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Thursday, 27 Sep 2018

Written Answers Nos. 155-179

Hospital Waiting Lists Data

Questions (155)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

155. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for cataract operations in the South-South West Hospital Group sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39267/18]

View answer

Written answers

Reducing waiting times for Cataract surgery remains a top priority in 2018. In the Inpatient Day Case Action Plan, launched in April, 25% (5,000 out of 20,000) of the planned National Treatment Purchase Fund procedures were allocated for cataract patients.

Under the Action Plan, the NTPF commits to offer treatment to all clinically suitable patients waiting more than 9 months for a cataract procedure.

The impact of the Action Plan can be seen in the improvements to the Waiting Lists for Cataracts which have seen a reduction of over 3,100 over the past 13 months. August figures for cataracts show that there are now 6,868 on the waiting list, compared to over 10,000 in July 2017. The number of patients waiting over 9 months for a cataract procedure has gone from over 4,300 in July 2017 to 1,078 in August 2018, with 64% of patients waiting 3 months or less.

While the Department does not routinely collect data at procedure level by group, waiting list figures from the NTPF indicate that since July 2017, the numbers on the Inpatient/Daycase list for ophthalmology in the SSW hospital group has fallen from 3,509 to 2,826 at the end of August 2018. Cataracts would make up a significant proportion of the ophthalmology waiting lists. The percentage of ophthalmology patients on the IPDC list waiting 9 months or more at the end of August 2018 is 27%.

I will ask the NTPF to provide information on the number of cataracts patients in SSW to the end of August and I will provide this information to the Deputy directly.

Hospital Waiting Lists Data

Questions (156)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

156. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for orthopaedic operations in the South/South West hospital group sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39268/18]

View answer

Written answers

Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and in 2018 €50 million was allocated to the NTPF to provide treatment for patients. The recently launched Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and NTPF activity in 2018 to reduce the number of patients waiting for treatment.

As of the end of August 2018, the orthopaedic waiting list for the south-southwest hospital group stood at 1,001 patients, representing a reduction of 74 patients (7%) when compared to the numbers waiting at August 2017.

The majority of patients (439) are listed for South Infirmary Cork, a further 285 patients are awaiting treatment at Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital Kilcreene. The remaining patients are waiting at Cork University Hospital (16), University Hospital Kerry (124) and University Hospital Waterford (137).

It is important to note that as of the end of August 86% of all orthopaedic patients of the South-Southwest Hospital group were waiting less than 9 months for treatment, while only 9% are waiting more than 1 year.

Cross-Border Health Initiatives

Questions (157)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

157. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have availed of the cross-border directive to have cataracts removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39269/18]

View answer

Written answers

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.

Medical Card Administration

Questions (158)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

158. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to including an art assist device on the medical card scheme for persons who have been prescribed it by their doctor (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39271/18]

View answer

Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Cross-Border Health Initiatives

Questions (159)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

159. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have availed of the cross-border directive for orthopaedic operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39272/18]

View answer

Written answers

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.

Equine Identification Scheme

Questions (160)

Maurice Quinlivan

Question:

160. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prosecutions since January 2013 with regard to the failure of owners to chip their horses. [39162/18]

View answer

Written answers

The current rules in relation to the identification of equines came into effect on 1st January 2016 and are governed by Commission Implementing Regulation 262/2015, as transposed into national legislation via S.I 62 of 2016 (as amended). This legislation provides that all equines must be identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of birth of the animal. Each equine must be implanted with a microchip by a veterinary practitioner, the number of which must be recorded on the corresponding passport, on the database of the issuing Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) and on the central equine database maintained by my Department. This establishes the link between the animal and its passport document.

The implantation of a microchip in an equine by a veterinary practitioner became a requirement under the provisions of Commissions Regulation (EU) 504/2008, which came into effect on 1st July 2009 in respect of all equines identified with a passport from that date.

Equines identified with a passport prior to 1st July 2009 are deemed to be properly identified even though they have not been implanted with a microchip.

