Written Answers Nos. 97-104
97. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their single farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45711/14]
View answerAn application under 2014 Single Payment / Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 3 April 2014. Processing of the application has recently been finalised and payment of Single Farm Payment will shortly issue, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
98. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he put forward proposals at the most recent meeting of the EU Agriculture Council regarding the serious difficulties facing many dairy farmers due to impending super levy penalties; the outcome of such discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45750/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, this issue has been the subject of much discussion at EU level over the recent past. The superlevy is set by milk quota Regulations agreed at EU level. Any amendment to the regime requires a proposal from the Commission and agreement of a qualified majority of all other Member States. At numerous Agriculture Council meetings over the recent past the issue of additional measures to ensure a ‘soft landing’ to milk quota abolition in 2015 was discussed. I, and some other like-minded Ministers, consistently called on the Commission to take action to ease the burden of the super levy in the final year of the quota regime but such an agreement was not forthcoming at the time and this remains the case. As there is no common position at the Council of Agriculture Ministers such an adjustment looks unlikely to be achieved.
It must be clearly noted that a number of other countries are opposed to any action on this and have sought to link the issue to possible measures to regulate supply after quotas are gone. I am obviously resolutely opposed to any talk of supply controls after quota abolition next April on the basis that these quotas have only served to shackle Irish farmers over the last 30 years. The resultant stalemate means there is insufficient support for any change to the regulations and no agreement has been possible. The current Italian presidency agreed to consider the issue at their first Council meeting in July, it was again discussed in October and I fully expect that the issue will remain high on the agenda for discussion at future Councils, including December, where I will continue to seek to have the matter progressed in a way that is fair to both Irish and EU dairy farmers.
In preparing their enterprises for the post quota era, I have at all times urged that farmers have regard to the fact that milk quotas would remain in place until April 2015, along with the associated superlevy regime, and I would take this opportunity today to reiterate this call. I would again urge farmers to use the time period between now and the removal of milk quotas to identify, with their dairy adviser, steps to manage both their milk supply and their dairy herds so that they have an efficient herd as they enter the post quota era.
99. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway under the 2014 disadvantaged area based scheme; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45763/14]
View answerAn application under the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 13 May 2014. Payment has not yet issued to the person named as, at this stage, the holding concerned has not yet satisfied the Scheme’s minimum stocking density requirements. Immediately the holding concerned is confirmed as having met these requirements, the case will be further processed with a view to payment issuing to the person named at the earliest possible date thereafter, provided all other Scheme requirements have been satisfied.
100. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason an amount was withheld in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo for their 2014 single payment scheme payment considering that the overpayment query for 2010 has been fully resolved; when the 2014 SPS amount will be restored to the person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45764/14]
View answerIn accordance with EU regulations a review of all land declared on applications for payment under the various direct payment schemes is being undertaken to ensure that ineligible features have been excluded from the land declared.
During the review of the land declared by the person named it was identified that ineligible features, namely roadways and scrub, had been included on the land declared and that these features had been included on the Single Farm Payment Scheme application s of the person named since 2009. This has resulted in an over -claim of €2,865.58 in respect of the 2010 Single Farm Payment of the person named and this has been recouped from subsequent payments of the person named.
A debt notification letter issued to the person named on 9 July 2014. Following an appeal from the person named my Department has carried out a review and has partially accepted the appeal submitted by the person named, resulting in a reduction of the amount over-paid in respect of the 2010 Single Farm Payment Scheme to €107.21. The refund amount now due under the 2010 Single Payment Scheme will issue to the bank account of the applicant shortly.
101. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence the exact size of the Nordic Battle Group of which Ireland is a member; the number of troops it consists of; the number of troops that Ireland contributes; and the military equipment that is at their disposal. [45659/14]
View answerIn January 2014, the Government approved Ireland’s participation in the Nordic Battlegroup, which will be on standby for the first six months of 2015. The Nordic Battlegroup will consist of a combined total of approximately 2,500 personnel. The contributing nations in this Battlegroup are Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. Sweden, acting as Framework Nation, takes the lead role in the Nordic Battlegroup formation and will contribute most of the personnel. The planned Defence Forces contribution to the Nordic Battlegroup is a Reconnaissance Company and related combat support elements. It is also planned that Ireland will take command of a multinational Reconnaissance Group Headquarters, providing Ireland with a more significant role within the Battlegroup. The total number of Defence Forces personnel involved in the Nordic Battlegroup will be approximately 175. However, this level of resource commitment will only arise should the Battlegroup be called on to undertake an operation and should Ireland agree to participate. Fourteen (14) Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed to the Force Headquarters in Sweden for the lead up to and the duration of the standby period for the Nordic Battlegroup. These personnel, mainly staff officers and NCOs, are engaged in training and planning activities serving in various appointments and posts.
