Written Answers Nos. 189-199
189. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an unusual demand for powered milk has been recorded here due to a shortage in China; if such a development has implications, good or bad, for milk producers here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19635/13]
View answerIreland is the largest exporter of infant formula in Europe. It is estimated that Ireland produces 10% of global exports of powdered infant formula and has world class manufacturing facilities producing for the domestic, European and international markets.
There has been an increase in enquiries to my Department about exporting infant formula to China, following recent media coverage about a shortage in that market. Dairy produce exported from Ireland to non EU countries is manufactured in accordance with the relevant national and EU regulations, and approved establishments that manufacture dairy produce are monitored and audited by the Department. Importing countries apply their own standards for imported product and exporting companies manufacture the product accordingly.
Fluctuations in demand from third countries have no direct implications for milk producers but, of course, increased global demand for dairy products will ultimately benefit milk processors and producers. Indeed, it is this increased demand that Food Harvest 2020 aims to capitalise on with a target of a 50% increase in Irish milk production over the next several years.
190. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19647/13]
View answerThe report to which the Deputy refers is currently being examined by my Department in conjunction with the Marine Institute to which it has been forwarded for observations. I can confirm that my Department’s policy on sea lice management is strictly evidence based. The control protocols are operated by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State and are more advanced that those operated in other jurisdictions for the following reasons:- the inspection regime is totally independent of the industry; data obtained as a result of inspections is published; treatment trigger levels are set at a low level. The control protocols have been the subject of detailed investigation and testing by the EU Commission which has confirmed that it regards the sea lice protocols operated in Ireland as representing best practice internationally.
In relation to the application by BIM for an Aquaculture Licence for the cultivation of fin fish in Galway Bay, the application and its accompanying Environmental Impact Statement is being considered under the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act which provide for extensive consultation with stakeholders, including Inland Fisheries Ireland, which has responsibility for wild salmon stocks. The legislation also provides for a period of general public consultation. All matters associated with the application including the impact, if any, on wild salmon stocks, will be given very careful consideration by my Department. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this application which is under active consideration as part of a statutory process.
191. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will have to repay all moneys they received through REP scheme 4 on lands which they had been leasing 14.35ha, said lands having now been sold in recent months; if an appeal will be allowed in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19653/13]
View answerThe person named commenced REPS 4 in June 2008 and received payments for the first five years of their contract. REPS 4 is a measure under the current 2007-13 Rural Development Programme and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before any payments can issue. Under a REPS contract all participants undertake to implement, for a minimum period of 5 years, the measures detailed in their agri-environmental plan. However in the case of the person named following the administrative check, an area discrepancy was discovered between the Single Farm Payment Scheme application for 2010 and the REPS Agri-Environmental Plan due to a reduction in the contracted area.
A letter issued to the person named in May 2011 informing him of the reduced contract area for payment of 62.96 ha, the impending clawback of previous overpayments and the ‘right of appeal’. An appeal was not received by my Department. As the time limit for lodging an appeal has elapsed I wish to advise the person named of the ‘right of appeal’ to the Office of the Ombudsman.
192. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an application will be granted for a new entrant for free quota by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; if this matter will be expedited in view of the circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19660/13]
View answerI recently announced details of the 2013 Scheme for the Allocation of Milk Quota to New Entrants to Dairying. This scheme has a closing date of 7 June 2013. All applications received by that deadline will be processed by officials in my Department to ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria as set out in the Detailed Rules of the Scheme. Applications that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be presented to an independent panel for assessment. Given the limited amount of quota available, the panel will conduct its assessment of all applications in an objective manner and, following a thorough examination of the information presented, the panel will recommend a list of applicants who best demonstrate evidence of a viable and sustainable enterprise. I expect to be in a position to announce the results of the Scheme in mid August 2013.
193. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that he is taking to assist with the sourcing, importation and stockpiling of roughage for farm animals; if an assessment has been made as to the amount of roughage that would be required in the State if the summer weather conditions replicated the conditions experienced last summer, in view of the fact that all possible sources of roughage in the country have now been exhausted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19666/13]
View answerThe unusually wet weather in 2012 resulted in reduced fodder being available on many farms for last winter. The cold and wet weather in the early part of 2013 led to greatly reduced grass growth this Spring, culminating in an acute shortage of fodder currently.
Once fodder shortage became a reality I took a number of steps to aid the farming sector on this issue and have now put a comprehensive package of measures in place to deal with the situation. I met with the CEO’s of the Dairy Co-ops, who have agreed with my request that they will substantially increase the volume of fodder being imported into the country over the short to medium term. In tandem with this, I have created a fund of €1m to contribute to the transport costs of importing fodder, which will reduce the cost of purchasing fodder for farmers by approximately a third. The Dairy Co Ops have also agreed to consider the introduction of interest free credit, within limits, to farmers for the purchase of fertiliser, during the month of May.
