Written Answers Nos. 1554-1580
1554. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the landlords to whom his Department or bodies under his aegis paid rent in each of the past three years; and the sums paid in each case. [25410/16]
View answerIn general, all issues in relation to leases for Government Departments/Offices, including my Department, are a matter for the Office of Public Works. However, there are three locations where my Department has paid rent for premises, in the past three years, which is set out below. Information in relation to agencies, under the aegis of my Department, is a matter for the agencies themselves.
|
Landlord and Location |
Paid 2013 |
Paid 2014 |
Paid 2015 |
|
Teagasc, Athenry Galway |
80,000
|
80,000 |
80,000 |
|
CIE,Rosslare Harbour |
6,000
|
6,000 |
6,000 |
|
Thomas Keane, Kea-Lew Business Park, Portaloise** |
40,000 |
40,000 |
|
**Property vacated in November 2014.
1555. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when forestry payments will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25457/16]
View answerThe person in question planted a 6.93 hectare woodland in 2012 under the Native Woodland Scheme. Under the Scheme, applicants who plant new native woodlands are eligible to a grant towards the cost of establishing the woodland, and annual premiums to cover income foregone. The grant is payable in two instalments. The first instalment of the grant is payable when the planting and associated works are complete. The second instalment is payable 4 years later on condition that, inter alia, the woodland has been protected and maintained in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Scheme. Payment of the first instalment of the grant was made in November 2012.
The application for payment of the second instalment of the establishment grant was received by my Department on 18th August 2016. The application has been referred for inspection to ensure that the woodland has been protected and maintained in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Scheme. If the inspection confirms that the woodland has been protected and maintained, and if all other conditions of the Scheme have been complied with, payment of the grant will be issued.
1556. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will supply farmers with the exact results of gamma blood tests on cattle rather than just a positive or negative result. [25474/16]
View answerThe interpretation of the readings of the interferon gamma assay test requires specific operational protocols of the laboratory in which the assay is carried out, clear advanced research based knowledge and practical expertise of cell-mediated immunology of bovine tuberculosis, specific strategic understanding of the deployment and utility of the assay within the TB eradication programme and under Irish conditions. This expertise is currently only available at the laboratory in UCD where the assay is carried out and therefore there is no purpose to be served in supplying the requested information to persons who do not have that expertise or knowledge.
1557. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding farmers who are requested to BVD all new born calves; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25512/16]
View answerThe BVD Eradication programme is an industry led programme which is facilitated and overseen by the BVD Implementation Group (BVDIG), not my Department. My Department is however represented on this Group along with farmers, veterinary and other stakeholders and experts. Recent data shows that very significant progress has been made in reducing the prevalence of the disease – with the Persistently Infected (PI) birth rate falling to 0.15% in 2016 from 0.7% in 2013 (the first year of the Compulsory Programme). I understand that a presentation on the most efficacious way forward in terms of achieving BVD eradication was made at the most recent meeting of the Group. The details of the programme for 2017 and beyond remain to be decided by the Group.
From the middle of June 2015, following on from agreement at the BVDIG, my Department put in place a system of herd restrictions, where farmers continued to retain Persistently Infected animals beyond agreed timelines. A total of 900 restriction notices have issued to date. Additionally my Department provides some financial assistance by way of financial support to assist in the early removal of PI animals.
Unfortunately, a small number of farmers continue to retain PI animals. On 1 September some 248 herds were retaining 363 PIs – the majority of these are 2016 born animals.
1558. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 489 of 21 June 2016, when payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25555/16]
View answerThe person named submitted an application to have his entitlements reviewed on 22nd July 2016. He had previously submitted a late 2013 Single Payment Scheme application which had adversely affected his allocation of entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015. Based on the circumstances of his appeal, the late application has now been accepted as valid for the purposes of allocating rights under the Basic Payment Scheme. This has resulted in the allocation of 7.04 entitlements to the person named with a total value including greening of €1700.03 and payment will issue shortly.
