Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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228. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the method of selection of agricultural planners to prepare plans for commonages under the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme; the number of planners he has appointed; their names and the amount of commonage allocated to each planner; if he agreed rules or guidelines regarding the fees that could be charged; if there is a mechanism whereby farmers in a commonage may select an alternative planner to the one selected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6864/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department issued a circular to all commonage advisors detailing the process for assigning commonage advisors to individual commonages.

Applications by advisors were required to be accompanied by the signatures of shareholders supporting their application for assignment. In cases where more than one advisor applied, appointments were made in accordance with the advised criteria. When appointments were made the successful advisor was notified in writing and where more than one advisor had applied unsuccessful candidates were also notified and given a right of review if dissatisfied.

Where no commonage advisor expressed an interest in a particular commonage, a further circular issued on 5 August again inviting expressions of interest by 20 August. Where no application was received on foot of this second circular my Department proceeded to nominate and assign advisors.

My Department did not set any rules or guidelines in relation to fees but the GLAS payment to farmers with commonage was increased from €79 per hectare to €120 per hectare to take account of additional costs to the farmer.

The application and selection process required the support of shareholders and the governing circular provided that in cases where there was serious disagreement with the advisor appointed the matter could be referred to the Commonage Implementation Committee.

The detailed information requested on the appointment of Advisors to individual commonages has been forwarded directly to the Deputy concerned.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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229. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of agricultural planners he has selected to prepare commonage plans in Connemara under the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme; the number of commonages and hectares allocated to each planner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6865/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department has compiled a database of Commonages throughout the country, which is publicly available on the Department’s website and is regularly updated.  Information on the commonages can be freely obtained from this database, which can be accessed through the following link:

In this database, all commonages are listed in county order, indicating the townland and their unique identifier number.  The total area of each commonage, along with the active shareholders based on the most recent data available to the Department, is also shown.

The detailed information requested by the Deputy on the appointment of Advisors to individual commonages in County Galway has been forwarded directly to the Deputy concerned.