Proper identification of an equine cannot be established visually. The physical identification document issued in respect of an equine records the required identification details of the animal, and it is from that data that the requirement for a microchip is determined.

Enforcement of equine identification legislation is largely undertaken by authorised officers across the regional offices my Department who liaise with authorised officers in the Local Authorities and other organisations as required.

While S.I. 62 of 2016 (as amended) provides for the prosecution of keepers who have unidentified equines in their care, it also provides for the issuing of compliance notices. My Department's policy is to adopt a fair and proportional approach in dealing with breaches of equine identification legislation. In this regard, authorised officers engage with keepers to ensure that they understand their responsibilities and where breaches of the legislation are identified, they generally provide an opportunity for non-compliant keepers to rectify the position within a specified timeframe. This approach is considered to be effective.

There have been no prosecutions since January 2013 with regard to the failure of owners to chip their horses.

Weather Events

Questions (161)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

161. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports that can be made available to farmers who suffered damage to maize crops during Storm Ali and subsequently cannot harvest and process the crop; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39175/18]

View answer

Written answers

Maize is a crop that is predominantly grown in a covered system (under plastic film) and is typically harvested between the end of September and the end of October. While many crops were unaffected by Storm Ali, I am aware of some crops in localised areas were adversely impacted to varying degrees.

It is my understanding that the majority of the affected maize crops remain salvageable with some additional attention required at harvesting.

As this storm and other recent weather events have shown, farmers require access to measures that improve their capacity to respond to these occurrences. I have asked my officials, in the context of the upcoming CAP reform, to examine all available risk management tools to determine which of these may be most appropriate to the farming sector. A programme of assistance in respect of Storm Ali is not being considered at present.

Young Farmers Scheme

Questions (162)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

162. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an anomaly concerning young farmers (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39185/18]

View answer

Written answers

The person named submitted an application under the 2018 National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme on 8th May 2018 under a herd number held jointly with his son as the young farmer. One of the eligibility criteria under the 2018 schemes is that the young farmer must have successfully completed a recognised course of education in agriculture giving rise to an award at FETAC Level 6 or its equivalent by the closing date for receipt of applications of 15th May 2018. Where an applicant has completed the course by 15th May 2018 but has not received final verification, the applicant should submit a Confirmation of Education form which is available for downloading as part of the online application facility. This form should be signed and stamped by the education course provider and also signed by the applicant to confirm that the applicant has fully completed his/her course, including exams, practicals and course work by the 15th May.

On 8th May 2018, in support of the application to the schemes, the applicants submitted a letter from Teagasc confirming the young farmer was a registered student, he was progressing through the relevant education course and would on successful completion of the course be issued with a certificate in September 2018. On 2nd August 2018 my Department issued a letter to the applicants acknowledging that the confirmation of education had been received and asking that a copy of the education certificate be forwarded once available.

On 10th September 2018 the applicants uploaded a copy of the education certificate awarded to the young farmer. In order to ensure compliance with the relevant educational qualification eligibility criteria of the schemes, as set down in the Terms and Condition of the 2018 National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme, my Department must receive confirmation that the applicant had successfully completed all elements of his education course by 15th May 2018. In this regard, on 13th September a letter issued to the applicants seeking confirmation from the education course provider regarding the completion date for the young farmer’s Level 6 Specific Purpose Certificate in Farm Administration course. As soon as this confirmation is submitted to my Department the applications can be further processed with a view to being finalised.

Sheep Welfare Scheme

Questions (163)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

163. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the proposal by an organisation (details supplied) regarding the sheep welfare scheme. [39351/18]

View answer

Written answers

The EU Regulations governing payments under the Sheep Welfare Scheme state that payments may be made from 1st December. The Regulation also allows for advance payments to be made in advance of this where all administrative checks have been completed.

Under the Sheep Welfare Scheme advance payments commenced in Year 1 in November once administrative checks were completed. The balancing payment could then only be made when the range of further validation checks were completed. Given the structure of the Scheme and the timing of the scheme actions to be carried out by farmers, these validation checks on actions cannot be finalised until later in the Scheme year, and thus the balancing payment is required by regulation to issue at a later date.

