Written Answers Nos. 199-207
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Written Answers Nos. 199-207
199. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which conservation measures already adopted in the context of the Common Fisheries Policy or otherwise continue to improve fish stocks in traditional Irish fishing waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53588/13]
View answerThis Department’s recent Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) summarises the pressure on the 59 stocks dealt with in the 2013 Stock Book and compares with the same evaluation presented last year. While there has been some improvement in the status of some fish stocks, others remain a concern.
The newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy prioritises conservation measures and environmental issues and implements the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management to ensure the negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised, it also endeavours to ensure that aquaculture and fisheries activities avoid the degradation of the marine environment.
The SIA also notes that the activities of the fleet have other impacts on the wider marine ecosystem. Greater efforts are necessary to achieve a more harmonious and eco-friendly interaction with the broader environment and to support compliance with European Environmental Directives.
As a general principal Ireland is committed to having Total Allowable Catches set at levels that can produce Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2015, where possible and by 2020 at the latest, this is consistent with the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy reform. A core objective of the Common Fisheries Policy is to "ensure exploitation of living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions". Under the ongoing reform of the CFP, the goal of attaining fishing mortality rates that are consistent with delivering maximum sustainable yield by 2015 has been set. While achieving this through the regulation of catches (TACs) may be relatively straight-forward in the context of a single species fishery; in multi-gear, multi-species and multi-fleet fisheries using single species, TAC constraints are complex and challenging.
A practical and phased discards policy is now being introduced where in the early years of implementation, TACs and quotas will be set to take account of current levels of discards, which should see quotas increase over time.
I am fully supportive of implementing appropriate measures to achieve the objectives set out in the CFP reform. The new Common Fisheries Policy reform agreement will bring real and meaningful reform to how EU waters are fished in the future. The agreement is designed to ensure the long term sustainability of fishing in Ireland and throughout EU waters.
200. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when REP scheme 4 payment will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53596/13]
View answerThe person named commenced REPS 4 in May 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. Administrative checks in respect of the 2013 payments have been finalised and the 75% payment amounting to €5898.82 issued to the person named on the 5th December 2013. The remaining 25% balancing payment will issue shortly.
201. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on an appeal for disadvantaged area scheme payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53600/13]
View answerAs processing of the appeal received from the person named under the 2013 Disadvantaged Area Scheme has recently been successfully finalised, payment will issue shortly, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
202. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he will take to deal with the issue of oversupply of horses in the country and with the large number of abandoned horses both in urban and rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53601/13]
View answerMy Department is keeping the horse welfare situation under review and, in particular, the need for additional welfare measures. However, there is no evidence of a major welfare problem in the horse sector at present due to the relatively high level of horse slaughterings this year and the very good weather well into the Autumn, which has created a very favourable fodder situation.
My Department, in conjunction with the local authorities and the gardaí are adopting a pro-active approach in relation to welfare issues in the horse sector and this has reduced the numbers of abandoned horses throughout the country particularly in urban areas. The Deputy may be aware that, in recent weeks, 82 horses were seized in the Cork city area. While a small number of horses had to be euthanized on welfare grounds, the majority that were seized are being re-homed with the assistance of welfare groups and the remainder were required to be correctly identified in accordance with EU legislation prior to being returned to their owners. Furthermore, last week, my Department engaged with the local authority and An Garda Síochána in a similar proactive manner in County Wicklow.
My Department devotes considerable resources to issues relating to the welfare of animals including horses. To date this year, my Department has paid some €2.5m to the Local Authorities under the Control of Horses Act to enable them to deal with stray and unwanted horses. My Department also provides considerable financial support to animal welfare organisations to assist them in the delivery of animal care and welfare services. In 2012, this funding came to a total of €1,365,000 to some 140 organisations. I plan to make an allocation in respect of 2014 shortly.
In conclusion, I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work with local authorities and gardaí in other areas if similar cases occur and intervention is required. I urge the public to continue to avail of the Animal Welfare Helpline in operation by my Department, to report instances where animal welfare may be compromised on 1850 211 990.
203. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of registered horses in the country at present; the number slaughtered at registered premises during the past five years; the estimated number of unregistered horses in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53602/13]
View answerIt is not possible to provide the exact number of registered equines resident in the country at present due to the absence of precise figures for exports and unrecorded deaths in the information provided by the Passport Issuing Organisations to my Department earlier this year, in the context of the establishment of a central data base by the Department.
