Written Answers Nos. 455 - 465
455. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if the foxhunting and coursing exemptions in the Animal Welfare Bill can be removed.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41351/12]
View answerIt is my intention to maintain provisions in the Animal Health and Welfare Bill relating to the lawful hunting and coursing of animals and I do not intend to interfere with legitimate field sports which are carried out in a proper manner. Where animals are released in an injured or exhausted condition or where a hare does not have a reasonable chance of escape, the sanctions and penalties set down in the Bill will apply.
456. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the position regarding a temporary lease transfer of milk quota in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41352/12]
View answerMy Department operates an annual Milk Quota Temporary Leasing Scheme whereby milk producers can offer a part of their quota, which they are unlikely to use in the Milk Quota year, to their Co-op for temporary leasing to other producers in the Co-op. In order to avail of the Scheme producers must have delivered a minimum of 20% of their quota in the year in question.
However where a producer who, for reasons of force majeure, was not in a position to deliver the minimum amount of quota, as is the case with the named person, he or she may apply for a specific Ministerial Declaration permitting the offer.
The named person has applied for such a Declaration and it has been approved within my Department. The named person and his Co-op have been notified accordingly.
457. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the recent upsurge in the prevalence of noxious weeds, including Ragwort and Japanese Knotweed inside the Royal Canal proposed Natural Heritage Area, especially along the recently re-lined sixth level; if he has had any contact with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and or with the Dublin City Manager with a view to addressing the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41371/12]
View answerMy Department has received no reports for the presence of noxious weeds at the location given by the Deputy.
Notwithstanding this, my Department actively seeks to enforce the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Act 1936 which covers Ragwort, Thistle and Docks by engaging with all County Councils, Local Authorities and the National Roads Authority (NRA) to ensure a consistent programme of treatment and disposal of such weeds on an ongoing basis.
In this regard, all County Councils, including Dublin City Council were written to in April of this year emphasising their statutory obligations regarding the control of Noxious Weeds and the importance of implementing appropriate measures for the control, treatment and safe disposal of ragwort.
As it presents no risk to animals or agricultural crops, Japanese Knotweed is classified as an invasive species rather than a Noxious Weed and consequently is dealt with under Department of Environment Regulations (S.I. No. 477 of 2011).
458. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine his plans for developing new schemes to support small farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41403/12]
View answerLast week I announced the re-opening of the Agri-Environmental Options Scheme, AEOS, to new entrants. I am providing €20 million for the AEOS scheme which will open shortly for applications. The scheme will build on the success of both the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) and both AEOS 1 and 2 in delivering an annual income to farmers in return for farming to high environmental standards. A maximum payment of €4,000 per annum will apply to individual applicants under the re-opened scheme. As the average payments in the past have been lower than the maximum, I am confident that up to 6,000 new participants can be accepted into the scheme.
I received EU approval for the advance payment of the 2012 Single Farm Payment. This will enable payment to issue immediately following 15 October and will represent the early payment of some €600 million to farmers.
I also fully appreciate the value and importance of the other scheme payments to farmers and I remain committed to ensuring that the maximum numbers are paid at the earliest possible date, mindful, of course, of the over-riding necessity to ensure compliance with the governing EU requirements. Payments worth some €159 million under the Disadvantaged Area Scheme have been issued since 26th September last. This funding will provide a boost to the rural economy and will benefit all areas of the country. REPS payments in respect of 2011 are up to date. A total of €64 million has been paid out to-date and these payments are continuing on an on-going basis. AEOS payments are well advanced and are being issued as quickly as possible. To date €23 million has been paid. My intention is to ensure that payments in respect of 2012 are made on the earliest possible date.
459. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine his future plans for the suckler welfare scheme; if the scheme will be cut or abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41404/12]
View answerThe Suckler Welfare Scheme is a five year Scheme and was introduced to improve welfare standards for beef animals born between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2012 and to assist in the establishment of a breeding database from which Suckler farmers could identify the best breeding stock for their particular requirements. The Scheme is fully funded by the Exchequer and a recent Value for Money Audit has concluded that the Scheme had largely met its objectives. The continuation of this Scheme will be considered during the forthcoming budgetary process.
460. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if a meaningful scheme like REP scheme 3 and 4 will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41405/12]
View answerI am acutely aware of the importance of the agri environment schemes to the agriculture sector not only in environmental terms but also from the point of view of farm incomes. Last week, I announced that despite the challenging budgetary constraints in my Department, I have re-opened the Agri-environmental Options Scheme and am providing €20m to admit new participants.
A maximum payment of €4,000 per annum for individual applicants will apply under the re-opened scheme which is a continuation of the situation under last year’s scheme. I am confident that up to 6,000 new participants can be accepted into the scheme with the level of funding that I am providing. Full details of the scheme will be available to applicants in the next few days.
461. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if he will publish details of all allowances paid to staff in his Department; the business case made by his Department in respect of these allowances to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; the cost of each individual allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41406/12]
View answerIn answer to the Deputy’s question, the attached document details all allowances paid to staff in my Department in 2011 and the annual cost for each allowance for that period. It is expected that the outturn for 2012 will be less due to the discontinuation of certain allowances and the number of staff, in receipt of an allowance, who have retired this year.
The business cases made by my Department have been published by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform and can be found on their website at www.per.gov.ie under Latest Documents “Review of Public Sector Allowances and Premium Payments – Business Cases submitted for review”. The business cases listed refer to the allowances that specifically relate to my Department and do not refer to allowances that are common to all Departments.
ALLOWANCES PAID IN 2011
|
Pay Code Description |
Value Euro |
No of recipients in 2012 |
|
Annual Personal to Holder Payment |
29,654.01 |
15 |
|
Annual Personal to Holder Payment Top Up Allowance |
48,176.54 |
12 |
|
Ass. Head Service Officer All |
11,847.72 |
4 |
|
Child Allowance |
10,175.91 |
38 |
|
Computer Programmer |
13,215.80 |
6 |
|
Extended Absence |
14,715.98 |
2 |
|
Eating On Site Allowance |
13,090.15 |
31 |
|
Employee Assistant Off Allow |
11,564.80 |
0 |
|
Equipment Storage Allowance |
1,313.52 |
4 |
|
Extra Duties (This allowance was paid in 2011 for duties carried out up to 2010 – it is not proposed to make any further payments of this allowance) |
244,154.61 |
0 |
|
Foreign Delegates Allowance |
206,778.60 |
145 |
|
Forklift Driving Allowance |
2,332.20 |
3 |
|
Franking Machine Allowance |
30,111.18 |
19 |
|
Harbour Master Allowance |
1,690.00 |
0 |
|
Higher Duty Allowance |
139,067.97 |
19 |
|
Housing Allowance |
58,966.07 |
5 |
|
I.T. Gratuity - Heo |
8,499.92 |
2 |
|
Key Holder Allowance |
47,719.78 |
30 |
|
Lab Attendant Allowance |
2,736.24 |
1 |
|
Home Office Accommodation |
96,067.88 |
94 |
|
On Call Allowance (While overall the number of beneficiaries is 200, only a small number (20% approx) are rostered at any given time) |
474,615.07 |
200 |
|
Post Mortem Room Allowance |
48,251.49 |
12 |
|
Press Officer Allowance |
7,100.34 |
1 |
|
Private Secretary Allowance (Includes 3 officers currently serving. The remainder are retained elements of allowance relating to previous service in the position) |
84,513.60 |
8 |
|
Relief Van Driving Allowance |
1,288.56 |
3 |
|
Rendering Allowance |
81,658.77 |
29 |
|
Shift Allowance |
276,292.50 |
39 |
|
Shredding Allowance |
1,146.60 |
1 |
|
Special Duty Allowance |
846,812.18 |
281 |
|
Special Edition Allowance |
12,296.96 |
0 |
|
Specified Pathogen Free Unit Allowance |
1,544.64 |
0 |
|
State Store Allowance |
1,144.52 |
1 |
|
Storekeeper Allowance |
622.44 |
1 |
|
Synchrolift |
4,467.47 |
10 |
|
Telephone Rental Allowance |
2,208.72 |
14 |
|
Teleporter Driving Allowance |
1,212.64 |
2 |
|
Tool Allowance |
12,871.66 |
0 |
|
Travel Allowance |
6,886.32 |
1 |
|
Van Driving Allow - Post Apr95 |
26,785.66 |
16 |
|
Total Cost for 2011 |
2,883,599.02 |
- |
462. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine his views on a letter to Friends of the Irish Environment on 3 September 2012 (details supplied) in which European Environmental Commissioners Dacian Ciolos, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development and Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, jointly stated that: we fully share your view that Food Harvest 2020 will benefit from both a Strategic Environmental Assessment under that Directive and from an Appropriate Assessment under the Habitats Directive as it would identify upfront any environmental risks that its implementation may entail, in particular for the topics mentioned in your letter, and be able to adopt the plan accordingly; if he will advise on the stance he has taken in relation to this issue since that letter was issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41447/12]
