Written Answers Nos. 200-207
200. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment in respect of agri-environment option scheme 2 will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9130/13]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the 2011 Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2011 and full payment totalling €1,043.89 issued in respect of 2011.
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. Payments in respect of the 2012 Scheme year are subject to a similar administrative checking process which includes verification of capital investment actions through checks on receipts submitted. During these checks queries were identified in relation to the capital expenditure claim of the person named. My Department has made contact with the person named regarding these matters and the application will be further processed upon receipt of a response to these queries.
201. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim will receive their agri-environment options scheme payment for 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9167/13]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the 2011 Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2011.
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. During these checks issues were identified in relation to the claimed areas on the Natura action. Officials in my Department are currently investigating these issues with the intention of finalising and issuing payment for 2011 as soon as possible.
202. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on the review of a single farm payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9196/13]
View answerThe applicant was advised, by letter dated 28th January 2013, of the outcome of the review in this case, which resulted in the removal of the over-claim sanction originally applied.
Monies due as a result of this decision, relating to the 2012 Single Payment Scheme, issued to the applicant’s nominated bank account on 24th January 2013. Monies due under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme will issue shortly.
203. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the event that his Department is unable to meet the demand for veterinary inspectors required to carry out the necessary controls and inspections relating to the live export industry and in particular exports to Northern Ireland, if he will consider outsourcing the veterinary certification of cattle at point of exports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9250/13]
View answerPrivate veterinary practitioners are already widely used by my Department to carry out functions in the veterinary area. Any proposal to increase the role of private veterinary practitioners in respect of functions currently carried out by veterinarians employed full time by my Department would be considered in a situation where my Department had insufficient staff to fulfil its existing obligations.
204. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if EU-wide regulation of the meat industry will include compulsory DNA testing carried out by the relevant authorities in each State; if this testing will be carried out on an unannounced inspection basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9258/13]
View answerFollowing my meeting with 8 EU Ministers and Commissioner Borg in Brussels on 13th February, in relation to the ongoing issue of the mislabelling of meat, the EU Standing Committee on Food and Animal Health (SCOFAH) met on 15th February to agree the detail of a pan European testing programme. At the SCOFCAH meeting, experts from all Member States discussed the Commission’s proposals to test meat and meat products for the presence of horse DNA and to test for the presence of phenylbutazone (or bute). The Commission’s proposals received the support of the majority of Member States and were agreed by consensus. Ireland strongly supported the Commission’s proposals which represent another important step in restoring consumer confidence in this area.
It has been agreed that the testing of meat and meat products may commence immediately and will be co-funded by the Commission at a rate of 75 per cent for the first month. Results from the first round of tests, to be carried out by the end of March, will have to be reported to the Commission by 15th April. The number of DNA tests, which will be carried out on the basis of representative sampling, is expected to exceed 2,250 across the EU, and this will be supplemented by bute testing on the basis of one sample per 50 tonnes of horsemeat.
This testing will contribute to a clearer understanding of the situation across Europe and may be extended for a further two months. The issue will be discussed again at the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 25th February.
DNA testing has been deployed in recent times as part of the FSAI’s proactive approach to food authenticity and food fraud control programmes in this country. It was this testing which first uncovered the issue relating to mislabelling of meat that has since become a matter of concern across Europe. In the light of recent developments I had separately requested Irish manufacturers of processed meat products to carry out DNA testing and to work with the FSAI in developing testing protocols, to provide further reassurance to Irish consumers and consumers of Irish food abroad about the authenticity of ingredients in our meat based products. The FSAI and my Department met with the meat processing sector on 14th February to agree a national protocol for DNA testing of meat to be applied at retail, catering and processing level in Ireland. DNA testing will apply from now on as part of routine food testing across the country. The industry has already been engaged in product testing of over 200 samples and results received by the FSAI to date have all been negative for equine DNA (except for a further 5 that tested positive, which related to products previously identified as a problem and which had already been removed from the market).
In addition to the testing for bute agreed to at EU level, my Department and the FSAI are formulating a more comprehensive testing regime for horsemeat to provide full reassurance that no illegal slaughtering of horsemeat is taking place.
I believe good progress has been made in securing a significant response at European level to this ongoing controversy. We now have a co-ordinated EU testing plan in place introduced by the Commission at the behest of the Irish Presidency. Our investigation continues and information is being shared with other competent authorities and with Europol. The industry, which has primary responsibility for food placed on the market, has agreed to introduce additional DNA testing in order to provide reassurance to consumers. Ireland continues to be to the forefront in addressing this issue and we will continue to take whatever actions become necessary in this regard.
205. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the specific detail of the new green criteria which will be linked to 30% of the national payment ceiling as proposed by the EU Commission; the way this criteria will affect and benefit farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9261/13]
View answerOne of the key policy issues in this CAP reform is the focus on the "greening" of direct payments, which is provided for in the draft regulation on direct payments. Greening refers to a new payment per hectare to farmers who are following agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment. The Commission is proposing that 30% of the national ceiling be set aside for these payments.