The capabilities and the requisite high-end equipment in respect of Ireland's contributions to the Battlegroups already reside within the Defence Forces. As with all Defence Forces overseas deployment, the Defence Forces personnel assigned to the Nordic Battlegroup will have, at their disposal, all the necessary equipment and force protection assets to carry out the tasks that may be assigned to them should the Nordic Battlegroup deploy in 2015. This equipment includes MOWAGs Armoured Personnel Carriers and Reconnaissance vehicles, Light Tactical Armoured Vehicles and highly specialised Reconnaissance and Surveillance equipment, together with the requisite personal protection equipment.
Participation in EU Battlegroups underlines our commitment to the development of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy and enables Ireland to continue to contribute effectively to UN-authorised EU military and civilian crisis management operations in support of international peace and security. Any decision by Ireland to participate in a specific Battlegroup operation is subject to our national sovereign decision-making procedures - “Triple Lock”, i.e. UN mandate, Government and Dáil approval.
102. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the real social dynamics group and their attitudes towards women; and her views on the impact of such attitudes towards gender equality. [45582/14]
View answerThe Government is committed to gender equality and to ensuring that the rights of both women and men to participate fully in society are upheld. In particular, in line with the whole of government approach being taken to the prevention of gender-based violence, the values of respect for oneself and others are promoted in an appropriate way in a range of awareness raising campaigns, online and in other media, and in our education system.
Advocating attitudes and behaviour which further gender stereotyping, are manipulative and are demeaning and disrespectful to women is inconsistent with gender equality.
103. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Justice and Equality in view of the prevalence of domestic violence here, and noting that we are now only one of eleven members not to have signed the convention, when she plans signing the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence, which entered into force on 1 August 2014; when she plans to bring forward a Bill to address the necessary constitutional changes required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45596/14]
View answerI intend to seek the approval of the Government for Ireland to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence - the Istanbul convention - as early as possible in 2015.
While the provision on emergency barring orders in the convention raised an issue which has a constitutional underpinning, my advice is that a constitutional amendment may not be required in order to address the matter. I intend to bring the General Scheme of a consolidated bill on domestic violence to Government early in 2015 which will strengthen our protections in relation to such violence and along with other legislative amendments underway in my Department will assist in Ireland ratifying the convention.
Other legislation under development in my department which will assist us in becoming fully compliant with the provisions of the convention includes legislation to transpose the EU Victims of Crime Directive.
A further measure under development in my Department which will take cognisance of the requirements of the convention is a new strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence for 2015 onwards.
104. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 101 of 18 November 2014, the terms of reference that the panel of junior and senior counsel are working from or to provide the directions that have been communicated by her Department to the counsel to guide their work in reviewing the 305 files which are subject to the independent review mechanism. [45602/14]
View answerAt its meeting on 13th May last, the Government agreed to the establishment by the Minister for Justice and Equality, in consultation with the Attorney General, of a mechanism for an independent review by counsel of certain allegations of Garda misconduct, or inadequacies in the investigation of such allegations, which have been made to me as Minister for Justice and Equality, or the Taoiseach, with a view to determining to what extent and in what manner further action may be required in each case. This was one of the actions agreed by Government as a response to the report by Seán Guerin. A panel consisting of two Senior and five Junior Counsel was established for the purpose.
The role of the Panel is to consider, based on a review of the correspondence and other documentation provided by the complainants, the steps taken to resolve their complaints to date and what further action, if any, might be appropriate. Counsel has been asked in each case to make a recommendation to me on what further action, if any, might be appropriate, and I will carefully consider each such recommendation.
As I have stated previously it is important that nothing arises which might detract from the integrity of the review mechanism. I have therefore not placed any constraints upon counsel either in respect of timescales, or of the material they may consider. Counsel may recommend that I seek further information from complainants, or from any other relevant bodies, to assist them in coming to an appropriate recommendation in any particular case. It is important to remember that the Panel is independent and therefore no restriction is placed on the nature of recommendations which they might make.