View answerCoordination of the State contribution to Food Harvest 2020 is being overseen by the High Level Implementation Committee (HLIC) for Food Harvest 2020, which I chair. The Committee includes representatives from Bord Bia, Teagasc, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Enterprise Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department. The HLIC also engages regularly with various private sector groups with a key role in FH2020. Implementation of many of the key measures needed to achieve the growth figures set out in the report is a matter for private sector actors including industry and individual farmers.
As a high level strategic vision, the Food Harvest 2020 report does not contain implementation plans related to specific sites, including Natura 2000 sites. However, my Department and the HLIC are acutely aware of the need to ensure that appropriate assessment and strategic environmental analysis are considered, in line with the relevant EU Directives, and carried out where required, in the course of achieving the targets set out in the report.
The HLIC committee recognised that the broad strategic targets in the report could be achieved in a variety of ways and determined that an independent environmental analysis should be commissioned of various possible scenarios through which the targets set out in the report could be achieved. The results of this analysis will inform the implementation of measures by all relevant actors, including those in the private sector. An independent team of experienced consultants with expertise in both agriculture and environmental assessment has been procured by my Department to carry out this work. The team has presented a detailed interim report to the HLIC and is due to present its final report by the end of October.
The analysis is in line with the strategic environmental assessment process. It includes the likely impacts of achieving the targets on: biodiversity; flora/fauna; water (including groundwater quality); soil; air quality; landscape; and climatic factors (including impacts on greenhouse gas emission levels).
My Department is considering if the analysis should include an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Directive, and in this regard are engaged in discussions with the European Commission.
463. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the progress made regarding his new initiatives to support anaerobic digestion; if he will advise whether these will include small scale on-farm digesters as well as district facilities; if a provisional date has been set as to when these will available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41450/12]
View answerIn 2007, my Department approved grant-aid for development of ten on-farm anaerobic digesters under the National Development Plan. To date, only one of these has been drawn down and it is likely that a maximum of 4 or 5 others will come to fruition. Provision was made in my Department’s Estimates in 2012 to provide for one of these projects, but it has not as yet reached completion. Applicants, on request, are being provided with extensions until end-2013 to complete the investment works needed in order to draw down the grant-aid available.
The Deputy may be aware that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, T.D., has announced his intention to publish a National Bioenergy Strategy in the coming months. This strategy will examine all aspects of the bioenergy sector so as to inform the actions required to maximise its contribution to achieving the 2020 targets under the Renewable Energy Directive. My Department is working closely with Minister Rabbitte’s Department in assessing the potential of bioenergy from the agriculture and forestry sectors to contribute to the 2020 targets. Any decisions in relation to future developments in the bioenergy sector will be taken in the context of this exercise
464. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the position regarding an agri-environment option scheme payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41466/12]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2010 and full payment totalling €628.28 issued in respect of 2010.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue.
Payment in respect of the 2011 Scheme year is subject to a similar administrative checking process which includes verification of capital investment through checks on receipts. During these checks a discrepancy was discovered in respect of the claimed areas on the Traditional Hay Meadow action. My Department has investigated this issue which resulted in a monetary penalty being imposed on the application. A letter detailing this penalty will issue to the person named and payment in respect of the 2011 scheme year will issue at the earliest opportunity.
