Written Answers Nos. 416-430
416. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will benefit from changes to the proposed changes to the single farm payment scheme under the Scottish derogation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29145/15]
View answerThe person named did not hold entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme. Presuming that she was actively engaged in farming in 2013 whereby she 'produced, reared or grew agricultural products through harvesting, milking, breeding animals and keeping animals for farming purposes', then she is eligible under the standard Scottish Derogation. The person named has submitted an application under this provision.
As the person named never held entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme, the recent changes regarding eligibility for those who held entitlements of under €100 are not relevant.
417. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current average age of permanent staff employed within his Department; and the agencies under his Department's remit; the way this varies from the end of 2008 and the end of 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29190/15]
View answerThe average age of staff in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is set out in the below table at year end 2008, year end 2011 and as of 31st May 2015.
|
Time |
Average Age |
|
31/12/2008 |
47.10 |
|
31/12/2011 |
48.28 |
|
31/05/2015 |
49.93 |
The parallel information in respect of State Bodies under the aegis of my Department is a matter for the Bodies themselves.
420. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent of the use of Cypermethrin in Irish agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture; the number of litres that have been used and the number of years involved. [29210/15]
View answer'Cypermethrin' is a pyrethroid insecticide discovered in the 1970s and is very similar to the extract of chrysanthemum "pyrethrins".
It has been used in agriculture as a plant protection product for decades; however in more recent years usage as a plant protection product has declined to about three to four thousand kilograms of active substance per annum.
It can be used on a wide variety of crops against a range of pests but due to widespread resistance issues, alternative control mechanisms are increasingly being used.
'Cypermethrin' is the active ingredient in 12 veterinary medicines licensed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), which is designated as the competent authority for the licensing of veterinary medicines. Neither my Department nor HPRA has any information on the extent of usage of such medicines.
421. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline for the roll-out of financial instruments in Ireland, following his participation, with An Taoiseach, the European Union Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Phil Hogan, and the Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Mr. Wilhelm Molterer (details supplied), in the Financial Instrument Compass event on 23 June 2015. [29225/15]
View answerIt is open to Member States to implement financial instruments via their Rural Development Programmes. Financial instruments can take the form of loans, guarantee funds or equity investments. The funding for any such financial instruments would have to draw on our existing RDP allocation of European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development funding as well as National Exchequer funding. It is also possible to incorporate funding from other sources in rolling out such instruments.
In our RDP, we have made a commitment to examining the potential for the use of financial instruments. However, the inclusion of financial instruments by way of a modification to the RDP is required by EU regulation to be based on an ex ante evaluation which must assess:
- The existence of a market failure;
- The potential for added value;
- The resources required to implement a proposed financial instrument; and
- The proposed strategic approach to financial instruments.
Accordingly, I have asked officials in my Department to engage with the European Commission, the EIB and other stakeholders in order to identify areas where financial instruments could be implemented to best strategic effect, and to explore the practical steps which are required in order to implement financial instruments. Any such financial instruments are required by EU regulation to be structured on a clear investment strategy which identifies real market failures and economic needs.
In addition to this, my Department has been exploring new and more competitive sources of funding and will continue to do so in the context of evolving market requirements. For example, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, which includes the European Investment Bank as one of its funding partners, has recently announced a new 'Agriculture Investment Loans' product. This credit is available at favourable terms for investments by agricultural SMEs involved in primary agricultural production, the processing of agricultural products or the marketing of agricultural products.
422. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Defence his plans to include the new Eircode postcode in all schemes and administrative roles operated by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28312/15]
View answerEircode data will be incorporated into departmental databases on an ongoing basis and as the need arises. As the Department is primarily policy focused, it does not run any large schemes aimed at the general public which would necessitate the immediate inclusion of Eircode data onto a database.
423. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Defence the procedures followed in selling the Gulfstream IV Government jet in 2014; the reason the jet was not put up for public auction. [28371/15]
View answerIn July 2014, the Gulfstream IV aircraft, which had been in service for 23 years, travelled to the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC) facility in Savannah, Georgia, USA for its annual maintenance inspection. During this inspection, it became apparent that the servicing and repair of the aircraft would have involved a significantly higher level of investment than was anticipated. Given the number of flying hours achieved and the age of the aircraft it was decided that all work on the aircraft should cease, the servicing and repair of the aircraft would not be completed, the aircraft was to be withdrawn from operational service in the Air Corps and the aircraft would not be returned back to Ireland.
