Written Answers Nos. 255-272
255. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the financial emergency measures in the public interest legislation, which gave rise to a public service pension levy, have been implemented in an equitable manner; his views on a specific case where a person (details supplied) who earns over the threshold is being penalised above and beyond this amount. [6071/15]
View answerIt is understood that the measure to which the Deputy's question refers is the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR), which came into effect on 1 January 2011. It became law via the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2010 and was subsequently amended via the FEMPI (Amendment) Act 2011 and the FEMPI Act 2013. Detailed application of the public service pension reduction in accordance with the legislation is a matter for the individual public service pension paying authority.
The PSPR is a progressive reduction whereby those on higher pensions are impacted by a proportionately greater reduction than those on lower pensions who are impacted by a lower reduction or are exempt. Pensioners on €12,000 per year or less are fully exempt from PSPR, with a higher exemption threshold of €32,500 applying to pensioners who retired over the last three years. There are currently 3 different PSPR rate tables; the particular table which applies to any affected pension depends on when the pension was awarded and the size of the pension.
Based on the details supplied, it is assumed that the pension referred to in the Deputy's question was awarded on or before 29 February 2012. For all such pensions the threshold before PSPR applies is €12,000. From 1 July 2013 following the FEMPI 2013 Act, pensions in this category with a pre-PSPR value above €34,132 were subject to an increase in the PSPR imposition through the application of a table of higher PSPR rates, reflecting the Government's decision to secure an additional reduction in the public service pension bill, while avoiding further impacts in the case of pensioners on relatively lower pensions.
Additionally, section 5(4) of the FEMPI 2013 Act specifies that in circumstances where the application of the table of higher PSPR rates to pensions in payment on or before 29 February 2012 would reduce the pension in payment below the €32,500 threshold, a smaller reduction will be applied ensuring the pension is not reduced below €32,500.
256. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when an implementation date will be in place for the Construction Contracts Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6137/15]
View answerThe Government approved the delegation of responsibility for implementation of the Construction Contracts Act, 2013 to my colleague, the Minister of State for Business and Employment, Mr. Gerald Nash T.D., in November. Work is continuing on the preparations for the full implementation of the Act, as the commencement of the Act is dependent on a number of factors set out in the legislation. These factors include the appointment of a Panel of Adjudicators by Minister Nash and the selection of the adjudicators for this Panel will be achieved through an open competitive process to be arranged by the Public Appointments Service, at the earliest opportunity. Minister Nash is also overseeing the preparation of a Code of Practice for the conduct of adjudications, which will be binding on all adjudicators operating under the Act, the drafting of which is at an advanced stage and will be finalised after consultations have concluded with the construction industry stakeholders. A specific date for implementation of the Act will be announced in advance once the necessary arrangements have been finalised, in order to provide sufficient notice to those affected by the Act's provisions.
257. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the exemptions which exist from the requirement for an annual audit for small firms and incorporated entities; if this will change with the implementation of the new Companies Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5566/15]
View answerAudit exemption applies to small companies formed under the Companies Acts. Member States' entitlement to provide for audit exemption for small companies derives from EU legislation prescribing the maximum thresholds capable of being employed by Member States to determine small company size. These thresholds relate to net turnover and balance sheet total and number of employees.
Under the Fourth Company Law Directive (78/660/EC) Member States can provide for small companies to avail of an exemption from the requirement to have their individual accounts audited. This exemption applies to the accounts prepared for the members.
Currently, to be eligible for audit exemption, Ireland requires, among other things, that a private limited company meet all three of the size criteria (balance sheet total, turnover and average number of employees). The company must not be either a parent or a subsidiary. In Ireland, companies engaged in certain activities, essentially those in the nature of financial services, cannot avail of the exemption.
The audit exemption thresholds applicable in Ireland were raised to the maxima permitted by the European Union, under Directive 2006/46/EC, as implemented by S.I. 308 of August 2012. These current thresholds, which are also set out in the Companies Act 2014, are balance sheet total of €4.4m, net turnover of €8.8m and average number of employees during the financial year of 50.
