Written Answers Nos. 88-93
88. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on making three amendments (details supplied) to the Horse Racing Ireland Bill 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40749/15]
View answerThe heads of the Horse Racing Ireland Bill 2015 has already been through a comprehensive process of pre-legislative scrutiny involving consultation with a range of stakeholders and significant engagement from the members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Agriculture and Food. The Bill presented to the House has been shaped by that process to a significant extent.
The Horse Racing Ireland Bill 2015 is due for Committee Stage in early December. Any further amendments proposed will be considered in the context of this process. However, the primary purpose of this bill is to deal with aspects of horse racing and I do not intend to fundamentally alter its scope by extending it to other equestrian disciplines.
89. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a payment to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo under the area aid scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40774/15]
View answerAn application under the Disadvantaged Area Schemes was received from the person named on 29 April 2010. Processing of the application was finalised and payment issued on 17 December 2010. In relation to the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme an application was received from the person named on 24 April 2015. Payment has not issued to the person named as, at this stage, the holding concerned has not satisfied the Scheme’s minimum stocking density requirements.
Under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, eligible applicants are required to have met a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units for a retention period of seven consecutive months and to maintain an annual average of 0.15 livestock units calculated over the twelve months of the scheme year.
Department records confirm that six equine passports were received on 19 October 2015 from the person named. These passports were ineligible as per The Terms and Conditions which govern the 2015 scheme, applicants must in the first instance have bred a foal from a mare registered on the holding in 2014, in either 2013 or 2014; which was registered in a stud book approved by the Department with a pedigree recorded (Sire and Dam).
As the holding failed to maintain the minimum livestock numbers for the required period of seven consecutive months and annual total, the holding cannot be considered eligible for payment under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme.
90. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will be reached on grant aid for the re-establishment of forestries that were damaged in recent storms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40788/15]
View answerI am aware of the difficulties that have been created for many forest owners as a result of the severe winter storms which occurred between 5th December 2013 and the 12th February 2014. The frequency and ferocity of those storm events, compounded by waterlogged soils on many forest sites, led to extensive damage to both private and State owned forests. While estimates, based on satellite imagery, indicate that less than 1% of the national forest area (approximately 8,000 hectares) was affected, the damage has been particularly extensive at a local level, especially in the south and parts of the midlands where substantial quantities of timber have been blown down. A taskforce, chaired by Mr Tom Hayes TD, Minister of State, was established to assess the damage nationally and to identify the various issues arising as a result of this severe windblow event and to agree on a course of action to deal with these issues. One of the many suggested action points arising from this task force was the establishment of a Windblow Reconstitution Scheme specifically for forests damaged as a result of the winter storms of 2013/2014. Staff of the Department have been working on the specific rules of this scheme in conjunction with forestry stakeholders and a draft scheme has been finalised. A proposal to seek funding for this scheme has been made to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and we are awaiting their response.
91. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a single payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40790/15]
View answerThere are outstanding 2014 Single payments pertaining to the herd number quoted above. As this case involves inheritance of an estate, testamentary documentation has been requested from the executor of the estate. As soon as this documentation is received, 2014 payments will issue to the legal representatives of the estate. A Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application was submitted by the person named on the 30th April 2015, however, the herd number was not registered in his name until 28th May 2015. Therefore a Transfer of Allocation Right and Reference Value application form and a Declaration of Undertaking form is required to complete this case. My Department has been in contact with the person named and the relevant application forms have been forwarded to him. On receipt of these completed application forms processing of his BPS application will be finalised with a view to payment as soon as possible.
92. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a single payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40794/15]
View answerAn application under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 14 May 2015. Processing of this application is now complete and payment will issue to the nominated bank account of the person named in the coming days.
93. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a single payment for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; the cause of the delay; if the payment will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40801/15]
View answerMy Department received a 2015 Transfer of Entitlement Allocation Right and Reference Value application from the person named. This application has been fully processed and payment under the Basic Payment Scheme will issue in the coming days.