The aircraft, which was on the Irish military register, was not in a saleable position. In order to put the aircraft in a saleable position by tender, public auction or otherwise would have required the demilitarisation of the aircraft, the transfer of the aircraft to the civil register and the re-registration of the aircraft which would have been reliant on the completion of a full aircraft inspection and the completion of significant repairs to the aircraft. This would have required major expenditure by the Department of Defence with no certainty at that stage that a buyer for the aircraft would be found.
With the assistance of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and over a period of some months, the Department eventually concluded the sale of the aircraft on an "as seen" basis with a US based company, Journey Aviation based in Florida, USA in December 2014 for US $500,000. The formal transfer of ownership of the aircraft was completed in mid January 2015 on receipt of payment.
The Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) is currently being provided by the Learjet 45 aircraft. An interdepartmental MATS Review Group has been established to examine options for the future provision of a service that will continue to provide the President, members of the Government and accompanying officials with an independent means of international air transport. When the Group has completed its deliberations and made its recommendations, I will bring a Report to Government with recommendations on how best to provide a MATS service into the future.
424. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide details of any intelligence solutions offered by the Italian cybersecurity company (details supplied), which his Department has purchased; the negotiations or discussions he has had in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28509/15]
View answerMy Department has not purchased any intelligence solutions offered by the company concerned and is not in negotiations or discussions in this regard.
425. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the number of flights undertaken by the air ambulance in 2014 and in 2015 to date; if he will outline same, by county, in tabular form; the number of occasions when it was not possible to use the facility, owing to weather concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28574/15]
View answerThe number of flights undertaken by the Emergency Aeromedical Support (EAS) service in 2014 and in 2015 to date, by county is set out in the following tabular statement.
|
2014 |
2015 |
|
|
Carlow |
4 |
2 |
|
Cavan |
6 |
10 |
|
Clare |
16 |
9 |
|
Cork |
10 |
4 |
|
Donegal |
14 |
19 |
|
Dublin |
0 |
0 |
|
Galway |
34 |
18 |
|
Kerry |
10 |
6 |
|
Kildare |
2 |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
2 |
1 |
|
Laois |
13 |
7 |
|
Leitrim |
6 |
3 |
|
Limerick |
20 |
7 |
|
Longford |
21 |
8 |
|
Louth |
5 |
6 |
|
Mayo |
43 |
21 |
|
Meath |
2 |
6 |
|
Monaghan |
12 |
4 |
|
Offaly |
24 |
14 |
|
Roscommon |
41 |
13 |
|
Sligo |
13 |
3 |
|
Tipperary |
28 |
18 |
|
Waterford |
3 |
1 |
|
Westmeath |
19 |
4 |
|
Wexford |
0 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
5 |
7 |
|
Totals |
353 |
194 |
In 2014 there were 85 occasions when it was not possible to undertake an EAS mission due to weather. There were 58 such occasions to date in 2015.
426. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the total number of migrants the LE Eithne has rescued from the Mediterranean Sea. [28586/15]
View answer427. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the countries of origin of the migrants the LE Eithne has rescued from the Mediterranean Sea. [28587/15]
View answer428. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the medical assistance provided to migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by the LE Eithne; if there were common medical problems faced by the migrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28588/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 426 to 428, inclusive, together.
Following Government approval, the LE Eithne arrived in the South Central Mediterranean on 23 May 2015 to assist the Italian authorities in humanitarian search and rescue operations.
The role of the Irish Naval vessel is to provide a search and rescue capability and to undertake humanitarian rescue operations at sea in the Mediterranean. Assistance to persons in distress at sea is being provided in accordance with the applicable provisions of international conventions governing search and rescue situations. Co-ordination of search and rescue efforts and the provision of humanitarian assistance are being achieved through close co-operation with the relevant Italian authorities.
