Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 October 2011
396 Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will confirm that commonage lands (details supplied) were inspected by officers of his Department in 2010; the exact number of days same staff members spent doing these inspections; the persons that directed staff from his Department to carry out these inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28226/11]
View answerAll commonage land declared by applications under the Single Farm Payment and other area-based Scheme was subjected to a comprehensive review by my Department during 2010. The review was carried by way of a detailed analysis of the ortho-imagery for commonages, by on-the-spot inspections or a combination of both. The objective of the review was to exclude ineligible features such as forestry, roads, lakes, rocks, houses, scrub etc.
The commonage parcels referred to were the subject to this review process in 2010. The final outcome of the process was that three of the inspected parcels were found to have no eligible area including one parcel that was fully afforested. The area determined eligible in the fourth parcel was 22.6 hectares from a total area of 235.87 hectares.
397 Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will confirm that results of a commonage inspection (details supplied) carried out by Department officials and other reports were sought under a freedom of information request; the reason these reports prepared by the officers were not released under the initial freedom of information request; the person that instructed that they not be released; the reason for same; if he will indicate the disciplinary action that he intends to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28227/11]
View answerThe reports sought under the Freedom of Information request in question were released to the requestor; letters dated 18 May 2011 and 21 June 2011 addressed to the requestor, refer.