Animal Diseases

Questions (164)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

164. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the contingency plans deployed in terms of monitoring and biosecurity measures in view of the confirmation of the spread of African swine fever to western Europe; and the supports that will be available to pig farmers. [39352/18]

View answer

Written answers

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a very serious and usually fatal viral disease of pigs. The disease has been spreading in Europe since it first entered the Eastern part of the European Union in 2014. The disease has spread to a number of EU Member States including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and more recently Belgium, where the disease was confirmed in wild boar. The disease does not affect other animal species or humans and there are no food safety implications.

Specific EU legislation (Directive 2002/60/EC) is in place that sets out the control measures to be implemented in the event of an ASF outbreak in an EU member state in order to control the disease and prevent any spread. These control measures include, for example, culling of animals in affected herds, animal and animal product movement restrictions, investigation into the source of disease and surveillance of susceptible populations. These control measures are being implemented in the affected countries.

ASF has never been detected in Ireland. A significant risk factor for the introduction of ASF into Ireland would be the illegal or inadvertent importation of meat or meat products from infected pigs particularly as the virus is very stable and can survive for months in uncooked or cured pork and pork products e.g. salami, sausages. The feeding of such products to pigs could then result in a disease outbreak here. A further risk would be the inadvertent spread of the virus by humans on clothing, footwear etc, who may have been exposed to the virus in affected countries. Wild boar which are also affected by the disease have played a major role in the spread of ASF in Eastern Europe. Ireland does not have a sustained population of wild boar.

DAFM has a contingency plan in place setting out the procedures and protocols that would be followed in the event of a suspected or confirmed case of ASF here. DAFM also has an ongoing early warning system and awareness campaign in place for all exotic diseases including ASF. Measures to protect the Irish pig industry from the threat of ASF have been stepped up in recent months and include for example:

- Close monitoring of the situation in EU member states and liaising with our EU neighbours on a regular basis.

- Circulation of regular information on ASF to targeted stakeholders to keep them informed of the current situation in Europe and the risk to Ireland. These documents are also made available at the disease control section of the DAFM website.

- Production of disease factsheets on ASF for both vets and farmers and their circulation to stakeholders for example as part of the annual pig census. They are also available on the DAFM website.

- Production of a multilingual poster warning of the dangers of visitors or staff returning from affected regions of the EU and bringing back meat or meat products onto Irish pig farms and its circulation to over 300 commercial pig farms in recent months.

- Biosecurity advice detailing measures that can be taken to prevent entry of the disease is available on the disease control section of the DAFM website for both the intensive commercial sectors and the less intensive pig farmers such as organic and outdoor production systems.

- Posters advising members of the public of the risks of ASF are in place at airports and ports.

-Specific advice regarding the risk of ASF was recently circulated to Irish livestock transporters who may travel to or transit through areas of the EU affected by ASF this summer.

- DAFM regularly tweets exotic disease information including biosecurity advice for farmers and specific information on ASF.

- Staff from DAFM’s veterinary service manned an information stand at the Ploughing Championships 2018 where ASF was a featured disease.

The Department continues to review all aspects of its contingency arrangements in relation to ASF in light of any emerging veterinary or scientific information and introduces such measures as are considered appropriate.

State Aid

Questions (165)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

165. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the European Commission’s proposal to increase the state aid threshold for farmers to €25,000 per producer following the Commission's public consultation process on this matter; the latest discussions and timeline for agreement at European Council; and his proposal for the national threshold limit. [39353/18]

View answer

Written answers

The CAP de minimis regulation covers the provision of small non-market distorting aid that can be paid to individuals without requiring notification to the Commission or the seeking of a block exemption.

Discussions on the Commission's proposals as part of its review of the agriculture de minimis regulations took place earlier in 2018 and a final decision is awaited. As part of its Impact assessment, the Commission undertook an economic analysis of the potential distortive effects of increased threshold ceilings. The Commission assessed a number of options as part of this exercise and presented different options for Member States to consider. Having considered the options, which included proposed sectorial caps and additional governance structure for higher levels of de minimus aid, I considered that an option of an increased threshold of €20,000 combined with an increased national cap of 1.25 to be most appropriate for Ireland.

