Written Answers Nos. 634 - 657
634. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a REP scheme payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4070/14]
View answerThe person named appealed a decision to apply a 50% penalty for infringement of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to the Agriculture Appeals Office in respect of his 2009 REPS payment. Following consideration of the evidence provided and determination of the facts, a decision was made by The Agriculture Appeals Office to allow this appeal. Arrangements are currently being finalised to pay the monies owed to the person named.
635. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider County Kerry a special area in the context of eligible areas for the single farm payment in view of the nature of its terrain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4076/14]
View answer
636. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment in respect of disadvantaged area scheme and single farm payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4093/14]
View answerThe person named submitted an application under the 2013 Single Payment and Disadvantaged Area Schemes on 16 April 2013. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases, land eligibility inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The application concerned was one of a number which was selected for inspection. The application was initially examined via remote sensing (Satellite Inspection). As over claims were determined on some parcels, these were sent for ground inspection.
The ground inspection process confirmed an over claim of greater than 3% but less than 20% in this case. The person named was notified of this decision on 12 November 2013 and was also informed of his right to seek a review of this decision. To date there is no record of any appeal having been received in my Department.
The advance and balancing payments due under the SPS issued on 25 November and 2 December 2013 respectively based on the reduced eligible area.
The payment due under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme also issued on 28 November 2013.
637. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the educational opportunities available to a young farmer who is currently in full time off farm employment and who wishes to qualify for incentives under the new Common Agricultural Policy and return to full time farming; and they are unable to attend full time or block release programmes. [4094/14]
View answerTeagasc, the Agriculture, Food & Development Authority, has statutory responsibility for the delivery of education and training programmes to the agriculture sector. They deliver a wide range of full and part-time courses suitable for people interested in farming and those who wish to pursue employment in ancillary industries. Teagasc has also developed a suite of adult education programmes to meet the training requirements of part-time farmers. Courses are delivered in the 7 agricultural colleges, local training centres and online by experienced education staff who work closely with the farming sector to ensure that they remain relevant to their needs.
Further information is available on the Teagasc website or by contacting local training centres where Education Officers are available to discuss the options relative to the circumstances of individual farmers.
638. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if broadleaf trees are permitted to be planted in special areas of conservation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4129/14]
View answerIn relation to forestry, for which my Department has responsibility, there is no general restriction on the planting of broadleaf woodlands within Special Areas of Conservation. However, the approval of my Department is required for all proposed afforestation projects, in accordance with the provisions of the European Communities (Forest Consent and Assessment) Regulations, 2010. When considering applications within designated areas such as SACs, my Department must also consult with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to ensure that proposals for projects within such designated areas do not adversely impact on the conservation objectives of the species designated for protection, before a decision on an application is given. Their recommendations may include the types of trees to be planted to ensure that the project is consistent with those objectives.
639. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will receive the outstanding 25% of their AEOS 1 payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4136/14]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from 1 September 2010 and full payments have issued in respect of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Scheme years.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. The 75% payment in respect of the 2013 Scheme year issued to the person named on 27 November 2013. The remaining 25% payment is outstanding pending resolution of a LPIS review issue. My Department is actively pursuing resolution of this issue and payment will issue as soon as possible.
640. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will, in respect of his Department's Audit Committee, provide details of its current membership; the date of appointment of each member; the fees paid to each member; if members of the Committee are required to hold certain professional qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4210/14]
View answerThe members of the Audit Committee in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the relevant dates of appointment are as follows:
Mr Bill Cunningham, Chairman of the Committee, appointed on 13 October 2012.
Mr Finbarr Kelly, appointed on 24 September 2012.
Mr Leo Martin, appointed on 24 September 2012.
Ms Dairine Walsh, appointed on 24 September 2012.
Mr Brendan Gleeson, appointed on 1 September 2013.
Mr Aidan Dunning, appointed on 1 December 2013.
Public Servants serving on the Audit Committee are not entitled to reimbursement for serving on the Audit Committee. Fees are paid to other members based on attendance at meetings, which are usually held 4 times per year, at the following rates:
Chairperson fee: €481.05 per diem
Member fee: €282.79 per diem
While the Committee members are not required to hold any specific professional qualifications, all members are highly experienced and well qualified individuals coming from a wide range of both private and public sector backgrounds.
641. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of farmers by county who are holders of up to 5 ha but are affected by land eligibility imaging issues and, therefore, subject to clawback of single farm payments. [4269/14]
View answer642. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of farmers by county who are holders of between 5 ha and 10 ha but are affected by land eligibility imaging issues and, therefore, subject to clawback of single farm payments. [4270/14]
View answer643. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of farmers by county who are holders of between 10 ha and 15 ha but are affected by land eligibility imaging issues and, therefore, subject to clawback of single farm payments. [4271/14]
View answer644. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of farmers by county who are holders of between 15 ha and 20 ha but are affected by land eligibility imaging issues and, therefore, subject to clawback of single farm payments. [4272/14]
View answer645. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of each group that has been subjected to a clawback of 3% or less. [4273/14]
View answer646. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of each group that has been subjected to a clawback of more than 20%. [4274/14]
View answer647. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appeals against a clawback of single farm payment, due to land eligibility issues, that have been received by his Department. [4275/14]
View answer648. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of money that has been clawed back from farmers as a result of land eligibility issues as a result of new imaging technology in use by his Department. [4276/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 641 to 648, inclusive, together.
The Deputy will be fully aware of the value of the EU funded Direct Payment Schemes to Ireland. Each year farmers in Ireland benefit from funding of over €1.5 billion under Schemes such as the Single Farm Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, the Agri-Environment Schemes, etc. This comprises the entire net income of many thousands of Irish farmers.
The European Commission has an obligation to ensure that Member States manage and use the EU funding granted to them in accordance with the very restrictive provisions governing the Schemes and general financial provisions. All of the lands declared by farmers must be eligible if these lands benefit from payment under one or more of these Schemes. My Department is currently carrying out a comprehensive exercise by excluding ineligible features, such as houses, roads, scrub, rivers, etc. in land parcels declared by farmers. In the vast majority of cases, the exclusion has no impact on payments as the farmers in question have taken a prudent approach and reduced the declared area to take account of the ineligible feature. No cutbacks have been applied on eligible land.
As the Review exercise remains ongoing at present, it is not feasible to collate the data sought by the Deputy. However, data is being extracted and compiled and will be provided directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
649. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Wexford was deducted moneys from a single farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4279/14]
View answerThe Department’s records indicate that in 2012, the amount of nitrogen from livestock manure applied to land on the holding of the person named (including that deposited by animals) was 651 kgs per hectare, which exceeded the limit of 170 kgs per hectare set down in the Nitrates Regulations.
The person named supplied details of additional land available to him in 2012 and the nitrogen per hectare figure was reduced to 188kgs, with the penalty accordingly reduced from 20% to 3% of his 2012 Single Farm Payment. He was informed of this decision on 25 November 2013 but the initial reduction penalty of 20% on his 2012 Single Farm payment was inadvertently applied. A letter informing him of this issued on 18 December 2013 and payment will be refunded this week.
The person named was advised of his right of appeal to the Agriculture Appeals Office and has until 25 February 2014 to avail of this option, i.e three months after the final decision of my Department.
The person named was the subject of a Nitrates inspection by my Department, on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, on 4 March 2013. This inspection recorded breaches under the Nitrates Regulations relating to the inadequate collection of livestock manure, resulting in a penalty of 1% being applied against the 2013 Direct Payments.
The person named was notified of this decision on 13 March 2013. The person named was also informed of the right to seek a review of this decision. To date no request for a review has been received by my Department. In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of any such review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office within 3 months.
650. Deputy Ann Phelan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the redevelopment of the sugar beet industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4284/14]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware of the background to this issue, however, for the information of the House, I wish to confirm that in 2011 I met with two separate groups which had conducted feasibility studies into the possibility of establishing a new sugar/bioethanol facility in the country. I understand from figures published by the interested groups who are investigating the possibility of building a new facility, that the overall capital cost involved could range from €250 million to €400 million, depending on what type of facility will be constructed.
I informed both groups at the time and many times since, that any venture to develop a combined sugar/bioethanol production facility would have to be a viable commercial proposition, and supported by a business case which is sufficiently robust to attract the funding from investors for the very substantial capital investment required. I also informed both groups that it was my job to look for agreement at EU level to allow for the growing of sugar beet for the manufacture of sugar, at the earliest possible date.
In this connection, at the last meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers in June 2013, which I chaired under Ireland’s EU Presidency, I secured agreement as part of the overall CAP reform package, to abolish all sugar quotas by 30 September 2017. This agreement removes, with effect from 1 October 2017, the current quota barrier for operators in Ireland or other Member States, wishing to re-establish a sugar industry. I am glad to note that this agreement has been welcomed by those parties who are interested in seeking to re-establish a sugar industry here.
651. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment of REPS 4 will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4317/14]
View answerThe person named commenced REPS 4 in June 2009 and received payments for the first four 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. This process has been completed for 2013 payments and the 75% Year 5 payment amounting to €7,221.11 issued to the person named on 23 January 2014. The remaining 25% balancing payment will issue shortly.
652. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appointments to State boards under the remit of his Department, that were made as a result of applications made through the publicjobs.ie website in the past three years; the number of board posts that were advertised on publicjobs.ie; the number of board posts that were not advertised on the website but instead were directly appointed; and the average pay to directly appointed board members. [4587/14]
View answerSince May 2011, a notification has been placed on my Department’s website inviting expressions of interest from persons interested in being appointed to the boards of State Bodies under the aegis of my Department. On 20 December 2013 last, I placed an advertisement in the National Newspapers inviting expressions of interest. In view of this, vacancies are not advertised through the Public Jobs website.
The information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the table as at 28 January 2014:
|
Body/Agency |
No of Board Members |
Average Pay to Board Members € |
|
Aquaculture Licensing Appeals Board |
7 |
6,413 |
|
An Bord Bia* |
15 |
12,540 |
|
Bord Iascaigh Mhara |
6 |
8,408 |
|
Bord na gCon |
7 |
13,886 |
|
Coillte |
9 |
13,600 |
|
Horse Racing Ireland |
14 |
13,243 |
|
Irish National Stud |
7 |
8,743 |
|
Marine Institute |
9 |
8,410 |
|
National Milk Agency |
14 |
Chair: €8,978. No remuneration is paid to Board members, only expenses. |
|
Sea Fisheries Protection Authority |
3 |
Authority is comprised of 3 staff. No additional remuneration paid to Authority members. |
|
Teagasc* |
11 |
12,747 |
|
Veterinary Council of Ireland |
19 |
No remuneration is paid to Board members |
* Board members of State Bodies who are officials of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine do not receive board member fees.
653. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of pro bono work provided by legal, accountancy and consulting firms in the past twenty four months to his Department; which of those firms have also been awarded State contracts by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4600/14]
View answerNo legal, accountancy or consulting firms have provided any pro bono work for my Department over the past twenty four months.
654. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of the top 20 consulting firms engaged by his Department, including public bodies, in order of fee generation or cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4613/14]
View answerMy Department uses private contractors, consultants and agencies to provide certain services when such an approach is more cost effective. This can include services such as specialised laboratory services, computer services, legal advice or independent auditing services.
Details of the top twenty consulting firms engaged by this Department for the year 2013 are provided in the table.
|
- |
Consultant/Consultancy Company |
Nature of Work |
Expenditure in 2013 € |
|
1 |
Deloitte |
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine – Annual Accounts Certification as required by EU legislation. |
468,277 |
|
2 |
Smith Carter - an American specialist Biocontainment Engineering consultancy firm |
This company was retained following a procurement process managed by the OPW for the purpose of designing and commissioning the amelioration of the high containment virology CAT 4 facility at the DAFM laboratories at Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. |
192,646 |
|
3 |
Malone O’Regan |
Provision of Consultancy Services for The Bull’s Nose & Storm Gate for North Harbour, Cape Clear, Co. Cork |
93,773 |
|
4 |
Ove Arup & Partners Ireland |
Structural Engineering Consultancy for the East Pier at Howth FHC |
91, 260 |
|
5 |
Mazars |
Assist in the provision of IT Audit Expertise to the Internal Audit Unit. |
61,500 |
|
6 |
RPS |
Civil Engineering Consultancy for Environmental Remediation project at Howth FHC |
51,752 |
|
7 |
Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Consultants |
Ex Ante Evaluation, Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment of the 2014 – 2020 Rural Development Programme |
48,400 |
|
8 |
Drima Marketing Ltd |
Collation, analysis and communication of national wood harvest and trade data on behalf of DAFM, and transmission of data to Eurostat, FAO, the international Energy Agency and other bodies, compilation of support documentation and data related to the CITES convention |
34,668 |
|
9 |
WYG Engineering (NI) Ltd |
Electrical Engineering Consultancy for Howth FHC |
26,826 |
|
10 |
Malachy Walsh & Partners |
Consultancy services for An Daingean FHC Marina Pontoons Replacement and Smart Water Metering |
23,236 |
|
11 |
Espion |
Quarterly independent assessments of the Department’s IT security measures and Biannual independent security review of the Department's IT infrastructure as required for EU accreditation purposes, and independent web facing application testing. |
18,825 |
|
12 |
NTA Monitor Limited |
Quarterly independent assessments of the Department’s IT security measures and Biannual independent security review of the Department's IT infrastructure as required for EU accreditation purposes and independent web facing application testing. |
16,162 |
|
13 |