However, I understand that a study entitled “Economic Contribution of the Sport Horse Industry to the Irish Economy”, commissioned by Horse Sport Ireland and carried out by UCD in 2012, estimated the population of sport horses registered with Passport Issuing Organisations at 124,000. Furthermore, estimates provided by Weatherbys Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland indicate that the number of thoroughbred horses in the breeding sector and in training was 30,000 in 2012. In view of the nature of the issue, it is not possible to provide any reasonable estimate of the number of unregistered horses in the country. The number of horses slaughtered at approved premises in each of the years since 2009 was as follows:
|
YEAR |
TOTAL |
|
2009 |
4,247 |
|
2010 |
9,790 |
|
2011 |
17,560 |
|
2012 |
24,362 |
|
2013 (up to 30/11/13) |
10,027 |
204. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts his Department is making to prevent British ships from fishing in Irish waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53618/13]
View answerAccess arrangements for all EU fishing vessels are set down in the Common Fisheries Policy. As the deputy is aware, UK fishing vessels have access to fishing quotas in ICES Areas VI and VII under the Common Fisheries Policy. Operational issues in relation to sea fisheries control are a matter for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).
205. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding DNA testing on pigmeat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53639/13]
View answerIn 2011, the European Union passed a new Council Regulation on Food Information for the Consumers (FIC), Regulation 1169/2011, which has updated the requirements for consumer information and labelling in a number of areas including;
- country of origin or place of provenance including the origin labelling for meats other than beef (that is pigs, sheep, goats and poultry),
- voluntary labelling of all foods and
- the mandatory labelling of meat as an ingredient.
These requirements are to be implemented by way of EU Commission implementing regulations and these regulations were agreed last week and will come into force on 1 April 2015. Consumers should rightly expect not to be misled by inaccurate labelling and must have confidence in what they are eating. Ireland will continue to give leadership in this area and will work with its EU partners to strengthen consumer assurance measures, including more accurate labelling requirements as set out in the Regulation (1169/2011/EC). I can assure the Deputy that Ireland will rigorously enforce these new regulations.
206. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an application or submission was received from Tuam, County Galway in respect of the area-based interventions addressing child poverty; the type of organisations that made submissions or applications; if it is still open to groups to make submissions or applications; the plans for such interventions in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53410/13]
View answerMy Department is responsible for implementing the new Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme 2013-2016 which is an early intervention and prevention programme which provides for targeted, evidence based interventions, to improve outcomes for children and families in areas of severe disadvantage. The ABC programme is co-funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and will have a total funding allocation over 2013-2016 of €29.7m.
In March of this year, applications were invited from area-based not-for-profit organisations, which were either part of a pre-existing consortium or were prepared to form one for the purpose of the new programme. In each case, the consortium had to be led by an organisation with a proven track record of working with statutory and non-statutory service providers and local community groups. The scoring criteria identified in the application process were evidence of need; quality of the proposal; additionality and sustainability; and understanding and capturing outcomes. The closing date for receipt of applications was 31st May 2013.
Fifty applications to participate in the new programme were received and evaluated against the programme criteria. The evaluation process was undertaken by a Working Group of the Inter-departmental Project Team which was set up in February of this year to oversee the implementation of the programme. The Project Team is chaired by my Department and includes representatives from seven other Departments, our co-funders The Atlantic Philanthropies and two organisations, Pobal and the Centre for Effective Services, which have been designated to manage the programme on behalf of my Department.
Based on the evaluation process, in addition to the three projects which participated in the previous Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) implemented by my Department in partnership with The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Project Team recommended nine of the fifty applicants for entry into the next, design stage of the programme. A further application was recommended for entry to the design stage of the programme, on the basis that it will form part of one of the three projects which were previously in the PEIP. The recommendations of the Project Team were noted by Government on 25th November 2013.
I can confirm to the Deputy that an application was received from Galway Early Education, under the lead organisation Galway City Partnership, but that this application is not included in the areas which have been invited to proceed to the next stage. My Department is currently engaged in supporting successful applicants through the design stage of the programme and there are no plans at present to invite new applications. My Department will, however, be developing a mentoring programme in 2014 in the implementation of evidence-based programmes to improve outcomes for children and young people, for applicants which did not score sufficiently highly to enter the programme at this stage but showed future potential against the criteria set for the programme. I understand that Galway Early Education was included in this group and has been invited to participate in the mentoring programme when it is established.
207. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding East Clare Community Co-Op Society Ltd has received from the Department in 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53434/13]
View answerThe Department of Children and Youth Affairs does not directly provide funding to the East Clare Community Co-Op Society Limited. However, the Deputy might note that the Family Support Agency, which falls under the remit of my Department, provides funding to the organisation under its Scheme of Grants for Marriage, Child and Bereavement Counselling Services. The amounts paid under this Scheme since 2011 are set out in the following table:
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2011 |
€10,700 |
|
2012 |
€9,500 |
|
2013 |
€8,300 |
