Written Answers Nos. 96-103
96. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the projected timber and financial losses resulting from wind blow, precipitated by tree felling, pursuant to the construction and ongoing maintenance of a location (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16088/15]
View answerThis is a matter for Coillte. Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as financial projections associated with specific projects, are the responsibility of the company.
97. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date on which he opened the green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme for application; the latest date by which applications have to be submitted; the number of applications that have been registered on the system; the number that have proceeded to select actions; the number of completed applications received, broken down by tier and by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16181/15]
View answerI was pleased that discussions with the European Commission were sufficiently advanced to allow me to open the GLAS online application system on 23 February, 2015 for the preparation of applications pending formal approval of the Rural Development Programme. The initial closing date for receipt of applications was 15 May, 2015, which I have now extended to 22 May, 2015 in order to give Advisors and farmers more time to agree and finalise applications. This extra time was afforded me by the Commission decision to allow Member States to extend the closing date for the Basic Payment Scheme, which in turn dictates the closing date for application s into GLAS.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to GLAS applications is set out in tabular form below, broken down by county for total applications and applications that have already added actions. The tier breakdown is more fluid, as up until applications are actually submitted, applicants have the opportunity to adopt particular actions which will improve their ranking. As things stand the breakdown for applications with associated actions indicates that some 44% at least will be Tier 1, some 24% Tier 2 and 32% Tier 3. However, these are subject to change, and in particular I would expect that many of the Tier 3 applicants will adopt actions which promote them into Tier 2.
|
County |
Number of applications |
Number of applications with actions |
|
Carlow |
231 |
144 |
|
Cavan |
680 |
423 |
|
Clare |
1166 |
721 |
|
Cork |
1406 |
823 |
|
Donegal |
1642 |
1078 |
|
Dublin |
68 |
33 |
|
Galway |
1948 |
1207 |
|
Kerry |
1273 |
849 |
|
Kildare |
220 |
129 |
|
Kilkenny |
259 |
130 |
|
Laois |
242 |
168 |
|
Leitrim |
663 |
459 |
|
Limerick |
656 |
311 |
|
Longford |
280 |
180 |
|
Louth |
117 |
75 |
|
Mayo |
2143 |
1241 |
|
Meath |
278 |
170 |
|
Monaghan |
373 |
262 |
|
Offaly |
421 |
171 |
|
Roscommon |
995 |
572 |
|
Sligo |
783 |
428 |
|
Tipperary |
615 |
326 |
|
Waterford |
320 |
151 |
|
Westmeath |
387 |
269 |
|
Wexford |
360 |
163 |
|
Wicklow |
213 |
107 |
|
TOTAL |
17739 |
10590 |
No applications have been formally submitted to date, as the ‘submit’ facility has yet to be activated on the GLAS on-line system. This is to allow as much time as possible for applicants and advisers to familiarise themselves with the scheme before finalising their applications. It is not possible, therefore, to give the number of completed applications broken down by County.
98. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers with commonage in the country broken down by county; the number of applications received to date from farmers with commonage for the green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme, broken down on the same basis; the number of these that have proceeded to select actions; the number that have submitted completed applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16182/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out below in tabular form. No applications have been formally submitted to date, as the ‘submit’ facility has not yet been activated on the GLAS on-line system, so the table below records the number of applications that have been initiated on the system.