1559. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who were affected in 2015 by the ceiling of the basic payment scheme of €150,000; the number of these farmers who received greening payments in excess of €45,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25558/16]
View answerThe maximum payment that will be granted to any one applicant under the Basic Payment Scheme (excluding the Greening Payment) in any one scheme year is capped at €150,000 and applies from the first year of the scheme in 2015. This cap on payment relates only to the payment received under the Basic Payment Scheme. Therefore, an applicant’s total payment (Basic Payment and Greening) could be over €150,000 provided the payment under the Basic Payment Scheme is €150,000 or less. In 2015 a total of eight applicants were affected by the ceiling of the Basic Payment Scheme of €150,000. Of these all eight received Greening Payments in excess of €45,000.
1560. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who received a combined basic payment and greening payment of between €150,000 and €200,000; of between €200,000 and €250,000; of between €250,000 and €300,000; of between €300,000 and €400,000; and in excess of €400,000 in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25559/16]
View answerI confirm eighteen applicants had a gross combined Basic Payment and Greening Payment of between €150,000 and €200,000. Four applicants had a gross combined Basic Payment and Greening Payment of between €200,000 and €250,000. One applicant had a gross combined Basic Payment and Greening Payment of between €250,000 and €300,000. No applicants had a gross combined Basic Payment and Greening Payment of between €300,000 and €400,000 or in excess of €400,000.
1561. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total payments made to date under GLAS; the total number of participants; when it is anticipated that all remaining payments for 2015 will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25560/16]
View answerA part-year payment in respect of the final three months of 2015 for certain GLAS actions is due to some 22,000 GLAS tranche 1 applicants. A first instalment of this 2015 payment, representing up to 85% of the total 2015 payment due issued to 18,000 applicants in December and a further 3,000 applicants in March.
The 2015 balancing payments issued to 18,500 applicants in early August 2016 and my Department is continuing to process outstanding 2015 payments subject to the completion of all the required regulatory checks.
1562. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers currently in the beef data and genomics scheme, broken down by the number of eligible cows the farmer has in the scheme by 0 to 10, 10 to 20 and so on, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25561/16]
View answerThe information requested is not yet available but is currently being compiled. It will be forwarded to the Deputy directly as soon as it is finalised.
1563. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total amount paid out to date under the beef data and genomics scheme; the amount of outstanding payments due for 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25562/16]
View answerThe information requested is not yet available but is currently being compiled. It will be forwarded to the Deputy directly as soon as it is finalised.
1564. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of the number of persons employed in the forestry sector here; and the number of those persons employed by his Department. [25572/16]
View answerThe current estimate of national employment in the forest sector is 12,000 which is based on work conducted at University College Dublin. The Central Statistics Office is working with the Department on the development of national forest accounts which will include updated estimates of employment in the forest sector.
There are currently 118 people (equating to just over 110 full time equivalents) assigned to forestry duties in my Department.
1565. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a funding request for an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25614/16]
View answerMy Department has been working with the Irish Harness Racing Association (IHRA) to provide some support for the industry. The IHRA are beneficiaries, for the first time, of an Equine Infrastructure grant scheme operated by my Department. Under the Scheme, the IHRA has been approved for grants totalling €21,704.
My Department will shortly begin the process of tendering for an independent evaluator to complete an economic evaluation of the potential of the Harness Racing sector in Ireland. This evaluation will be progressed as a priority.
I believe that IHRA has the potential to develop the sport in Ireland and bring it more into line with the profile it enjoys elsewhere. On publication of the Economic Valuation report, I will examine all future funding possibilities for this sector.
1566. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a submission to his Department by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25615/16]
View answerAs this Request for Tender is part of an ongoing public procurement competition I am precluded from making any comment on the matter until the procurement process has been concluded.
