Written Answers Nos. 202 - 209
202. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Defence when a decision will be made on an application for the use of the restored armoured car Sliabh na mBan for an event associated with The Gathering (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30867/13]
View answerA number of requests are received in my Department each year seeking the participation of the Sliabh na mBan in various events. In considering these requests, a number of factors are taken into account. This vehicle is a national artefact and is of great importance to the Defence Forces and the Irish nation as a whole. Therefore, because of its importance, it is necessary to strike a balance between making the vehicle available to the public on appropriate occasions, and ensuring that it is properly maintained and preserved. In addition, significant Military resources are required for the transportation and security of the vehicle during the time that it is away from Military property. The Military have made arrangements to display Sliabh na mBan in the Curragh Military Museum in an effort to increase its accessibility to members of the public and to reduce the requirement to transport the vehicle to events around the country. I have made enquiries in relation to the particular event that the Deputy has referred to and, unfortunately in this instance it is not possible to make the Sliabh na mBan available for the reasons outlined above.
203. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) was not accepted into the agri-environment option scheme 3; if he intends to accept more applicants into the scheme; his plans to allow young applicants into the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30858/13]
View answerAn application under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme from the person named was received in my Department on 30 November 2012. The process of ranking and selecting all AEOS applicants was clearly set out in the scheme documentation. Acceptance into the scheme was established using the pre-determined selection criteria as follows:
1. farmers in the Boora region of Co. Offaly who chose Wild Bird Cover Option B (Grey Partridge) as one of their selected options,
2. farmers with a minimum of 0.5 hectares of designated land,
3. farm partnerships,
4. farmers who previously participated in REPS commencing with smallest farms and
5. others based on farm size (again favouring smaller holdings).
Based on the funding available farmers in category 4 with 22.06 hectares of utilisable agricultural area and below were successful. Category 4 farmers with areas greater than this and all farmers in category 5 were unsuccessful. The person named comes under category 5 as he had not previously participated in REPS. On this basis a letter issued to the person named on 27 May informing him that he was not successful and setting out the reasons. The person was also informed of right of appeal to AEOS Section. An appeal was received from the person named and it is currently being considered. The person named will be notified in writing of the outcome of this appeal once a decision has been made. I have no plans to allocate additional funding to AEOS 3 in order to extend the number of available places in the Scheme.
204. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim was not accepted into the agri-environment option scheme 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30859/13]
View answerAn application under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme from the person named was received in my Department on 14 November 2012. The process of ranking and selecting all AEOS applicants was clearly set out in the scheme documentation. Acceptance into the scheme was established using the pre-determined selection criteria as follows:
1. farmers in the Boora region of Co. Offaly who chose Wild Bird Cover Option B (Grey Partridge) as one of their selected options,
2. farmers with a minimum of 0.5 hectares of designated land,
3. farm partnerships,
4. farmers who previously participated in REPS commencing with smallest farms and
5. others based on farm size (again favouring smaller holdings).
The person named was a previous participant in REPS. Based on the funding available farmers in category 4 with 22.06 hectares of utilisable agricultural area and below were successful. As the farm size of the person named is 31.37, the application was unsuccessful. On 27 May 2013, a letter issued to the person named informing him that he was not successful and setting out the reasons.
205. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 230 of 16 May 2013, if he will explain the process used here to adapt the international principles to the Irish principles of sustainability. [30879/13]
View answerAs advised in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 230 of 16 May 2013, it was the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which developed a set of 10 international principles and criteria (P&C) for responsible forest management, with these international P&C adapted locally in many countries to develop into national P&C. As also previously advised, the Forest Stewardship Council (Ireland) website contains the Irish FSC standard (May 2012) available for download. In relation to contacting the Forest Stewardship Council, I understand that the first point of contact is the national FSC representative (FSC Network Partners) who can assist with national information on FSC products and certification. I note that the local representative in Ireland is Forest Stewardship Council Ireland (FSC IE). An explanation of the process used to adapt the International Principles to the Irish Principles of Sustainability is a matter for this body.
206. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive payment under the cow suckler scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30887/13]
View answerThe person named registered 21 beef breed animals during 2012. Full payment in respect of 16 animals issued on 17th June 2013. Of the remainder, two calves are ineligible for payment as their dams were between 22 and 24 months at time of calving, while the eligibility of the other three has not yet been established. When the relevant information has been received from the person named, the matter can be further progressed.
207. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) has not yet been accepted for agri-environment option scheme payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30919/13]
View answerAn application under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme from the person named was received in my Department on 7 December 2012. During the pre approval validation checks on the application, it was found that person named had selected a combination of actions which did not comply with the Terms and Conditions of the scheme. As a result of this, two of the actions selected by the person named were ineligible and so removed from the application of the person named. Without these actions the basic eligibility requirements had not been met and the application was deemed to be unsuccessful. On 10 June 2013, a letter issued to the person named informing him of this and giving him the option of appeal to the Department.
208. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing a grant for agricultural land drainage schemes, as the very wet weather of the past two years has shown the need for more drainage. [30921/13]
View answerThere is a wide range of important issues to be examined in considering the introduction of a scheme for land drainage including policy, environmental, financial and administrative issues. The policy framework which will determine the measures which will be permitted under the next EU programming period is still under negotiation. When the new framework is in place, I will be examining all options and opportunities to ensure that the maximum benefit is derived from the financial resources available.
209. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the 2012 agri-environment options scheme/natura 2000 scheme will be approved in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30981/13]
View answerAn application under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme from the person named was received in my Department on 29 November 2012. The process of ranking and selecting all AEOS applicants was clearly set out in the scheme documentation. Acceptance into the scheme was established using the pre-determined selection criteria as follows:
1. farmers in the Boora region of Co. Offaly who chose Wild Bird Cover Option B (Grey Partridge) as one of their selected options,
2. farmers with a minimum of 0.5 hectares of designated land,
3.farm partnerships,
4. farmers who previously participated in REPS commencing with smallest farms and
5. others based on farm size (again favouring smaller holdings).
The person named was a previous participant in REPS. Based on the funding available farmers in category 4 with 22.06 hectares of utilisable agricultural area and below were successful. As the farm size of the person named is 24.38, the application was unsuccessful. On 27 May 2013, a letter issued to the person named informing him that he was not successful and setting out the reasons. The person was also informed of right of appeal to AEOS Section. An appeal was received from the person named and it is currently being considered. The person named will be notified in writing of the outcome of this appeal once a decision has been made.