In addition, the Companies Act 2014 extends the scope of the application of the audit exemption to a company limited by guarantee, a company that is either a parent or a subsidiary or a dormant company. Also, to be eligible for audit exemption, the Act includes a provision that an eligible company need only meet two of the three size criteria.
The Accounting Directive (2013/34/EU) replaces the Fourth Company Law Directive (78/660/EC). Work on the transposition of the Accounting Directive is currently being progressed by my Department and is required under the Directive to be transposed by 20 July 2015. This Directive increases the current permissible maximum thresholds which Member States may establish for net turnover and balance sheet total to €12m. and €6m. respectively - the maximum permissible threshold for number of employees remains unchanged. Consideration is being given, in the context of the Department’s transposition of the Accounting Directive, as to whether to maintain these thresholds at their current levels or to provide for increases and, if the latter, what levels it might be appropriate to establish.
If the decision is to provide for increased thresholds, this will be done by way of an appropriate amendment to the Companies Act 2014.
258. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when approval will be provided to the business development management programme for community enterprise centres in view of the importance of this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5638/15]
View answerI understand from Enterprise Ireland that since the launch of the first Community Enterprise Centre scheme in 1989, Enterprise Ireland has approved €64 million for the development of Community Enterprise Centres in towns and villages across the country. There are currently 117 such centres across the country.
The last scheme rolled out was in 2012 and 2013 when Enterprise Ireland provided funding of €2 million to support the recruitment of a total of 46 Business Development Managers. I plan to introduce a new approach which will draw lessons from the 2012 programme. This new programme will be part of a much more comprehensive strategy to develop enterprise at regional and local level. My aim is to enhance the impact of the CEC network on continuing job creation through this strategy.
On the wider issue of the Centres, the success levels, occupancy levels and sustainability of jobs at the Centres varies and therefore I asked Enterprise Ireland to review the operations of the Community Enterprise Centres in the context of regional enterprise development and how the Community Enterprise Centres and the Local Enterprise Offices might work more closely in support of business start-ups before giving further consideration to the matter.
Under the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs, my Department developed a framework for the preparation of Regional Enterprise Strategies. This framework provides a model for co-ordinated action across public bodies and other stakeholders to maximise the potential of each region to support enterprise development and jobs growth, based on the strengths and assets of the region.
The application of the template was tested in the Midlands region towards the end of 2014 and will lead to the publication and implementation of a Regional Enterprise Strategy for the Midlands in the coming weeks. Similar strategies for the other regions will be commenced over the course of the year, on a phased basis, and will include specific actions on the part of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, the LEOs, Údarás na Gaeltachta and other public bodies active in each region to promote enterprise growth and job creation. The Regional Enterprise Strategies will provide new funding for enterprise support in the regions and seek to leverage and orient existing funds to target initiatives that enable regions to achieve their full employment potential. A significant regional fund of up to €25 million in competitive funding will be announced to support regional initiatives. In this context, my Department and Enterprise Ireland will also work to explore how the Community Enterprise Centre network can best be enhanced to support regional job creation.
259. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide a list of the sites currently owned by IDA Ireland in the constituency of Louth, by location, which have potential use in attracting inward investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5653/15]
View answerIDA Ireland owns a total of 70.45 hectares of land in County Louth which have the potential for use for inward investment purposes. The locations of these sites are set out in the tabular statement. The site in Mullagharlin has advanced planning for a bio pharma campus.
The availability of an adequate supply of marketable, serviced land and office and industrial / technology buildings in advance of demand is a key element in IDA Ireland’s ability to compete for mobile FDI.
The availability of property solutions eliminates the lead times normally associated with acquiring property, enables clients to plan their property needs with a greater degree of certainty and allows for the commencement of projects at an earlier date by eliminating much of the difficulties associated with land acquisition, planning and construction.
At the end of 2014, there were 23 IDA Ireland client companies in County Louth, employing 3,029 people in full and part time employment. IDA Ireland has strong relationships with all these companies and works closely with them to ensure their long term sustainability and to encourage their growth, development and continuing re-investment in their sites.
