consultation and the closing date for submissions has been extended to 5 March 2024. In Ireland, the development of a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Gorse Burning (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: An application for participation in the 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS), Complementary Redistributive Support for Sustainability (CRISS), Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) and ECO schemes was received from the above named applicant on the 27th May, 2023. Following a review of parcels by satellite imagery parcels within this application were identified as being...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3), which opened for applications in February 2023, provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. Applications received prior to the opening of TAMS 3 have all been assessed by my Department. These fall under the TAMS II scheme, which closed for applications in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The named organisation is owned and operated by industry stakeholders and charged with ensuring stakeholder responsibility for the direction of livestock breeding in Ireland. The breeding direction and development and operation of Breeding indices are therefore a matter for ICBF. Pedigree breeders are represented on the Board of the organisation. The organisation has recently established...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The purpose of the ACRES scheme is to help farmers to address a range of environmental, climate and biodiversity and challenges, and to contribute to the achievement of the objectives set out in this respect in Ireland's 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plan. The tiered structure, and the criteria for acceptance into the Scheme, were therefore designed to optimise the extent to which the Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Mar 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The persons named submitted applications under the young farmer category of the 2023 National Reserve and also the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers. The National Reserve application was successful, and the persons named were notified of this outcome on 22nd February. Payment based on the allocation from the National Reserve will issue as soon as possible. Processing of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Cathaoirleach and members for promptly putting this on the agenda of the committee and dealing with the pre-legislative work on the proposed Bill. As the Cathaoirleach stated, it has been on the agenda for some time and we are very keen to progress it through the Houses of the Oireachtas. Key to that is this initial engagement with the committee and the thoughts and feedback of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The reason is that an error in fact of law would be obvious quicker whereas a change in circumstances might happen a few months after and might not be as obvious at the start. That is the reason for the difference between the three months and the six months being proposed here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Bill proposes to introduce a time limit of six months for the seeking of a review of the decision of an appeals officer in the event of new evidence or facts or a change in circumstances since the decision was made. Where a review is sought, that would go to another appeals officer on the 12-person appeals board for consideration. That is where there has been a change of circumstance or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: A fact of law is where someone believes the law was not applied properly, or believes the facts were not properly reflected and the decision does not stack up in the face of the facts that the person presented or does not stack up in regard to the application of the law to the decision. In that case, at present, people can appeal it to the director of the appeals office. Under this new...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I take the point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank Senator Daly and acknowledge that this is something he has supported over the last number of years too. On the Senator's point about the independence of the chair, the 2018 report indicated that the system was independent and robust but that this legislation could strengthen and add to this by changing the role that is currently done by the director of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I believe that we do. It must go through the various Stages, including in the Seanad, but this piece we are doing here now with the pre-legislative scrutiny is important. Generally there is broad acceptance of the Bill and that it will have broad support. I am certainly open to the committee members' views on how we can be sure the legislation will do the job as effectively as it should....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: If we can. I would see that as entirely possible. Obviously it will depend on what the other priorities are in the legislative schedule. I will certainly be making the point to the Seanad and Dáil Whips that I do not believe it will take a big chunk of time because I would be hoping there is broad acceptance and therefore we should be able to move it on and get it scheduled on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: It is a unique one as far as I know but it is the only one that has been brought to my attention. If there are any other instances I would be quite happy to amend it and make sure we address it here. I do not see any role for it. If we were to apply that rule to Oireachtas committees there could be a good few across the Houses of the Oireachtas who would not be able to attend the...