It is the intention of the Commission to introduce the revised regulation by the end of 2018.

Food Labelling

Questions (166)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

166. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the obligatory labelling of country of origin on vegetables, fruit and potatoes in supermarkets as proposed by farming organisations. [39354/18]

View answer

Written answers

Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 543/2011 country of origin labelling is currently mandatory for almost all fresh fruit and vegetables. This Regulation does not apply to potatoes. However under the "Food Information to the Consumer Regulation" (Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council) the country of origin must be labelled on potatoes offered for sale where a failure to declare the country of origin might mislead the consumer. For example potatoes offered for sale in Ireland must have their country of origin labelled if they were not grown in Ireland.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is involved in enforcing both of these pieces of legislation.

Brexit Issues

Questions (167)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

167. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline and deadlines that have been agreed for recruitment of veterinary inspectors in the event of a no-deal hard Brexit scenario; the amount of funds ring fenced to enable recruitment targets to be met; the advertising and promotion of these new places planned; the budget for same; the budget allocated for training of new inspectors for third country trading status with the UK; and if plans for the hiring of new inspectors have been sufficiently flexible to cater for soft and no-deal scenarios. [39355/18]

View answer

Written answers

My Department has been working intensively, with other Departments and agencies, through whole-of-Government coordination structures, on all aspects of Brexit preparedness. From an agri food perspective, this will include the provision of the necessary infrastructure and resources to carry out import controls at ports and airports on animal, plants, and products of animal and plant origin imported from the UK, as well as to provide any necessary export certification required by the UK in respect of such products. We will also have to ensure that arrangements are in place to facilitate rapid transit of product via the UK landbridge between Ireland and other Member States.

The introduction of these measures will involve the allocation of significant additional infrastructural, staffing and IT resources at ports, airports, exporting plants and Department offices. From a staffing perspective, my Department's immediate planning relates to the phased recruitment of staff for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), and fisheries controls over the period to 2021. This will commence with Phase One in 2019, which will involve the recruitment of an additional 116 SPS and fisheries control staff, as agreed by Government on 18 September. Arrangements are currently being put in place to commence this recruitment process.

Fur Farming

Questions (168)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

168. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of fur farms by county; the number employed in such farms in each county; and the domestic and European regulations in place including animal welfare regulations regarding this activity in tabular form. [39356/18]

View answer

Written answers

There are currently three fur farms licensed by my Department to operate in Ireland. These farms are located in Donegal, Laois and Kerry. Staffing in the farms is a matter for the operators and my Department does not regulate staff numbers.

The relevant regulations in terms of fur farming and as applied by the Department are as follows:

Regulations

European Communities (Welfare of Farmed Animals) Regulations 2010

Statutory Instrument No 311/2010

Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013

Musk Rats Act 1933 (No 16 of 1933)

Musk Rats Act 1933 (Application to Mink) Order 1965 SI 199 of 1965

Trade Agreements

Questions (169)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

169. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on discussions by the European Commission with the US Administration on renegotiating the EU’s annual 45,000 tonne quota for hormone-free beef and allocation a larger share of that quota exclusively to the United States of America; the State's position on same; the State's position on the EU’s negotiation mandate (details supplied); and the steps he is taking to protect beef farmers here from increased market access to the EU market by third country competitors. [39357/18]

View answer

Written answers

I was pleased to see the Commission's proposal seeking a negotiating mandate to modify the existing agreement in relation to the import into the EU of hormone-free beef, including the introduction of a country-specific allocation. I note also the broad agreement among Member States at the Trade Policy Committee meeting in Brussels on 14 September that this issue should be resolved quickly, a view that Ireland shares. This is a long-standing issue, with both political and economic sensitivities, and the most important consideration is the need to avoid a return to sanctions.