Emergency assistance will also be available under the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council’s early warning system. Support is there for any farmer that is facing an emergency situation and I would urge farmers who need support to contact the Department for assistance immediately. I have also met with senior bank representatives and have asked them for flexibility over the coming period for farmers that wish to access credit at this time. In addition, outstanding scheme payments are being processed by my Department with urgency.
While access to fodder is the immediate priority, grass growth will be a crucial factor in alleviating the current situation and in ensuring that there will be sufficient fodder conserved for next winter. In that regard, I have asked the advisory services to prioritise advice to farmers in the period ahead and to focus on the optimum use of fertiliser in generating feed for the national herd. The situation is being constantly monitored and I will continue to work with all stakeholders in the sector to get through this difficult period caused by very unusual weather patterns.
194. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown per county of the total number of farmers that are awaiting payments under the agri-environment options scheme; the reasons for the delay in administering payments; the expected date that the payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19684/13]
View answerUnder the EU Regulations governing the scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. Successive EU audits have made it absolutely clear that compliance with the Regulations must be strictly adhered to and that all administrative checks must be passed and eligibility conditions met before payment issues. As a result, my Department is obliged to ensure that individual payments will not issue until all aspects of a farmer’s application are in order, all outstanding documentation provided and all queries resolved.
Outstanding payments under both AEOS I and AEOS II are largely due to unresolved queries associated with applications and in most instances officials in my Department will have contacted the applicants concerned with the intention of issuing payment as soon as possible. There is a specific issue delaying payments under AEOS 2 related to non productive capital investments. In order to facilitate the 2012 payment applicants must have submitted a valid claim form, if they have selected a non-productive capital investment action. However a significant number of applicants have either not submitted a claim form or have outstanding queries associated with submitted forms. Officials in my Department have been in contact with all these farmers and are dealing with the responses received with the intention of clearing any backlog as soon as possible.
The information requested is not readily available but will be collated and forwarded directly to the Deputy. I am also conscious that farmers are experiencing difficulties given the current fodder shortage. Payments are being processed as promptly as possible. €2.5 million will be paid out in payments over the coming weeks.
195. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown per county of the total number of farmers that are awaiting payments under the disadvantaged areas scheme; the reasons for the delay in administering payments; the expected date that the payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19685/13]
View answerPayments under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme commenced, on target, on 26 September 2012 and, to date, payments worth in excess of €207 million have issued to 94,529 of the total of 102,083 who applied. Details are given in the Annex. However, as demonstrated below, no undue delay currently exists in processing cases and payments continue to issue twice weekly, as individual cases are confirmed eligible.
A major factor impacting on processing of 2012 Scheme applications arose from the changes made to better focus the Scheme in light of budgetary realities and, in particular, ensuring that affected applicants could have access to robust and fair derogation and appeal processes. In this context, my Department wrote to in excess of 10,000 beneficiaries under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme whose holdings had not achieved the minimum stocking density of 0.3 livestock units per forage hectare, as required under the Terms and Conditions of the 2012 Scheme.
In response, my Department received a total of 9,829 derogation applications of which 7,385 were successful. Those, whose applications were unsuccessful, were informed of their right of appeal to the independently chaired DAS Appeals Committee, on foot of which 1,572 appeals were received. On the basis of additional information which had not previously been submitted, my Department was in a position to overturn the original decision on 612 cases, without the need to refer the cases to the DAS Appeals Committee.
Of the appeals submitted to the Committee, decisions have been taken in respect of 844 cases, of which 302 were allowed, 458 disallowed and 84 requested to submit additional information. Processing of the outstanding appeals remains ongoing.
On a more general note, the overall position is that those who have not received payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme (i.e. 7,554 cases – see table) are not yet confirmed eligible for payment. Of the 7,554 cases in question, 3,556 have not, as yet, shown that their holdings satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements. The holdings of a further 2,822 did not achieve the minimum stocking density of 0.3 livestock units in 2011; 444 cases relate to applicants being deceased or change of ownership where my Department must await legal formalities to be completed. A further 47 cases relate to cases where it has not been demonstrated that equines are eligible. The remaining 685 cases in the main relate to outstanding area-related issues.