|
County |
Number of GLAS applications initiate which have Commonage |
Number of GLAS applications with actions and have Commonage |
National number of farmers with Commonage |
|
Carlow |
42 |
29 |
172 |
|
Cavan |
17 |
12 |
133 |
|
Clare |
78 |
44 |
376 |
|
Cork |
196 |
106 |
974 |
|
Donegal |
568 |
416 |
2700 |
|
Dublin |
11 |
2 |
44 |
|
Galway |
414 |
276 |
2668 |
|
Kerry |
417 |
294 |
1921 |
|
Kildare |
4 |
4 |
62 |
|
Kilkenny |
3 |
1 |
35 |
|
Laois |
13 |
11 |
108 |
|
Leitrim |
96 |
69 |
472 |
|
Limerick |
11 |
5 |
57 |
|
Longford |
8 |
5 |
58 |
|
Louth |
18 |
10 |
165 |
|
Mayo |
727 |
510 |
3273 |
|
Meath |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
Monaghan |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Offaly |
5 |
3 |
41 |
|
Roscommon |
28 |
13 |
160 |
|
Sligo |
94 |
61 |
491 |
|
Tipperary |
56 |
23 |
322 |
|
Waterford |
52 |
11 |
179 |
|
Westmeath |
2 |
1 |
26 |
|
Wexford |
17 |
8 |
105 |
|
Wicklow |
47 |
31 |
319 |
|
TOTAL |
2924 |
1945 |
14876 |
99. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average value of green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme applications; where actions have been selected, broken down by county and by tier; the number received to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16183/15]
View answerApproximately 18,000 applications have already been registered on the GLAS system but as actions are still being recorded against these it is not possible to calculate the average annual payment. However, I expect most will reach the maximum of €5,000 per annum, with GLAS+ candidates reaching up to €7,000. Of the 18,000 applications registered, specific actions have been selected in 10,590 cases. These are broken down by county below, as requested. The tier breakdown is more fluid, as up until applications are actually submitted, applicants have the opportunity to adopt particular actions which will improve their ranking. As things stand the breakdown for applications with associated actions indicates that some 44% at least will be Tier 1, some 24% Tier 2 and 32% Tier 3. However, these are subject to change, and in particular I would expect that many of the Tier 3 applicants will adopt actions which promote them into Tier 2.
The county breakdown for applications with actions is below.
|
County |
Number of applications with actions |
|
Carlow |
144 |
|
Cavan |
423 |
|
Clare |
721 |
|
Cork |
823 |
|
Donegal |
1078 |
|
Dublin |
33 |
|
Galway |
1207 |
|
Kerry |
849 |
|
Kildare |
129 |
|
Kilkenny |
130 |
|
Laois |
168 |
|
Leitrim |
459 |
|
Limerick |
311 |
|
Longford |
180 |
|
Louth |
75 |
|
Mayo |
1241 |
|
Meath |
170 |
|
Monaghan |
262 |
|
Offaly |
171 |
|
Roscommon |
572 |
|
Sligo |
428 |
|
Tipperary |
326 |
|
Waterford |
151 |
|
Westmeath |
269 |
|
Wexford |
163 |
|
Wicklow |
107 |
|
TOTAL |
10590 |
100. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 318 of 15 April 2015, the training courses the military personnel of other states received here from the Defence Forces in the years 2011 to 2014, that is Israel, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Chad, and Turkey; and the number of military personnel from each of those States that received training here in that time. [16067/15]
View answerThe table below contains details of the courses and numbers of military personnel from the specified countries that have taken part in military training in Ireland between 2011 and 2014.
|
Country |
Course |
Number of Personnel |
|
Israel |
International Counter Improvised Explosive Device/Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (CIED/IEDD) Course |
1 |
|
Colombia |
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Surge Training* |
1 |
|
Sri Lanka |
UN OCHA Surge Training |
1 |
|
Nigeria |
International Military Police Course |
2 |
|
Russia |
International Human Rights Course |
1 |
|
International Civilian Military Relations Course |
1 |
|
|
Operational IEDD Course |
2 |
|
|
Singapore |
International Human Rights Course |
1 |
|
United States of America |
Command and Staff Course |
5 |
|
International Human Rights Course |
1 |
|
|
International Civilian Military Relations Course |
3 |
|
|
International Military Police Course |
2 |
|
|
International CIED/IEDD Course |
2 |
|
|
Operational IEDD Course |
3 |
|
|
United Kingdom |
International Civil Military Cooperation Course |
4 |
|
Humanitarian Assistance Course |
12 |
|
|
International Civilian Military Relations Course |
3 |
|
|
International Military Police Course |
7 |
|
|
Ground Sign Awareness Course** |
4 |
|
|
France |
International Civil Military Cooperation Course |
6 |
|
International Human Rights Course |
4 |
|
|
UN OCHA Surge Training |
1 |
|
|
Cadet Training |
6 |
|
|
Homemade Explosives Course |
1 |
|
|
Greece |
International Civil Military Cooperation Course |
1 |
|
International Human Rights Course |
2 |
|
|
International Military Police Course |
2 |
|
|
Combat Tracking Instructors Course |
1 |
|
|
Ethiopia |
UN OCHA Surge Training |
1 |
|
UAE |
Operational IEDD Course |
2 |
|
Chad |
UN OCHA Surge Training |
1 |
|
Turkey |
Operational IEDD Course |
2 |
|
Total |
86 |
* In a sudden-onset natural disaster or a rapidly deteriorating on-going crisis, OCHA and its humanitarian partners have several tools to quickly enhance the response and coordination capacity in a country. It has various surge rosters to send additional staff for the first weeks of an emergency, which may then be replaced by longer-term personnel. Surge staff comes from headquarters, regional and country offices, external rosters and partner organisations.