In order to attract the basic payment and to qualify for the green element, it is proposed that farmers must comply with three compulsory green measures. The measures proposed are:
- retention of permanent grassland (with a 5% tolerance) at farmer level,
- crop diversification (3 different crops, minimum coverage of 5% and maximum coverage of 70%), and
- establishment of ecological focus areas (7% of land, excluding permanent pasture, devoted to ecological purposes).
Ireland supports the idea of encouraging sustainable forms of agriculture, which is at the heart of the Food Harvest 2020 strategy, and can support the Commission in its desire to further enhance the green credentials of direct payments. However, I believe it is preferable to do so in a way that avoids adding excessive bureaucracy. The Commission’s proposals give rise to concerns in this respect. There are also concerns that the proposed structure of the greening payment, which will comprise 30% of the annual national ceiling for direct payments, would hasten the movement towards uniform national or regional payment rates. In addition, there are practical difficulties with the three greening criteria proposed that need to be resolved. Almost all Member States share these concerns.
Negotiations on greening are still in train so that it is not possible at this point in time to outline the specific detail of the arrangements that will apply. Efforts to agree a common approach in the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers to greening have focused on the need to maximise flexibility for Member States in the implementation of the three criteria, and to allow other environmentally beneficial activities, namely, participation in agri-environmental and national sustainability schemes, to qualify as "green by definition".
As regards the three criteria, there is resistance to maintaining permanent grassland at individual farm level as proposed by the Commission, there is a general preference for a higher threshold than 3 hectares for crop diversification and to have a two-crop rule for smaller farms, and on ecological focus areas, the discussion is centring on whether there should be a reduction of the 7% requirement or an increase in the qualifying areas, as well as an increase in the 3 hectare threshold.
A number of Member States want greening to be optional, i.e. that if a farmer did not meet his/her greening obligations, they would forfeit the green payment but suffer no further penalty on the basic direct payment. There is also the question of whether the greening requirements should be incorporated into what is known as the Pillar 2 baseline, beyond which farmers would have to satisfy additional environmental criteria in order to receive Pillar 2 payments.
Finally, an important issue from an Irish perspective is whether the greening payment is a flat-rate payment. We would prefer the greening payment to be a percentage of each individual farmer’s payment rather than a flat rate. This is also a key component of the Irish alternative model for the internal convergence of direct payments within Member States.
206. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the State agencies or bodies not currently included under Schedules 1 and 2 of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9026/13]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that Schedules 1 and 2 of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 Act were repealed by the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 - section 22(e) - with effect from November 2012. My colleague Minister Howlin in the Department of Public Service and Reform reactivated the Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008 during the Summer of 2012. He proposed to make a number of revisions to the original Bill which also included some minor amendments to the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002. Having consulted with the Ombudsman for Children, I availed of the opportunity of Minister Howlin's draft legislation to make further changes to the 2002 Act, taking account of the views of Ms. Logan and her report on the operation of the 2002 Act in March 2012. The new legislation extends the range of public bodies to come within the remit of the Ombudsman for Children. As a result of amendments contained in sections 4 and 22 of the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 any reviewable agency which comes under the remit of the Ombudsman will now automatically come under the remit of the Ombudsman for Children. Thus the jurisdictions of both offices are aligned and there is legal certainty and clarity on the matter.
It appears that the Deputy is seeking the list of bodies that are outside the scope of the remit of the Ombudsman for Children. This information can now be found in the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012. The First Schedule to that Act lists the "reviewable agencies" and Part II of that schedule lists the elements of those reviewable agencies that does not come within the remit of the Ombudsman or Ombudsman for Children. The Second Schedule to the Act lists the "exempt agencies".
207. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will address the delay to some youth services, in the north inner city of Dublin, in being informed of 2013 funding from CDYSB; the reason for this delay; and the funding allocation for 2013. [9240/13]
View answerFunding of €53.173m, including €1.75 for a new capital funding programme, has been provided to my Department in 2013 for the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country through a number of schemes.
These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drug Task Force projects and certain other provisions including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. This funding supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector.
The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department has now notified all Grant Administering Agencies including Vocational Education Committees that administer funding on behalf of my Department, of their funding allocations for 2013. The Youth Projects in the North Inner City, referred to by the Deputy, will be notified of their allocation by the City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) in due course.
In an effort to ensure greater flexibility in the allocation of funding, it is open to organisations/VECs/administrative agencies to reconfigure the allocations to individual projects under the various funding schemes provided the overall financial allocations for the individual schemes remain within the allocated funding for the year. Any proposals for amalgamations/reconfiguration of allocations to individual projects under these schemes must be submitted to the Youth Affairs Unit of my Department for consideration and approval and cannot be implemented without the approval of my Department. Every effort will be made by the Unit to ensure a quick response to such requests.