County Louth has strong clusters in international business services, with companies in the region such as eBay, Coca-Cola, National Pen and International Fund Services; and in manufacturing with companies such as Cargotec and Becton Dickinson. These international brands are an attraction for additional companies to potentially locate to the North East region. In 2014 alone Becton Dickson announced a €16m investment and expansion of its headquarters in Drogheda while PayPal announced the expansion of its facility in Dundalk with creation of a further 400 jobs.
As the Deputy is aware, the Action Plan for Jobs 2015 was launched recently. This is the fourth annual plan in a multi-year process, which started in 2012. When the First Action Plan for Jobs was launched, unemployment stood at 15.1%. Today it stands at 10.6% and we are on track to exceed our target of 100,000 additional jobs by 2016. We are now setting a goal to bring employment to 2.1 million by 2018 – 2 years ahead of our original target.
We are determined that every region will benefit from the recovery and we will be announcing over the coming weeks and months a series of actions to help drive the achievement of this goal.
Table shows sites owned by IDA Ireland in Louth which have potential for use for inward investment purposes.
|
Park/Site |
Town |
Property Type |
Net Hectares |
|
Dundalk Finnabair B&T Park |
Dundalk |
Land |
10.6900 |
|
Dundalk Mullagharlin East |
Dundalk/Ravensdale |
Land |
15.6000 |
|
Dundalk Mullagharlin |
Dundalk |
Land |
44.1750 |
260. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the progress that has been made by the interdepartmental group on social enterprise and the Office of Government Procurement in examining the scope for including social impact clauses in public procurement procedures. [5787/15]
View answerPolicy responsibility for public procurement is a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, T.D. The Office of Government Procurement falls under Minister Howlin’s remit.
Last year, Minister Howlin announced the establishment of a Project Group to identify suitable policy priorities to be addressed through the insertion of social clauses in public contracts. The objective is that the use of social clauses in appropriate projects could, for example, contribute to employment or training opportunities for the long term unemployed while mitigating the risk of displacing existing workers.
Further queries on the work of the Social Clauses Project Group would be best addressed to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. However, my understanding is that the Inter-Departmental Group on Social Enterprise has not made a formal submission to the Office of Government Procurement regarding the inclusion of social impact clauses in public procurement contracts.
Secretariat support to the Inter-Departmental Group on Social Enterprise is provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
261. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if those who are in paid work for one hour per week are to be counted as being employed in the Government target of full employment by 2018; his plans to measure under-employment among those persons who wish to work longer hours but are not offered same; the target for living-wage employment; if he will publish figures for those employed but not in living-wage jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5927/15]
View answerThree years ago the Government set a target of having an extra 100,000 people back at work by 2016. That target will now be delivered upon during 2015, over 12 months early. The live register has fallen for 38 months in a row since the crisis peak of 15.1% three years ago to 10.5% today. The latest Quarterly National Household Survey figures show that, for the year to end Q3 2014, the numbers of people in employment increased by 27,700, of which 94% was full-time employment. The Government is determined that this progress continues so that full employment can be achieved by 2018.
While it is very encouraging that 94% of new jobs being created are full-time, in accordance with the Statement of Government priorities, Minister Bruton has commissioned a study into the prevalence of zero hour and low hour contracts and the impact of such contracts on employees. The key objectives of the study are:
- To fill the gap that currently exists in terms of the hard data and information that is available concerning the prevalence of zero hour and low hour contracts in the Irish economy and the manner of their use.
- To assess the impact of zero hour and low hour contract on employees.
- To enable the Minister to make any evidence-based policy recommendations to Government considered necessary on foot of the study.
All sectors of the economy, both public and private, will come within the scope of the study, and a wide range of stakeholders will be canvassed to contribute to it. It is expected that the study will be completed within six months of commencement.
262. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide a breakdown of the funding provided to the Startup Ireland Initiative as set out under the Action Plan for Jobs; the return on investment in terms of job creation; the anticipated start-date for such prior to the Startup Gathering 2015 scheduled for October 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5957/15]
View answer‘The Startup Gathering’ is a new initiative which will be led by the not-for-profit organisation Startup Ireland as a key building block towards making Ireland a global startup hub by 2020. It builds on the success of initiatives such as ‘The Gathering’ and ‘The Wild Atlantic Way’ in a sustainable, regionally balanced way.