The LE Eithne, which has completed its deployment, and is en route back to Ireland, was involved in 22 rescue operations resulting in the rescue of 3,377 migrants. Details regarding the countries of origin of the migrants rescued by the LE Eithne are listed in the tabular statement below. These figures have been compiled on the basis of information provided by the rescued persons themselves and have not been corroborated by documentation or any other authority. The LE Niamh has now deployed to the Mediterranean to continue Ireland’s contribution to the humanitarian search and rescue mission. The LE Niamh will be deployed on the high seas in international waters between Sicily and Libya, which is where most migrant activity and search and rescue incidents have occurred. Following their rescue, once on board the Irish naval vessel, migrants are screened by medics. The predominant ailments were those associated with sun burn and dehydration. Other migrants received treatment for fractures and chemical burns. All migrants received food, water, clothes and foil blankets as necessary. The migrants are then either transported to a port in Italy, or transferred to another international naval vessel, as advised by the Italian authorities.
|
Country of Origin of Migrants rescued by L.É. Eithne |
Number |
|
Eritrea |
414 |
|
Nigeria |
397 |
|
Sudan |
371 |
|
Syria |
307 |
|
Ghana |
301 |
|
Morocco |
279 |
|
Somalia |
261 |
|
Ethiopia |
230 |
|
Bangladesh |
209 |
|
Gambia |
169 |
|
Pakistan |
128 |
|
Senegal |
102 |
|
Niger |
48 |
|
Palestine |
40 |
|
Libya |
29 |
|
Mali |
22 |
|
Costa D’Avorio |
18 |
|
Guinea |
16 |
|
Chad |
14 |
|
Egypt |
13 |
|
Cameroon |
9 |
|
TOTAL |
3,377 |
429. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide details of all bilateral meetings held between him and any other person or group during a recent trip to the Mediterranean to visit the LE Eithne, including the identity of all such groups or persons and the purpose of each meeting; if he will provide details of his travel arrangements to and from the Mediterranean, including whether he travelled by commercial flight or using the official Government jet; if he will provide details of all staff who accompanied him on the trip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28796/15]
View answerThe Irish delegation consisted of Mr. Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Defence, Ms. Frances Fitzgerald T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr. Sean Sherlock T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Maurice Quinn, Secretary General, Department of Defence, Lieutenant General Conor O’Boyle, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and Ms. Marion Mannion, Special Adviser to Minister Fitzgerald.
On arrival in Valetta at around 9.00 p.m, the delegation, accompanied by the Irish Ambassador to Malta, H.E. Pádraig Mac Coscair, proceeded directly to a working dinner hosted by the Maltese Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Mr. Carmelo Abela. Responsibility for the Armed Forces of Malta falls within the responsibility of Minister Abela. The dinner was also attended by the Maltese Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government, Mr. Owen Bonnici, the Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties, Dr. Helena Dalli, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security, Mr. Kevin Mahoney, the Chief of Staff at the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security, Mr. Anthony Vella Gregory and the Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi.
The primary focus of the discussion at the working dinner was the broad context of the migrant crisis, from causes through to the comprehensive response being pursued by the international community. Discussion also ranged across issues of mutual interest within the areas of responsibility of all six Ministers.
On 7 July, a bilateral meeting took place between myself and Minister Abela on board the LE Eithne. In addition to reviewing the response to the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean and the contribution of the mission of the LE Eithne, the meeting addressed issues of mutual interest and practical bilateral cooperation in Defence matters between Ireland and Malta.
Minister Abela expressed his country's appreciation of the transfer of the LE Aoife to the Armed Forces of Malta by the Irish Defence Forces last month. Minister Abela said the ship will be useful in supporting Malta's work in border security and the migration crisis affecting the Central Mediterranean. The contribution of the ship will help in bridging a gap in Malta's naval capacity pending their future acquisition of a new Offshore Patrol Vessel. The issue of ongoing training of personnel of the Armed Forces of Malta by the Irish Defence Forces was also discussed.
I travelled to Malta on 6 July by Government Jet with the Irish delegation. I departed Malta at 13.30 hours on 7 July by commercial airline for Paris for official Department of Agriculture business.
430. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence the number of persons suffering from glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency who were prescribed Primaquine while serving in the army in areas affected by malaria. [28840/15]
View answerI am advised by the Military Authorities that as part of the screening process prior to deployment on a mission to a malarious area, an individual’s G6PD status is checked. As a matter of policy, those found to be deficient in G6PD are deemed unsuitable for deployment to a malarious area. If a member of the Defence Forces is not suitable for overseas service in a malarious area, they will not be required to use Primaquine.
