Written Answers Nos. 525-537
525. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a GLAS 1 payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry following the successful review of their application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53600/17]
View answerAn action on the application of the person named was deemed to be ineligible originally. This issue has now been resolved. The application will be run through the selection process in the coming days. Once the application clears this stage it will move to payment processing.
526. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a GLAS 1 payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry following the successful review of their application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53601/17]
View answerFollowing the review mentioned an action on the application of the person named is due to be reinstated. This case has been listed for reinstatement and this process will be completed shortly. The application will then be run through the selection process. Once the application clears this stage it will move to payment processing.
527. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an over-claim being applied to a TAMS grant will be reviewed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry in view of the lack of options on the online application portal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53604/17]
View answerThe applicant in question applied for investments under the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Measure under TAMS II.
The claim is currently being processed in my Department and the penalty position, if any, has yet to be determined.
528. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of full-time and part-time staff working in the dedicated international markets focus section; and the yearly cost of including staffing costs. [53628/17]
View answerOne of my key priorities is to further increase the market opportunity for Irish food and drinks internationally. This principle of market development is already a key component of Food Wise 2025, but is particularly important now in the context of Brexit.
The work of staff across the Department impacts on market access and development. This includes veterinary services, laboratory staff, inspectorate staff, Brexit/International Trade Division, Meat and Dairy Policy Division and others, in completing market access questionnaires, facilitating incoming inspection visits, participating in diplomatic meetings, agreeing export health certificates and so on. All of this inter-connected work facilitates the accessing of new markets and the maintenance of existing markets.
In relation to meat, this effort is co-ordinated by a dedicated meat market access unit in the Meat and Dairy Policy Division. This unit’s staffing complement has increased in line with my action plan on market access. It currently comprises a team of seven people led by an Assistant Principal Officer. The annual cost for staffing this unit, including salary, PRSI, pension and accommodation, is estimated at approximately €500,000.
The meat market access unit works on expanding market access for beef, sheepmeat, pigmeat, poultry and cooked meats across a range of markets and is also working to simplify certification procedures in a number of markets to which Ireland already has access. The work of the unit supports a meat industry with exports of over €3 billion.
My Department has made significant progress in recent years in increasing market access opportunities for Irish meat exports.
529. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of full-time and part-time staff assigned to the dedicated Brexit unit within his Department by staff grade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53629/17]
View answerFollowing the UK referendum in June 2016, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine established a dedicated Brexit Co-ordination Unit within its EU & International Trade Division. This Unit now forms part of a new Brexit and International Trade Division. It comprises nine staff working full-time on the co-ordination of Brexit issues, including a full-time Head of Division, who in turn reports to an Assistant Secretary General deeply engaged in Brexit issues. Its work is complementary to that of the Market Access Unit and that of other divisions in the department dealing with trade related issues.
The Unit co-ordinates the ongoing analysis, consultation and engagement activities being undertaken by a large number of administrative, technical and veterinary staff, across the Department. It also feeds into the whole-of-Government co-ordination being undertaken by the Department of the Taoiseach.
In overall terms, my Department is continuing to monitor the future workforce needs of the Department, and will be keeping resource allocations under close review as the negotiations proceed.
530. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of times, including dates and locations, that the Brexit consultative committee has met since the UK Brexit referendum in June 2016, in tabular form. [53630/17]
View answerOne of the steps I undertook in the immediate aftermath of the UK's decision to leave the EU was to establish a Consultative Committee of Stakeholders in order to ensure a full exchange of information on the potential implications of a UK exit from the EU for the agri-food sector in Ireland. The working arrangements of the Committee are to meet as required rather than according to a pre-determined schedule. The Consultative Committee have met on the following occasions:
|
1st Formal Meeting |
7 July 2016 |
DAFM Headquaters |
|
2nd Formal Meeting |
20 October 2016 |
DAFM Headquaters |
|
Sectoral Dialogue for the cattle and sheep, dairy, and pigs and poultry sectors |
15 December 2016 |
City North Hotel & Conference Centre, Gormanstown, Co. Meath |
|
Sectoral Dialogue for the fisheries sector |
1 February 2017 |
Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin Airport |
|
Sectoral Dialogue for the forestry, horticulture, prepared consumer foods and cereals/animal feed sectors |
8 February 2017 |
City North Hotel & Conference Centre, Gormanstown, Co. Meath |
|
3rd Formal Meeting |
11 April 2017 |
DAFM Headquaters |
|
Sectoral Dialogue for the alcohol, beverage and distilling sector |
3 May 2017 |
DAFM Headquaters |
|
Sectoral Dialogue for the equine and greyhound sector |
9 June 2017 |
Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise |
|
4th Formal Meeting |
19 July 2017 |
DAFM Headquaters |
|
Consultative meeting for the PCF Alcohol and Beverage Sectors |
30 November 2017 |
DAFM Headquaters |
All of these ongoing consultations are helping to further inform my approach and that of my Department to the challenges presented by Brexit for the agri-food and fisheries sectors, and the Brexit Consultative Committee of Stakeholders will continue to play a vital role in this regard.
531. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of companies that have completed the Brexit barometer to date since it was launched by companies larger than SME size, SMEs, medium-sized companies and micro-sized companies, in tabular form. [53631/17]
View answerBord Bia published its industry findings last June on the basis of information provided from 139 companies that completed the Brexit Barometer. The results can be found using the following link:
www.bordbia.ie/industry/events/SpeakerPresentations/2017/BrexitBarometerFindingsAction/BordBia-Brexit-Barometer-Industry-Findings.pdf.
532. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff recruited on an annual basis in Bord Bia since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, between new staff hires and replacement staff, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53632/17]
View answerBord Bia’s remit for the marketing and promotion of agri-food and drink has been challenged by the decision of the UK electorate to withdraw from the European Union. The response to this challenge has been an organisation-wide response rather than a response by one or a number of specific individuals.
Recruitment of staff is an operational matter for the State Body concerned and the Deputy is referred to the agreed Oireachtas contact address for the State Body concerned – Bord Bia info@bordbia.ie.
533. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff recruited on an annual basis since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, between new staff hires and replacement staff, in State agencies and bodies under his aegis (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53633/17]
View answerMy Department will be providing support to the State Agencies under its aegis in the context of the challenges arising due to Brexit.
All information relating to the hiring of additional staff are operational matters for the State Bodies concerned and I have asked my officials to forward the Deputy's question to the State Bodies in question for direct reply.
534. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the Irish Embassies worldwide which have agricultural attachés stationed; and the number of such attachés stationed in each such specific embassy by city and country. [53634/17]
View answerThere are agricultural attachés based in eight Irish embassies worldwide. There is one attaché stationed in each of the following locations:
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Beijing, China
Geneva, Switzerland
London, UK
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
Washington, United States
There are four attachés based in Brussels, Belgium.
535. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the 2016 programme for Government commitment to propose a lowering of the cap on basic payments; and the timeframe for implementation of this action. [53635/17]
View answerThe 2016 Programme for Government undertook to propose a lowering of the cap on basic payments from €150,000 to €100,000.
Since the 16th October 2015, the maximum amount payable to any one applicant under the Basic Payment Scheme (excluding the Greening Payment), is capped at €150,000 per annum and applies from the first year of the scheme in 2015. Ireland actively supported the concept of this maximum level during the CAP negotiations. Under the new Direct Payments Regulations, it was open to Member States to reduce payments over €150,000 by between 5% and 100%. Ireland chose the highest possible reduction, thus effectively capping BPS payments at €150,000. A further lowering of the limit would require a legislative change of the basic regulation 1307/2013 (Direct Payments Regulation) in Council.
As no mid-term review of the CAP has yet taken place, the opportunity has not arisen to propose the lowering of the maximum amount payable. However, I am committed to addressing this matter in the context of the future reform of the CAP.
536. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of approved persons who have applied to the knowledge transfer group, KTG, scheme in the beef, sheep, dairy, tillage, equine and poultry sectors, in tabular form; the targeted number of groups formed; the number of groups finalised to date; the number of payments that have issued to date; the 2017 budget allocation for the KTG scheme; the funds allocated to the scheme under the 2014-2020 rural development programme, RDP; the amount of moneys expended to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53636/17]
View answerKnowledge Transfer is one of a suite of measures included under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and involves the formation of knowledge transfer groups across the beef, dairy, equine, sheep, tillage and poultry sectors.