I have been in close contact with Commissioner Hogan on this issue. The intention is that the existing hormone-free beef quota of 45,000 tonnes will remain at exactly the same level, with the main change arising in relation to the amount of the quota to be “ring fenced” for the US. This amount is still to be finalised, but Irish and European beef producers need have no fears that the adjustment to the quota arrangements would see any more than the existing quota limit of hormone-free beef enter the EU. It is also clear that any change in the existing arrangements will have to be in compliance with WTO rules.

On the question of increased market access into the EU for beef from third countries, Ireland's position is well-known, in that we vigorously defend the interests of the Irish and EU beef sectors against any outcome from trade negotiations that would have negative consequences for the sector. For example, all through the EU-Mercosur negotiations Ireland has been very strong in its opposition to concessions from the EU in relation to beef, a position that has been maintained by myself, my colleague Andrew Doyle, the Taoiseach, and by my colleagues in Government, as well as by my officials and officials from other Departments in the course of our ongoing engagement with EU institutions at all levels.

I believe there is a need for continued vigilance in relation to the conduct of trade negotiations. I will continue to insist that they are handled appropriately and in a manner that safeguards the interests of the Irish and European beef sector. I will also continue to work very closely with Member State colleagues in this regard. In particular, I believe full account must be taken of the findings of the Commission’s own assessment of the cumulative impact of trade deals on the agri food sector, and the potentially very damaging impact of Brexit on an already delicately balanced EU beef market.

EU Directives

Questions (170)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

170. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the joint statement by a group of European farming and food organisations (details supplied) calling for all participants in the food supply chain to be protected from unfair trading practices regarding EU proposals on unfair trading practices. [39358/18]

View answer

Written answers

The draft Directive on Unfair Trading Practices proposes the prohibition of certain Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs) which occur in relation to the sales of food products in the food supply chain across the EU:

- by an SME supplier, including farmers

- to a buyer, that is a large entity, i.e. larger than an SME.

The EU definition of SME is : "Enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million."

The legal basis on which the Directive is based is Article 43(2) of the TFEU (Common Agricultural Policy) which allows for the Council to establish the Common market for Agriculture and Fisheries to pursue the objective of Article 39(b), which ‘is to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, in particular by increasing the individual earnings of persons engaged in agriculture’. The Directive is therefore seeking to contribute to ensuring a fair standard of living for those producers who are particularly vulnerable to UTPs, who have the least bargaining power, and are least able to address UTPs without negative effects on their economic viability, particularly as agricultural products are perishable and seasonable, and subject to adverse weather conditions.

The issue of the scope of the proposed Directive in terms of the size of the entities concerned has been a key issue for debate at the working groups and the Special Agriculture Committee. Some Member States have suggested that, rather than being confined to small sellers and large buyers, the scope should be extended to also provide protection to large sellers, and that the Directive should also apply to small SME buyers.

However, the Council and Commission Legal Services have both advised that the legal basis of Art 43.2 of the EU Treaty, which is being used for the proposed Directive, would be open to a legal challenge if the scope of the Directive is extended. It is on the basis of this legal advice that Ireland, while recognising the desirability of extending the scope of the Directive to address the issue of unfair practices irrespective of the size of the entity, acknowledged at the recent SCA meetings the concerns of the legal services about the legal basis for further extending the scope. Ireland also recognised the possibility, set out in Article 8 of the draft Directive, for Member States to lay down or maintain stricter rules, to extend the scope to other types of buyers and suppliers and to prohibit other UTPs in national legislation.

Electricity Transmission Network

Questions (171)

Eamon Scanlon

Question:

171. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if areas on boil water notices will be prioritised for power restoration in the event of power outages due to poor weather in view of the added cost and implications for households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39129/18]

View answer

Written answers

The priority for the restoration of outages caused by severe weather is an operational matter for ESB Networks, but my Department has raised this matter with the ESBN, which has  provided the following information: - Prioritised power restoration proceeds when conditions allow for this to be undertaken safely. Power restoration takes place in an organised way with the prioritisation of resources to worst affected areas and locations where there are medically vulnerable households.

