Tuesday, 27 Nov 2012

Written Answers Nos. 576-587

Departmental Staff Remuneration

Questions (576)

Martin Ferris

Question:

576. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide in tabular form, the number of staff in his Department, or in bodies which fall under the remit of his Department, whose annual remuneration including salary, pension and benefits at 31 December 2011 fell into bands of €400,000 and above, between €300,000 to €399,999, between €200,000 to €299,999 and between €150,000 to €199,000; and if he will provide a breakdown of the positions held by the staff in the relevant pay brackets. [52571/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Two members of staff of the Department fall within the bands referred to by the Deputy. The salary of the Secretary General is €200,000. The Chief Inspector has a current salary of €154,839. No member of staff in my Department earns a salary of €300,000 or above. The details of salaries for the State Agencies under the aegis of my Department are matters for the Agencies themselves.

Departmental Staff Remuneration

Questions (577)

Martin Ferris

Question:

577. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has made any contacts requesting staff whose annual salary is in excess of €200,000 in his Department or in any body under the remit of his Department, to waive 15% of their salary or such amount in excess of €200,000 whichever is the lesser; if he has, the date on which he first made this contact; the number of staff whose annual salaries were in excess of €200,000 at that date; the number of staff who acquiesced to the request for the waiver; the number of staff who refused the request for the waiver and the number of staff who have not responded to the request for the waiver. [52572/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The position in relation to my Department is that the salary paid to the Secretary General in my Department is currently €200,000 which takes account of a salary surrender of 15% and is in line with the Government decision of 21 June 2011 to adopt a general policy of a €200,000 pay ceiling for senior positions across the Public Service. The Minister wrote to the Chief Executive Officers of both the non-commercial and commercial State bodies informing them of the government decision in relation to the voluntary waiver of 15% or such amount in excess of €200,000, or in the case of the commercial State bodies such amount in excess of €250,000, whichever is the lesser, on 22 July 2011.

Animal Disease Controls

Questions (578)

Michael Creed

Question:

578. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals if any to change the compensation regime for TB and brucellosis reactors particularly where herds have only a single reactor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52573/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My Department has been examining options for implementing the TB eradication programme more efficiently, in particular by leveraging the investment made by the Department in recent years in information technology. In this context, one of the options under consideration is a change to the valuation of single reactors (with the exception of pedigree beef or elite dairy animals) such that single reactors would have a value assigned to them based on an extrapolation of the values assigned to similar animals in valuations of breakdowns where there are 2 or more reactors. The advantage of this approach for farmers who have a single reactor is they will receive their valuation in a more prompt manner which will allow reactors to be moved off the holding earlier and consequently for the next test cycle to commence. It would also eliminate the requirement for herd keepers to meet a valuer on a separate date to value their reactor. This proposal would reduce the cost to my Department of valuing reactors by approximately €230,000 per annum. My Department is involved in a consultation process with the farming organisations on this and other proposals designed to reduce the cost of administering the TB eradication scheme and at the same time reduce the administrative burden on farmers. I will make a decision on implementation of these proposals shortly following the conclusion of the consultation process.

Single Payment Scheme Appeals

Questions (579)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

579. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a single farm appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52578/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The person named is an applicant under the 2012 Single Payment Scheme. In order to comply with EU requirements, the application was one of a number which was selected for inspection. Following the completion of the inspection and related processes, an over-claim was confirmed and accordingly a reduced advance payment issued on 1 November. A letter also issued outlining how the over-claim arose and explaining the appeals procedure in place. An appeal has been received and is being processed. The applicant is due to receive the balancing payment under the Single Payment Scheme on 1 December.

Single Payment Scheme Payments

Questions (580)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

580. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a single payment scheme net payment has been cut by €900 per annum since 2010 in respect of a person (details supplied); the reason the Department have cut his commonage area by c. 20 ha, have not stacked his entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52589/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Under the provisions of the governing EU Regulations, payments under area-based schemes, including the Single Payment Scheme and the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, may be made only in respect of eligible land. Applicants under these schemes are obliged annually to declare the land parcels available to them. Details of the eligible area of the land parcels are recorded on my Department's computer-based land parcel tracking system (Land Parcel Identification System). Details of use and area claimed for each of some one million parcels on the Land Parcel Identification System are monitored by my Department on an ongoing basis. In this context, a specific review was conducted by my Department of the reference areas for all commonages. I can confirm that this review, which is a complex exercise requiring verification of the level of premia payments made to an applicant during one or more of the years in the 2000 to 2002 SPS reference period, has recently been finalised in this case. Arising from this, I am glad to confirm that the Single Payment Entitlements of the person named have now been definitively recalculated. The additional payments due since 2010 will be paid as soon as possible.

Single Payment Scheme Payments

Questions (581)

Paul Connaughton

Question:

581. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway has received no payment in relation to disadvantaged area scheme or single farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52594/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Following correspondence with the person named, issues relating to an overclaim and an overlap in respect of two of the land parcels declared have recently been resolved. The application is currently being further processed, with a view to payments issuing shortly.

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments

Questions (582)

Sean Conlan

Question:

582. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in payment under the 2012 disadvantaged area scheme to a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan [52603/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As processing of the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme application has recently been finalised, payment will shortly issue to the nominated bank account.

Single Payment Scheme Applications

Questions (583)

Pat Breen

Question:

583. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding farm payments in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52739/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The person named submitted an application under the Single Payment Scheme and the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme on 19 April 2012. Payment has already issued in respect of the latter. However, as regards the Single Payment Scheme, entitlements were established for farmers who were farming and in receipt of direct payments under the Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid Schemes during the reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002 and who continued to farm in 2005. Since the person named did not receive such payments during these reference years, no Single Payment Scheme entitlements were established and therefore no payment is due. My Department will contact the person concerned directly to explain the position fully.

Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments

Questions (584)

Paudie Coffey

Question:

584. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the agri environment options scheme grant payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52832/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from 1 September 2010 and full payment totalling €1,673.16 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. These checks have been successfully completed in respect of 2011 and full payment totalling €5,000 has issued to the person named in March 2012. Payments in respect of the 2012 Scheme year are subject to a similar administrative checking process. These checks have been successfully completed and payment will issue shortly to the person named.

Departmental Reports

Questions (585)

Pearse Doherty

Question:

585. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 844 and 867 of 6 November 2012, if he will provide an update given to him, by the High Level Group, on the progress made on the delivery of jobs in the Killybegs region in the key areas other than the seafood sector as identified in the Report of the High Level Group; his views on the rate of progress on this issue and if he believes that the project remains on target to deliver the 250 jobs as identified in the report by 2014 [52840/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As stated in my response to previous questions on 6 November last, I am anxious to see the potential for job creation as identified in the Report of the High Level Group on the Jobs Initiative for the Killybegs region, materialise. I also want to see the greatest possible number of the actions identified in the five Key Areas delivered on so that the potential for job creation can be realised to the greatest extent possible in the current economic climate. The last meeting of this group took place on Monday, 5 November in Killybegs where I understand progress across a range of other areas, in addition to the Seafood area, was reviewed. I can confirm, as I have responsibility for that area, that the seafood development aspects remain on track at this stage to deliver its target of new jobs.

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments

Questions (586)

Paul Connaughton

Question:

586. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive their disadvantaged area payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52847/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As processing of the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme application has recently been finalised, payment will shortly issue to the nominated bank account.

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Applications

Questions (587)

Pat Breen

Question:

587. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 1394 of 18 September 2012, the position regarding a headage payment appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52849/12]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As processing of the application of the person named has recently been finalised, payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme will shortly issue directly to the nominated bank account.