To help make Ireland the best place in the world to establish/locate a high impact startup, five days of events will take place annually in the second week of October (from October 5th to 10th in 2015) in each of Ireland’s cities (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford) with a focus on the industry strengths present in each city.
Using the successful model of ‘The Gathering’ the week will leverage and augment many existing events and projects that are themed around entrepreneurship, startups and existing industry clusters present in each city. The five industries will be those ‘strength in depth’ sectors currently located in Ireland namely ICT, Medical Devices, BioPharma, Agri/Food and Business Services.
The goal for the Startup Gathering 2015 is to facilitate in excess of 50 events and networking opportunities nationally during the week for at least 15,000 members of the Irish public and international visitors.
My officials are currently in discussions with Startup Ireland regarding possible sponsorship of the Startup Gathering initiative. Any decisions regarding funding will be made with a view to maximising the return for the State. No funding has been provided to date.
263. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide details on the regional development strategy currently been rolled out in the midlands in terms of the background assessment and findings; the anticipated timeframe to measure the impact; if an assessment for counties that do not have an institute of technology or another third level institute has been carried out; the effect this will have on foreign direct investment for those counties; if he will provide a cost-benefit analysis breakdown for regional development initiatives versus urban initiatives in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5958/15]
View answerThe 2015 Action Plan for Jobs, which was published on 29th January, includes a commitment to develop and publish a suite of Regional Enterprise Strategies to support enterprise growth and job creation in every region of the country. These Strategies will contain a series of specific actions to be delivered by a range of public bodies and local stakeholders, including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and the Local Enterprise Offices, to maximise the potential of each region to support enterprise development and jobs growth.
The Regional Enterprise Strategies will identify and build on the strengths and assets of each region. Most regions have a combination of urban and regionally-dispersed assets and the objective will be to ensure that these are used in a complementary way rather than competing with one another to support the development of the region as a whole. Similarly, the aim is to ensure that any Third Level institution located in a particular county benefits the region as a whole, as well as neighbouring regions where appropriate. Creating a pool of skilled and knowledgeable workers will be a factor in helping to attract investment to the region, including foreign direct investment.
The first Regional Enterprise Strategy to be published will cover the Midlands region, which includes the counties of Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly. Following a process of engagement with stakeholders in the region over the last number of months, my officials are currently finalising the Regional Enterprise Strategy for the Midlands.
The Strategy will be published in the coming weeks and will include an overview of the strengths and opportunities of the region and actions to be delivered in the short-to-medium term to maximise those opportunities. Progress on implementation of the actions and their impact will be overseen through a monitoring process which will include the key stakeholders in the region.
264. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will meet with the workers and management of a company (details supplied) in County Westmeath to ensure that the workers and the company have the necessary supports to navigate their way through these difficult times. [5976/15]
View answerI understand from a public statement issued by the company concerned, on Thursday 5 February 2015, that they have recently been awarded a major new contract with one of the world’s largest Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). This business has been secured after a 9 month engagement, despite strong competition from a highly competitive international market. The recently secured business will keep orders at the plant running up to 2024 and company will continue to fight for new contracts to safe guard jobs and grow the business further.
The public statement also indicates that the plant concerned is currently being restructured and streamlined in alignment with seasonal customer demand while also continuing to upskill their workforce.
Securing this new business is testament to shrewd management and the hard working, highly skilled workforce that is imbedded within the company.
The company is a very large employer and is a key Enterprise Ireland client. My office and Department through Enterprise Ireland is in continuing contact with the company and my Department is briefed as appropriate. Enterprise Ireland will continue to offer any assistance possible to the company so that it can explore opportunities to develop and grow the business, as envisaged by the company.
265. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he is satisfied that the enterprise boards provide adequate business advisers with broad knowledge of a wide range of business types, and models to the start-up businesses they are assigned to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6141/15]
View answerThe Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the first-stop-shop front line service assisting in delivering business growth and jobs for the micro-enterprise sector. They pull together all the players – other Government Departments and Agencies – to support everyone with a good business idea and strengthen the enterprise sector in the local area. The LEOs are the first port of call in terms of advice, direction, training and, in certain circumstances, grant support for anyone who wishes to start or expand a business.