2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme
|
Name |
Applied |
Paid |
Gross Amount |
|
Carlow |
757 |
708 |
€1,457,968.65 |
|
Cavan |
4,851 |
4,589 |
€9,942,480.88 |
|
Clare |
6,135 |
5,780 |
€13,926,017.47 |
|
Cork |
7,127 |
6,704 |
€15,353,624.81 |
|
Donegal |
8,485 |
7,597 |
€17,634,172.68 |
|
Dublin |
134 |
116 |
€250,656.27 |
|
Galway |
12,177 |
11,139 |
€24,158,510.63 |
|
Kerry |
7,723 |
7,154 |
€17,643,066.85 |
|
Kildare |
523 |
465 |
€826,652.81 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,768 |
1,662 |
€3,484,943.75 |
|
Laois |
1,727 |
1,609 |
€3,188,848.99 |
|
Leitrim |
3,483 |
3,220 |
€7,252,000.29 |
|
Limerick |
2,933 |
2,718 |
€5,373,814.93 |
|
Longford |
2,392 |
2,266 |
€4,978,349.96 |
|
Louth |
756 |
685 |
€1,142,766.91 |
|
Mayo |
11,621 |
10,695 |
€22,922,103.82 |
|
Meath |
1,355 |
1,260 |
€2,297,512.50 |
|
Monaghan |
4,108 |
3,863 |
€7,660,546.74 |
|
Offaly |
2,397 |
2,246 |
€4,486,745.07 |
|
Roscommon |
5,746 |
5,395 |
€11,889,546.34 |
|
Sligo |
4,064 |
3,714 |
€8,082,267.69 |
|
Tipperary |
4,536 |
4,236 |
€9,029,815.31 |
|
Waterford |
1,449 |
1,326 |
€2,721,511.86 |
|
Westmeath |
2,653 |
2,501 |
€5,070,850.28 |
|
Wexford |
1,432 |
1,278 |
€2,354,521.62 |
|
Wicklow |
1,751 |
1,603 |
€3,904,501.61 |
|
TOTALS |
102,083 |
94,529 |
€207,033,798.72 |
196. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if adequate support services are in place to support foster parents (details supplied). [19544/13]
View answerIn placing a child in foster care, the HSE regards the welfare the child as paramount, having regard to the rights and duties of his/her parents. Each child in foster care has a social worker who visits the child in the foster carers' home and maintains a link with the child’s birth family. 90.8% of children in relative foster care have an allocated social worker while 92.2% in general foster care have an allocated social worker.
Every foster carer also has a social worker, known as a link worker, to support and supervise them. The link workers responsibilities include ensuring that foster carers receive all relevant information and advice about the children including background history, health and education. The link worker organises training, provides regular supervision and support for foster carers and their children and ensures that foster carers are aware of and operate within relevant standards, policies and guidance of the HSE. The link worker also provides foster carers with specific written information on and explanations of HSE procedures should a complaint or allegation be made against them and the supports available in such an event.
Support is also available from Public Health Nurses, psychologists and child care workers as appropriate with other professionals being accessed if necessary, for example, speech therapists, counselling services etc. Any concerns that a foster carer has about a child's welfare may be addressed to the appropriate person from the support network available to them. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in relation to the recruitment of social workers, the HSE has advised me that as of 15 April, there are currently 123 vacant posts being filled.
197. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason, as part of the Health Service Executive assessment of applicants, a person wishing to adopt is required to nominate a single country from which he or she wishes to adopt and any subsequent approval to adopt is then limited to adoptions from that same country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19589/13]
View answerAs part of the assessment process in relation to an application for a declaration of eligibility and suitability to adopt, applicants are required to select a country from which they would like to adopt and must research the country and the specific needs in relation to adopting a child from this country. The social worker assesses applicants with reference to the known needs of children from different countries and the specific capacities of these particular applicants to meet the needs of a child adopted from this area. Following the issuance of a declaration to adopt, should an applicant wish to change to another country they may contact their social worker for an updated assessment in this regard.
198. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason in the context of intercountry adoption, that a declaration of suitability is only valid for a period of two years; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in many cases this period is insufficient to complete an adoption; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19590/13]
View answerThe expiration of declarations is covered under Section 41 (1) of the Adoption Act, 2010. The section provides that a declaration of eligibility and suitability expires after 24 months from the date of issuance of the declaration or after a further period of not more than 12 months that the Adoption Authority may specify. I understand that at the time of drafting of the legislation it was felt that this provided an adequate period following the initial assessment of applicants to complete an adoption. Given the changing landscape of intercountry adoption, this may no longer be the case. I am currently examining a number of proposals in relation to amendments to the Adoption Act, 2010. I intend to bring forward any changes to the legislation in conjunction with the draft Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2013, which I propose to bring before the Oireachtas in the coming months. However, any change to the length of validity of a declaration must be weighed up against the necessity to ensure that an applicant's current situation in relation to their suitability to adopt is taken in to account in the adoption process.
199. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views regarding core funding in respect of a facility (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19576/13]
View answerThe Youth Affairs Unit of my Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of some €53.173m is available in 2013 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2 and Local Drugs Task Force Projects.
The Youth Service referred to by the Deputy administers a number of youth projects under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme and one Youth Information Centre on behalf of my Department. The allocations to the organisation's youth projects and youth information centre in 2013 are €511,465.
A comprehensive Value for Money and Policy Review of youth funding has been commenced in my Department and this report is expected later this year. It is anticipated that this report will inform the provision of funding for youth programmes/services going into the future.
In addition my Department is developing a new youth policy framework for publication later this year. The new youth policy framework will aim to enhance the provision of youth services and activities and it will, inter alia, promote co-ordination between government departments and youth sector organisations with a view to maximising the effectiveness of the State funding available to support services for young people in future years.