Danish Forestry Extension |
Wood Energy advisory service (www.woodenergy,ie) and production of publications on wood energy |
15,173 |
|
14 |
Malachy Walsh & Partners |
Consultancy services for Castletownbere FHC New Gangway & Pontoon System |
15,169 |
|
15 |
Arup |
Provision of Consultancy Services for the Proposed Maintenance Dredging of Contaminated Sediment at Dunmore East FHC, Co. Waterford. |
13,284 |
|
16 |
Mott MacDonald Group |
Sewer Data Gathering and local Sewer Design at Dunmore FHC, Co. Waterford |
12,453 |
|
17 |
Henry Phillips, Forestry Consultant |
Professional advice and analysis in relation to the national forest policy review, forest management planning systems and forecasting, and forest valuation |
11,980 |
|
18 |
Norfolk Marine Ltd. |
Survey works report to Killybegs FHC |
10,828 |
|
19 |
Jennings O’Donovan |
Structural Engineering Consultancy for Safety Mooring at Killybegs FHC and Traffic Management Consultancy for Killybegs FHC |
9,723 |
|
20 |
CST group |
Traffic Management Consultancy for Howth FHC and Structural Engineering Consultancy for Killybegs FHC |
9,474 |
655. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to advance a bilateral agreement with Russia for the purposes of inter-country adoption; if she will expedite this work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4358/14]
View answer660. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to last year's delegation visit by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science here, if she has clarified with Russian officials the adoption process as many prospective adoptive parents are still waiting while some are giving up due to age or frustration; if she will provide an update on the adoption situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3979/14]
View answer661. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if officials from her Department have had contact recently with their counterparts in Russia on the matter of inter-country adoption between the respective countries, in particular the prospect of agreeing an appropriate bilateral arrangement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4030/14]
View answer666. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the bilateral adoption agreement with Russia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4176/14]
View answer667. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding negotiations between officials in her Department and their counterparts in Russia to conclude a bilateral agreement in respect of adoption between Ireland and Russia. [4179/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 655, 660, 661, 666 and 667 together.
Efforts are ongoing in my Department in relation to a bilateral agreement on intercountry adoption between Ireland and the Russian Federation. Following my invitation to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science in August 2013 , a delegation of Russian officials travelled to Ireland in October 2013 for discussions on a bilateral agreement on intercountry adoption between Ireland and the Russian Federation. The meeting of the 22nd October 2013 was very positive and detailed discussions took place between the Russian officials and officials from my Department, the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the HSE. At the meeting significant progress was made and my Department, in early November 2013, forwarded to the Russian side further detailed proposals based on the discussions which took place. My Department is at present preparing revised draft wording on a number of points which will be forwarded to the Russian Authorities shortly.
656. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the age criteria for children availing of the free preschool year; if the child care option over 50 weeks of two hours and 15 minutes daily is still available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3595/14]
View answerThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children. Approximately 68,000 children are availing of the ECCE programme in the current school year.
Children are eligible to avail of the free pre-school year where they are aged more than 3 years 2 months and less than 4 years 7 months at 1 September in the relevant year. Children born between 2 February 2009 and 30 June 2010 qualified for the free pre-school year in September 2013 and children born between 2 February 2010 and 30 June 2011 will qualify for the programme in September 2014.
The ECCE programme commenced in January 2010 and a number of transitional measures were included to allow for the flexible introduction of the programme. One of these measures related to the number of weeks over which the free pre-school year could be provided and at that time services were permitted to choose between providing a 38 week or a 50 week model.
The ECCE programme is designed as an educational programme for children and it was intended from the outset that, once the programme had bedded-down, the provision would be delivered using the standard 38 week model only. This is considered the optimal model in terms of ensuring a high-quality early years experience for pre-school children.
The change to the 38 week model only was introduced in September 2012 and all participating services have now successfully made the transition to the new arrangement. There are no proposals to re-introduce the 50 week model.
657. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide in tabular form the number of JobBridge interns taken on in County Louth in her Department from September 2013 until January 2014. [3601/14]
View answerAs my Department is based in Dublin and has no regional offices, the issue of internships being taken on in County Louth does not arise.