The main role for the Business Advisors and Assistant Business Advisors working within all LEOs is to help meet the business development needs of all clients that come to the LEO for business advice. In performing this task, the Advisors rely upon their wealth of experience as well as the range of formal training courses that they have attended. In this regard, staff in the LEOs need to be able to respond to changing markets and, to this end, the Centre of Excellence in Enterprise Ireland is working with the LEOs to develop and implement a training plan that meets the ongoing training needs of all LEO staff.
Furthermore, LEOs maintain a list of experienced mentors to whom clients can be assigned, as necessary. For example, Business Advisors can refer clients to a mentor currently working within their sector who has specialist skills not available to the staff in the LEO. These mentors can provide the clients with practical advice and guidance as well as market and business insights and, if relevant, introductions.
I am therefore satisfied that the Business Advisors in the LEOs can provide clients with, or direct them to, the supports necessary to establish and grow their business.
266. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulations in place in relation to rodent control as there are concerns that bags of rodent poison are causing the deaths of birds. [5482/15]
View answerThe regulation in place in relation to placing rodenticides used for the control of rodents on the Irish market is ‘Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and the Council of 22 May 2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products as amended’. This is transposed into Irish law through Statutory Instrument S.I. No., 427 of 2013 as amended.
Biocidal products, including rodenticides used for the control of rodents, are evaluated and authorised for placing on the market under Regulation 528/2012 as amended and S.I. No. 427 of 2013 as amended. This regulatory system is designed to ensure a very high level of protection for man, animals and the environment. The evaluation examines the risks to the environment, humans and animals and only approves products that can be used safely without any unacceptable risks to man or the environment. It also applies risk mitigation measures to the products to further reduce these risks.
In the case of rodenticides, my Department is the Irish Competent Authority for biocides and has placed restrictions on pack sizes available for purchase by amateur users. The product labels also instruct users to collect dead rodent bodies and unused bait and safely dispose of these.
A group called the ‘Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use – CRRU Ireland’, which involves companies engaged in the rodenticide industry and relevant state agencies, including my Department and the National Parks and Wildlife Service , has been established to promote best practice and responsible rodent control thereby enhancing the process of protecting wildlife from rodenticide exposure. Among the activities that CRRU Ireland is engaged in is the organisation and delivery of “Wildlife Aware” training courses, and associated accreditation scheme, for professional pest control technicians and other competent users of rodenticides. A series of courses were held in 2014 and a further series of courses have been arranged for 2015.
267. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding redeployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6121/15]
View answerThe position is that while administrative functions have been transferred from my Department’s office in Tralee to Portlaoise, Department vets, inspectors and technical officers remain in place in Tralee and continue to provide a service to my Department’s clients across all of the schemes that are provided from this office. Thus, frontline services are being fully maintained and public access for all of the Department’s stakeholders will continue to be available in the Tralee office.
The transfer of administrative functions out of the Tralee office arises from an extensive review of the local office structure which was carried out by the Department over the last number of years. This review concluded that, arising from investment in technology and the substantial reduction in disease levels in recent years, significant efficiencies would accrue from the centralisation of administrative functions, thereby giving rise to scope for redeployment of administrative staff from existing local offices.
In line with Government policy, my Department has actively sought redeployment opportunities for administrative staff in local offices and in the vast majority of cases, arrangements have been made to maintain staff in their existing geographic location. However, in the case of Tralee, while my Department, together with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, pursued all avenues to identify redeployment opportunities there, unfortunately it was not possible to identify any at that location. Given that no options were available in Tralee, my Department acceded to a request from the Financial Shared Services Centre in Killarney and redeployed the staff there in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Agreement 2010-2014.
268. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payments under the disadvantaged areas scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5486/15]
View answerAn application under the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 28 April 2014, processing of which has recently been completed. Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is due to issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named shortly.
269. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara cén uair a dhéanfar íocaíocht le feirmeoir (sonraí leis seo) faoi Scéim na gCaorach Féaraigh do 2014; cén fáth go bhfuil moill leis an íocaíocht seo; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [5490/15]
View answerFuarthas iarratas faoi Scéim na gCaorach Féaraigh ón duine ainmnithe an 08 Bealtaine 2014.
De réir na dTéarmaí agus na gCoinníollacha a rialaíonn Scéim na gCaorach Féaraigh, b’éigean d’úinéirí tréada comhaireamh bliantúil den líon iomlán caorach ar a ngabháltas a chur ar ais chuig mo Roinn faoin dáta deiridh, an 14 Feabhra 2014. An 16 Aibreán 2014 a fuarthas an fhoirm áirimh caorach ón duine ainmnithe i mo Roinn. Bhí an dáta sin lasmuigh den tréimhse ama ceadaithe agus ar an drochuair mar sin, níl an duine ainmnithe cáilithe lena bhreithniú faoi Scéim na gCaorach Féaraigh 2014.
An application under the Grassland Sheep Scheme was received from the person named on 8 May 2014. As per the Terms and Conditions which govern the Grassland Sheep Scheme, flock owners were required to return an annual census of all sheep on their holding to my Department by closing date of 14 February 2014. The sheep census form for the person named was received by my Department on 16 April 2014 outside the allowable timeframe and therefore unfortunately the person named is not eligible for consideration under the 2014 Grassland Sheep Scheme.
270. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding funding for the replanting of forestry in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5494/15]
View answerThe frequency and ferocity of storm events last winter, compounded by waterlogged soils on many forest sites, led to extensive damage on private and State owned forest lands. In order to establish the most appropriate response for forest owners and the forest industry a taskforce, chaired by Mr Tom Hayes TD, Minister of State, and comprising relevant forestry stakeholders was put in place to assess the damage nationally and to identify the various issues arising. The taskforce issued a guidance note for forest owners, laying down the steps to consider in safely harvesting and selling the fallen trees and giving advice on a range of other associated issues. Teagasc, in association with Coillte and my Department held two very successful events on managing storm damage in farm forests. These events were attended by over 400 forest owners. Teagasc forestry advisers continue to be available to discuss the issue with forest owners affected. Forest owners are also urged to get professional advice from qualified foresters to guide them through this process.
271. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5536/15]
View answerIn accordance with the relevant EU Regulation governing the National Reserve, Member States have the option of applying objective criteria in the allocation of entitlements. The application of an off farm income limit has been included as objective criteria since the introduction of the National Reserve in 2005.
The process of deciding objective criteria for the National Reserve is carried out in consultation with the Direct Payments Advisory Committee which includes members of the main farming bodies and advisory services. After consultation with this Committee in recent months and in the context of the limited funding available to the National Reserve, it was decided that an off farm income limit of €40,000 would be applied to all applicants. The corresponding off farm income limit under the previous National Reserve was €30,000. In this case, the named applicant and other a pplicants under the 2015 National Reserve have the flexibility of choosing either the 2013 or 2014 tax year, whichever is more advantageous.
Applicants must comply with all eligibility criteria including off farm income criteria in order to be deemed eligible to qualify for an allocation of entitlements under the National Reserve.
272. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payments under the single payment scheme for 2013 and 2014 will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Cork; the reason for the delay in issuing these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5541/15]
View answerAn application under the 2013 Single Farm Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 15 May 2013. A review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that a number of the parcels declared by the person named contained ineligible features. On this basis, processing was finalised and the 2013 advance and balancing payments issuing to the nominated bank account of the person named on 16 October and 2 December 2013 respectively.
Following a review of my Department’s decision, sought by the person named, a small increase in the eligible area was found. This resulted in a supplementary 2013 payment being made to the person named on 19 December 2014. An application under the 2014 Single Farm Payment application was received from the person named on 10 May 2014. Payment based on the reduced area issued to the person named on 2 February 2015. It is now necessary for a Department official to verify the position on the ground to allow the review requested by the person named be finalised. The person named will be advised, in writing, of the findings of the verification visit as soon as possible following the visit.
In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of this verification check, the decision can be appealed to the independent LPIS Appeals Committee, within 4 weeks of the notification letter.