1567. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a farm payment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25618/16]
View answerAn application under Tranche 1 of GLAS was received in my Department on the 19 May 2015 and the person named was approved as a Tier 2 participant for GLAS 1 having selected over 10 hectares of the Minimum Tillage action.
Subsequent to approval into the scheme my Department received correspondence from the Agricultural Advisor of the person named stating that the Minimum Tillage action had been incorrectly selected when submitting the GLAS application and requested that the Minimum Tillage action be withdrawn and substituted with the Low Input Permanent Pasture action.
The scheme Terms and Conditions only allow for the withdrawal of actions and all GLAS advisors were notified that no amendments could be made once the application is submitted. The withdrawal of the Minimum Tillage action negated the grounds on which approval had been granted and the application was accordingly deemed invalid.
I understand that the person named has lodged an appeal to the Agriculture Appeals Office where the matter will be further dealt with in due course.
1568. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of farm payments in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25637/16]
View answerThe persons named have submitted a 2016 Transfer of Entitlements application to my Department seeking the transfer of entitlements by gift from the first named person to the second named person. This application is currently being processed and when completed both parties will be advised in writing. Payment under the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme will issue to the second person named if otherwise eligible for the Scheme.
1569. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a new scheme or create more places on the current scheme for new organic farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25659/16]
View answer1572. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an organic farming scheme for new entrants will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25700/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1569 and 1572 together.
The new Organic Farming Scheme has proved extremely successful, attracting more new applicants than any previous organic scheme, and encouraging a significant number of Irish farmers to convert to organic farming systems. This is a co-funded scheme, supported jointly through the Rural Development Programme by the EU and the Irish Exchequer. At this point in time, the budget allocated to the new scheme in Ireland’s Rural Development Programme has been fully committed and all targets set for the scheme within the RDP have already been achieved.
My Department keeps a close eye on expenditure under all headings of the RDP and I will consider the options for reallocation of funds between headings at an appropriate time.
1570. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to undertake research into the introduction of warning packaging for meat products or warnings in all areas that meat is sold outlining the health and environmental consequences of meat production. [25673/16]
View answerMy colleague, the Minister for Health, has overall responsibility for as the general food labelling legislation and new EU food information regulations which were adopted by the Council of Health Ministers in December 2011, although my department has a role in relation to mandatory origin labelling and marketing standards regulations.
I am satisfied that all the necessary information as required by EU and national legislation is provided to consumers for all meats and meat products produced in Ireland. I have no plans to undertake research focussed on the introduction of the kind of labelling suggested by the deputy, though I can confirm that my Department supports a range of initiatives to improve the environment under its Rural Development Programme.
1571. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of State funding provided to Bord na gCon for each of the past five years; and the numbers employed and amount of this funding which went on wages and salaries. [25699/16]
View answerBord na gCon is a commercial State body, established in 1958 under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. The following table lists funding provided to Bord na gCon through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund for the past five years.
|
Year |
Horse & Racing Greyhound Racing Fund - €M |
|
2016 |
14.8 |
|
2015 |
13.6 |
|
2014 |
10.844 |
|
2013 |
11.004 |
|
2012 |
11.258 |
With regard to the total number of employees and the amount of money spent on wages and salaries, these details are published in Bord na gCon’s annual accounts. The accounts can be accessed through the Bord na gCon website at www.igb.ie.
1573. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will receive a GLAS payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25716/16]
View answerAn application under Tranche 1 of GLAS was received in my Department on the 26 May 2015 and the person named was approved into GLAS 1 with effect from 1 October 2015.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue.
Unfortunately the application of the person named has not successfully completed all required checks. Department officials will examine and further process the application when the outstanding issues are resolved.
1574. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a farm payment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25731/16]
View answerPrevious Parliamentary Questions Nos. 373 and 407 on 14 July 2015 refer.
A query in respect of loss of compensation and consequential losses for sheep destocking following the implementation of the National Commonage Framework plans introduced in 1998 was received by my Department from the person named on 12 March 2015.