Funding of €100m under the Rural Development Programme, 2014-2020 has been allocated for this measure, which involves Department approved agricultural consultants acting as Knowledge Transfer Facilitators administering groups operating over a three year period.
A breakdown of the number of applications received for the Knowledge Transfer Programme is provided below:
|
Total |
Beef |
Dairy |
Sheep |
Tillage |
Poultry |
Equine |
|
|
Number of Participant Applications Received |
20,252 |
10,072 |
4,258 |
4,310 |
885 |
248 |
479 |
|
Number of Group Applications Received |
1,190 |
581 |
268 |
251 |
55 |
13 |
22 |
It should be noted that a portion of those applications received did not meet eligibility requirements and therefore did not progress to take part in the Programme. Additionally a number of group facilitators and participants subsequently decided that they no longer wished to proceed in the Programme with a further circa 1% of participants withdrawing from the scheme during the course of the Programme to date.
Approximately 19,100 farmers in circa 1,190 Knowledge Transfer Groups have actively participated in the Programme attending a range of Knowledge Transfer Group Meetings, Knowledge Transfer approved National Events and completing Farm Improvement Plans and Animal Health Measures.
A budget of €23m has been allocated for 2017 in respect of the Knowledge Transfer Programme. Payments commenced at the end of October for participants who successfully completed all elements of Year One of the Programme. To date, in excess of €10 million has been paid to over 13,500 participants across the six sectors. Payments are continuing as more facilitators return their documentation.
537. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 by county, in tabular form; the number of approved applications by county; the number of payment claims logged by county; the number of payment claims that have been approved for payment by county; the funds allocated to the scheme under the 2014-20 RDP; the amount of moneys expended to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53637/17]
View answerThe TAMS II Scheme has been very successful to date in terms of uptake with the number of approvals issued exceeding 11,600. All of these approvals represent committed expenditure under the TAMS II measure of the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020.
Of the applications approved just over 3,000 payment claims have been submitted to date and payments to the value of €31.6m have issued. The budget for TAMS II over the lifetime of the RDP is €395m.
Payment claims submitted continue to be paid on an ongoing basis. All participants who have completed approved works have been urged to submit their payment claims as soon as they are in a position to do so to facilitate early payment.
The details of approvals and payments as requested by the Deputy are given below.
|
County |
Applications Received |
Approved |
Claims Lodged |
Approved For Payment |
|
Carlow |
233 |
179 |
42 |
30 |
|
Cavan |
556 |
411 |
100 |
62 |
|
Clare |
440 |
365 |
109 |
101 |
|
Cork |
2338 |
1786 |
516 |
348 |
|
Donegal |
795 |
578 |
76 |
57 |
|
Dublin |
89 |
63 |
15 |
6 |
|
Galway |
1062 |
809 |
220 |
159 |
|
Kerry |
1060 |
794 |
208 |
159 |
|
Kildare |
293 |
194 |
55 |
40 |
|
Kilkenny |
795 |
603 |
192 |
148 |
|
Laois |
440 |
346 |
97 |
76 |
|
Leitrim |
214 |
158 |
44 |
30 |
|
Limerick |
765 |
581 |
165 |
135 |
|
Longford |
214 |
162 |
30 |
26 |
|
Louth |
197 |
142 |
30 |
14 |
|
Mayo |
581 |
430 |
100 |
81 |
|
Meath |
518 |
401 |
87 |
59 |
|
Monaghan |
503 |
370 |
92 |
65 |
|
Offaly |
348 |
269 |
67 |
42 |
|
Roscommon |
554 |
437 |
93 |
58 |
|
Sligo |
210 |
155 |
37 |
25 |
|
Tipperary |
1270 |
983 |
332 |
300 |
|
Waterford |
498 |
390 |
109 |
85 |
|
Westmeath |
345 |
278 |
68 |
47 |
|
Wexford |
801 |
600 |
144 |
101 |
|
Wicklow |
274 |
190 |
34 |
26 |
|
Grand Total |
15393 |
11674 |
3062 |
2280 |
