Written Answers Nos. 630-643
630. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an issue will be resolved in relation to a GLAS application by a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3850/17]
View answerThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has received full entitlements in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
During the 2016 prepayment checks an issue was identified in relation to crosschecks with other Department databases. Department officials have examined this issue and have resolved it. The application will now be re-run through the validation checks with a view to making payment at the earliest opportunity.
631. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on an appeal of a decision on an animal welfare, safety and nutrient storage scheme under a TAMS II application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3863/17]
View answerThe person named applied for grant aid under the Animal Welfare Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme of TAMS II. On pre-approval inspection of the premises it was established that replacement slats had been installed prior to approval being issued. This is a breach of the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme and the application was therefore rejected. Following a review, the decision to reject was upheld by this Department and a letter to that effect has issued to the person named on 26 January 2017. The person concerned now has the option of appealing this decision to the Agriculture Appeals Office, Kilminchey Court, Kilminchey, Portlaoise, Co Laois, within three months of the decision date of 26 January 2017.
632. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a GLAS payment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3912/17]
View answerThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has received full entitlements in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
During the 2016 prepayment checks issues were identified with the cross checks on the Basic Payment Scheme application of the person named. Department officials are examining these issues with a view to resolving and further processing the application for payment at the earliest opportunity.
633. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether it is legal to confine some Irish mares' horse races to Irish-bred horses only. [3934/17]
View answerHorse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry.
The organisation of horse racing is not a matter for my Department. The setting of race programmes is entirely a matter for Horse Racing Ireland, which have dedicated Fixtures and Programmes Committees to set the race fixtures and race programmes, taking various factors into account, including race patterns and race horse ages and population statistics. I understand from HRI that there are no races programmed by it that restrict entries to Irish bred horses only.
634. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date on which the agriculture cashflow support loan scheme will become available for farmers to apply for. [3937/17]
View answerI am pleased to announce the launch of the “Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme” today. One of my priorities has been to address the impact of the change in the sterling exchange rate and lower commodity prices in some sectors, which have caused cash flow difficulties for farmers. The Scheme was developed in co-operation with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), which has confirmed that AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank will distribute the loans, making €150 million available to farmers throughout Ireland at interest rates of 2.95%. It will provide farmers with a low cost, flexible source of working capital and will allow them to pay down more expensive forms of short-term debt, ensuring the ongoing financial sustainability of viable farming enterprises.
The SBCI has demonstrated its commitment to the agriculture sector and has worked with my Department to get this product to the market in a timely manner. I welcome the participation of the main banks, which will ensure nation-wide coverage for the scheme. The fact that most farmers will have an existing relationship with the participating banks should facilitate the loan application process.
635. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a payment for 2012 did not issue to a person (details supplied); and when the payment will issue. [3945/17]
View answerAn application under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 20 April 2012. The application was processed and as the land area claimed was subject to a review payment did not issue. This review is now complete and the application is fully processed with payment due to issue shortly.
636. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person's file (details supplied) has not been sent from his Department to the Agriculture Appeals Office despite numerous requests from the appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3975/17]
View answerAn application under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme was received from the person named on 29 April 2015. On processing of the application it was identified that not all scheme eligibility criteria were met, resulting in a rejection of the application for payment. At that point additional correspondence was submitted by the person named, which on examination was not sufficient to overturn the original decision. The applicant was advised of this position and of his right to seek a review from the Agricultural Appeals Office.
When seeking this review the person named submitted new additional information which necessitates a re-examination of the original decision. This examination is ongoing at present with a view to advising the Appeals Office of the most up to date position at the earliest stage possible.
637. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department can take whatever time it sees fit to send files to the Agriculture Appeals Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3976/17]
View answerUnder the Agriculture Appeals Regulations the Director of the Agriculture Appeals Office may fix the period within which files requested by that Office from my Department should be provided. This period is currently set at two weeks.
My Department is committed to adhering to this deadline in respect of all requests for files made to it by the Agriculture Appeals Office. In some cases there are valid reasons for a delay in returning files and, in such circumstances, my Department liaises with the Agriculture Appeals Office with a view to providing the file requested as soon as is practicable.
638. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a regulation whereby if his Department has not sent a file to the Agriculture Appeals Office within one month the appeal will go in favour of the person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3977/17]
View answerThe Agriculture Appeals Regulations provide that the Director of Agriculture Appeals may fix the period within which the files requested by the Agriculture Appeals Office should be provided. This period is currently set at two weeks.
Fair procedures require that the Agriculture Appeals Office hears both sides of appeal cases. Every effort is being made by the Agriculture Appeals Office to ensure my Department returns the file within the required timeframe.
639. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3979/17]
View answerThe Agriculture Appeals Office has confirmed that the person named lodged an appeal on 10 February 2016. A decision letter issued 4 July 2016 notifying the person named of the outcome of the appeal. Additional information was provided by the person named and, following consideration of that information, a revised appeal decision issued on 17 January 2017.
640. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3982/17]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2016 Transfer of Entitlements application to my Department seeking the transfer of entitlements by Inheritance. Additional documentation required to process this application was sought from the legal representatives of the deceased on 13th December 2016. Following receipt of this information, the Transfer application was fully processed, an acceptance letter was issued and payment issued under the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme to the person named on 26th January 2017.
641. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the allocation by segment of mackerel quotas for 2017; the criteria for any proposed change; the strategy to ensure equity in this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3999/17]
View answerI decided that, without prejudice, there is a case for a review of the policy on allocations between the RSW Pelagic segment and the polyvalent segment of the fleet, taking account of a request by the Irish South &West Fish Producers Organisation. In that regard, I am restricting consideration to the increased quota for Ireland in 2017 over that in 2016. It is important to note that I have not made any decision at this time to change the allocations between the segments in respect of this part of the quota. All relevant issues will be carefully evaluated and subject to a full consultation with stakeholders before I decide if any amendment to the policy is justified for the proper and effective management of the mackerel fishery. I circulated an information paper to all stakeholders through the Department’s website and by means of an advertisement in the national press. Stakeholders are invited to submit views on this matter in writing to: mackerelconsultation@agriculture.gov.ie by 28 February 2017.
To support transparency in this process, it is intended that all views received on the Consultation Document and/or any clarification provided will be publically made available on the Department’s website. During the period when the formal consultation is open (to the end of February), I have made clear that do not intend to meet any parties on this matter. Following the closure of the formal consultation process, any meeting that may be held with stakeholders will be open to all interested stakeholders that have engaged in the public consultation.
Furthermore, as an interim measure, I have allocated the 2016 quota level (75,837 tonnes) in accordance with policy. In that regard, I have written to the relevant Producer Organisations (POs) seeking their support for a voluntary quota balancing arrangement for the 2016 RSW pelagic segment mackerel fishery in respect of landings arising from the application of the landing obligation. I asked the POs to make contact with their members and encourage them to agree, that any amounts landed in excess of their allocated quota in 2016, arising from the application of the landing obligation, as recorded by the SFPA in 2016, be deducted from their 2017 allocation. I have held back 6% of this quota (75,837 tonnes) in order to allow the voluntary quota balancing scheme to be progressed. I have received the completed documents agreeing to the scheme from one PO and am awaiting the formal response from the other PO.
My Department is currently awaiting the final figures from the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to determine excess landings of mackerel in 2016 in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 polyvalent segment, arising from the application of the landing obligation. On receipt of the figures, I will consider the possibility of asking the Producer Organisation to implement a voluntary scheme for Tier 1 and Tier 2 polyvalent segment vessels as proposed for the RSW pelagic segment. As soon as this voluntary payback scheme is finalised, I will be in a position to allocate the 6% of the mackerel quota held back for this purpose.
642. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in a 2016 GLAS payment for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4000/17]
View answerThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 January 2016.
The first payment due to the person named is in respect of the 2016 scheme year. During the 2016 prepayment checks an issue was identified with the Farmland Habitat, Private Natura action that requires further examination. Department officials are actively working to resolve this issue with a view to further processing the application for payment at the earliest opportunity.
643. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his Department has not sent a file requested by the Agriculture Appeals Office for a person (details supplied) to the independent appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4009/17]
View answerThe 2015 ground eligibility inspection file in respect of the Herd No. detailed has issued to the Agriculture Appeals Office and my Department understands that the file is currently being examined by that office.
The Agriculture Appeals Office will notify the applicant of the outcome on completion of the appeals process.