A reply issued directly to the person named on 23 June 2015 outlining the process by which the person named benefited in the calculation of his entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme by virtue of the destocking of part of his sheep flock. Under the provisions of the regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme, farmers, who had their stock numbers decreased due to the impact of an agri-environment measure, could use an alternative reference period (19997/98) for the calculation of their payment entitlements. Under these provisions, the total gross value of his entitlements increased from €5,542.94 to €14,744.93.
My Department subsequently received a further query on 3 July 2015 confirming that the question raised was in respect of sheep destocking and the compensation that was payable through the National Parks and Wildlife Services. Initial investigations indicate that the person named was in receipt of this compensation from 1999 through to and including 2001. My Department investigated the matter and responded directly in writing to the person named on 31 August 2015 outlining the position.
1576. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the files, documents and maps relating to the Land Commission are available for public inspection; the location at which all of this information is stored; if it is in digital format; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25748/16]
View answerThe records of the former Irish Land Commission mainly documents and maps are stored in the Records Branch of my Department located in the Clonminam Industrial Estate, Portlaoise. There are no plans at present to make these records generally available to the public as they are still working documents.
The Estate title documents are privately owned by the Estates Vendors and their Assigns, and form part of the root of title of those allotted land on the Estate and are not available to the general public for research etc, unlike other State documents in the custody of the National Archives. The other documents in Records Branch are files on individuals who sold land to the former Commission and those who applied for and were allotted land by the former Commission. These files are not available to the general public as they contain private, sensitive information and are subject to the provisions of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts.
Owners and purchasers of land and their legal representatives are allowed access to and copies of relevant documents and maps.
The records of the former Commission are not available in digital format.
1577. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a second GLAS payment will issue to persons (details supplied). [25784/16]
View answerThe person named has been approved under Tranche 1 of GLAS with a contract start date of 1 October 2015. GLAS applicants with a start date of 1 October 2015 are eligible for a 2015 part-year payment in respect of 2015 eligible actions, for the three month period 1 October 2015 - 31 December 2015.
The first instalment of the payment issued to the person named on the 23 December 2015. The Department is processing outstanding 2015 balancing payments and the payment due to the person named, will issue after all required regulatory checks are fully completed.
1578. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding available to replant damaged forestry plantations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25791/16]
View answerLast week I announced the opening of a Reconstitution Scheme (Windblow), the purpose of which is to provide financial aid to land owners whose plantations were damaged by storm force winds that occurred between 5th December 2013 and 12th February 2014, with the most severe windstorm, named ‘Storm Darwin’, on 12th February 2014. The State will make a financial contribution towards the cost of replanting these sites as a once-off measure for this specific weather event.
Total funding available for the Reconstitution Scheme (Windblow) is €3.4m; this is sufficient for 2,000 ha. A maximum grant of €1,700 per hectare up to a total of 10 hectares will be made available under the Scheme to those private forest owners meeting the eligibility criteria.
1579. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the organic farming scheme will open again for applications for new entrants and for existing producers and manufacturers. [25839/16]
View answerThe new Organic Farming Scheme has proved extremely successful, attracting more new applicants than any scheme before, and encouraging a significant number of Irish farmers to convert to organic farming systems. This is a co-funded scheme, supported jointly through the Rural Development Programme by the EU and the Irish Exchequer. At this point in time, the budget allocated to the new scheme in Ireland’s Rural Development Programme has been fully committed and all targets set for the scheme within the RDP have already been achieved.
My Department keeps a close eye on expenditure under all headings of the RDP and I will consider the options for reallocation of funds between headings at an appropriate time.
In the meantime, the two capital investment schemes for both producers and manufacturers remain open and will continue to accept applications for support up to the end of the RDP period.
1580. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for a farm building grant. [25851/16]
View answerThe person named applied for investments under the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme of TAMS II. The application has passed all administrative checks and is now subject to technical checking. The Department will contact him as soon as these checks are completed.