** Ground Sign Awareness is a Counter IED observation skill defined as the ability to identify SIGN (any evidence of change from the natural state that is inflicted upon the environment by the passage of Human, Animal or Machinery) and based on this make sound interpretations and deductions.
101. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the proposals she put forward at the recent European Union Foreign Affairs Council in relation to the ongoing migration crisis and the recent appalling loss of life in the Mediterranean; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16164/15]
View answerI fully share the horror and outrage at the tragic loss of life in the Mediterranean Sea this week. This is organised criminal activity in the smuggling of vulnerable people who are regarded by the gangs involved as utterly expendable.
My colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan, TD, and I attended an emergency joint meeting of EU Foreign Affairs and Interior Affairs Ministers in Luxemburg on Monday, 20 April 2015, to discuss what the EU and its Member States can do together to alleviate the situation. At the emergency meeting Minister Flanagan and I emphasised the importance of preventing these extremely perilous journeys from taking place and in particular to tackle the criminal activity that drives this trade. However, more than anything, people need to be safe in their home countries, and for this, political solutions to conflicts are essential, as well as increased humanitarian assistance. We stressed that this is an EU crisis requiring an EU solution. If it is a question of funding we in the EU need to find a way to make that happen.
We indicated that the most effective responses to humanitarian crises of this nature have to be primarily grounded in the region where the conflict occurs, tackling the issue at its roots. Ireland is increasing the funding of our humanitarian assistance. As the Deputy will be aware, we have already been a substantial donor in this regard.
We highlighted the importance of resettlement, which we will continue to do. Long term development programmes are critical, in addition to emergency humanitarian assistance. Ireland also agreed with the importance of integrating internal and external policy when it comes to addressing migration to bring a greater coherence to the EU’s response.
The Commission presented a 10 point programme for consideration which the Irish delegation welcomed as an excellent basis for progress.
As the Deputy will be aware the migration crisis in the Mediterranean is the subject of a special meeting of the European Council today at which these issues will be discussed by Heads of Government.
102. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Justice and Equality having received further correspondence on behalf of the family, if she will reconsider her decision not to have an inquiry into the death of a person (details supplied). [16014/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I met with family members of the victim to whom he refers in his question and their legal representative to hear their concerns about aspects of the Garda investigation into the murder of their loved one and their call for an inquiry. The case in question was among those inquired into by the late Mr. Justice Henry Barron.
I reviewed material which the family provided to me and other available material regarding this murder and I wrote to the family recently setting out my conclusion that I could not recommend the establishment of a Commission of Investigation in this case and setting out in some detail my reasoning in this regard. It is a matter of regret to me that my conclusion was a disappointment to the family.
I have recently received further correspondence from the family and am considering the issues raised in that correspondence and, as I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, I will respond directly to the family on those issues.
103. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when she will sign a commencement order or orders to bring the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 into force; if there is going to be a phased implementation of the Act; the various parts of the Act which will be commenced and the proposed timing of commencement orders being signed in respect of each part of the Act. [16020/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, section 1 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 provides for the commencement of different Parts of the Act by different Ministers, because the Act addresses policy responsibilities of several different Ministers. My Department is working on an implementation plan for those areas which I will be commencing with a view to their commencement without undue delay. All of the necessary legal infrastructure must be in place prior to commencement, such as rules of court, court forms, regulations, and so on.
I note again for the record that I committed jointly with Minister Varadkar that Parts 2 and 3 of the Act, concerning parentage of children born through donor-assisted human reproduction, would not be commenced for a minimum period of one year from enactment, to provide an appropriate transition period and ensure that couples currently undergoing donor-assisted human reproduction treatment could continue that treatment.