- ESB Networks works with a range of stakeholders to prioritise restoration of electricity in a safe and efficient manner. One of these stakeholders is Irish Water. During severe storms, ESB Networks and Irish Water maintain a direct line of communication to allow Irish Water to provide detailed information to ESB Networks about locations where power outages are impacting its operations. These can be locations where power outages are affecting water pumping, sewage treatment or other Irish Water activities, including where Boil Water notices are in place.

- Where possible and safe to do so, ESB Networks prioritises the restoration of electricity to those locations identified by Irish Water. Where prioritisation is not possible, or restoration is scheduled over an extended period of time, ESB Networks provides information to Irish Water on the forecast power restoration schedule for these locations which helps Irish Water to plan its response to the weather event effectively.

Broadband Service Provision

Questions (172)

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

172. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the supply of high-speed broadband to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39137/18]

View answer

Written answers

According to my Department's High Speed Broadband Map, available at www.broadband.gov.ie, the Minister’s constituent's premises is one which is indicated as having been passed by eir as part of its rural deployment of high speed broadband. According to roll-out information given by eir to my Department a high speed broadband connection should be available from eir to the Minister’s constituent. I understand an official from my Department has been in contact with the Minister’s constituent to assist in resolving the issue.

Broadband Service Provision

Questions (173)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

173. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans for fibre broadband at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39140/18]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware from my reply to his previous question, the two businesses in question are in the AMBER area according to my Department's High Speed Broadband Map, available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process. 

My Department received the Final Tender submission from the bidding consortium on 18 September 2018. This is a significant milestone as the NBP procurement process enters its final stage. Deployment schedules will be available following conclusion of contract.

For those premises currently awaiting access to high speed broadband, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. The Department of Rural and Community Development maintain a list of Broadband Officers, a link to which is available on my Department's website at

https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/communications/topics/Broadband/national-broadband-plan/Pages/NBP-Information-Leaflets.aspx.  

Waste Disposal Charges

Questions (174, 176, 178)

Noel Rock

Question:

174. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason for his determination that the allowance of €75 would cover the cost of the disposal of incontinence products; if he will consider increasing the amount in budget 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39141/18]

View answer

Billy Kelleher

Question:

176. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if an implementation date been reached regarding the pay-by-weight for household waste and the allowance of €75 for households with medical waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39158/18]

View answer

James Browne

Question:

178. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the introduction of a €75 allowance for persons with incontinence in respect of pay-by-weight refuse charges; the level of engagement between his Department and the Department of Health, HSE, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and stakeholders on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39258/18]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 174, 176 and 178 together.

My Department is continuing the work of developing a mechanism to provide a €75 support for persons with lifelong or long-term medical incontinence to help meet the average annual cost of disposing of medical incontinence products. This process has unfortunately taken longer than envisaged, due to data protection issues that have arisen since the introduction of GDPR.  

Subsequent to the announcement of the support, my Department has continued to engage with the HSE, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and other relevant stakeholders in an effort to complete the roll-out of the scheme. I can assure the Deputies that I am committed to introducing the annual support as soon as practically possible in conjunction with relevant agencies and stakeholders.

The figure of €75 represents the estimated average cost of disposal (at landfill or waste to energy plants) for medical incontinence products and was arrived at following an analysis of the issue and discussion with groups representing those with lifelong or long-term medical incontinence. My focus is on getting the scheme up and running and while I have no plans at this time to increase the level of support available, it will be subject to review in the future. 

In line with the commitments set out in A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland, published in 2012, and in the interest of encouraging further waste prevention and greater recycling, flat-rate fees for kerbside household waste collection are being phased out over the period autumn 2017 to autumn 2018, as customers contracts come up for renewal. The necessary regulatory steps have been put in place to give effect to this measure.

As announced in mid-2017, mandatory per kilogramme 'pay by weight' charging is not being introduced. Allowing for a range of charging options, which encourage householders to reduce and separate their waste, provides flexibility to waste collectors to develop various service-price offerings that suit different household circumstances.

The Price Monitoring Group has considered twelve months of data to date. While fluctuations in prices and service offerings have been observed, the overall trend is relative price stability. 

Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff Scheme

Questions (175)

Brian Stanley

Question:

175. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to examine the reason electricity companies do not give credits or payments for excess electricity generated by solar panels on individual homes in view of the fact that in Northern Ireland home owners receive credits; the steps that can be taken to address this difference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39143/18]

View answer

Written answers

Since February 2009 Electric Ireland had offered a feed-in-tariff on a commercial basis to domestic micro generators. They have extended the scheme payments on several occasions since then and last year they decided to continue payments up until the end of 2018.  No other electricity supplier has chosen to provide such a tariff, to either domestic or commercial customers, although they have been invited to do so by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is a matter for the CRU, which is an independent statutory body. Last year, my Department assessed micro generation, across a number of renewable electricity generating technologies, as part of the economic analysis to underpin the new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). The assessment identified technical and financial challenges which may need to be addressed before a broader support scheme for micro generation can be introduced. This is in line with international and EU experience, where many member states who have introduced supports for micro generation have had to reform them or cancel them altogether. In March 2017 the UK Government closed down the Renewables Obligation (RO) Scheme to new applicants.  Under the RO scheme generators (including homeowners and farmers across Northern Ireland) received payment for each unit of electricity they produce from solar PV. Interestingly, prior to closing the scheme, the UK Government had reduced the generation tariff from 16p per unit of electricity generated, to 12p and finally down to 8p.

The reality is that bringing micro generation onto a system designed for large generators is complicated. It impacts how we pay for the network, how we manage regulation and how we technically manage the system.

In July, I announced details of a new pilot scheme to support micro generation, initially targeting solar PV, homeowners and self-consumption. The data gathered during the pilot scheme will inform potential future phases of support for micro-generation in Ireland that may be appropriate, as we align with the ambition and requirements of the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED) that recognises the rights, entitlements and obligations of renewable self-consumers.

My Department is continuing to work closely with the micro-generation sector and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to better understand how to validate and further develop these policies in a fair and cost effective manner.

Question No. 176 answered with Question No. 174.

Fisheries Protection

Questions (177)

Maurice Quinlivan

Question:

177. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the eel fisherman hardship fund will be introduced; and the amount of compensation that will be available to affected fisherman. [39163/18]

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Written answers

Ireland’s Eel Management Plan (EMP), including the closure of commercial fishing, was approved, in 2009, by the European Commission under EU Regulation 1100/2007. Fishing for eel was by way of public licence and therefore the issue of compensation does not arise. However, both Minister Naughten and I have secured Exchequer funding for a support measure. Officials have engaged with the European Commission in relation to Ireland's proposals to fund a support scheme for former eel fishermen and the Department has received written advice from the Revenue Commissioners as regards the tax treatment of any payments under such a scheme.

It is intended that the scheme will be open to former fishermen who held an Inland Fisheries Ireland eel fishing licence or a permit from ESB in the period prior to the closure. Officials are liaising with IFI and ESB to verify catch records declared by fishermen and I expect that an announcement of the scheme and a call for applications will be made shortly.

Question No. 178 answered with Question No. 174.

Bituminous Fuel Ban

Questions (179)

Dara Calleary

Question:

179. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the smoky coal ban commencing 1 September 2018 with all stocks of smoky coal to be sold off and burnt by 1 September 2019 which has not been enacted as promised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39266/18]

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Written answers

The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal, or ‘the smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known, was first introduced in Dublin in 1990, and subsequently extended to our major cities. Following a public consultation process, it was further extended in 2012, and now applies in 26 urban areas nationwide. The ban has proved very effective in reducing particulate matter and sulphur dioxide levels and has had the effect of significantly improving public health. Research indicates, for example, that the ban has resulted in over 350 fewer annual deaths in Dublin alone. In light of its significant health and environmental benefits, I decided to extend the ban to the entire territory of the State beginning this Autumn. This process is on-going but necessarily involves discussion and consultation with a wide number of stakeholders, including with the European Commission, relevant Government Departments and Agencies and the residential fuel industry. Discussions with all these stakeholders on issues that may arise in connection with the proposed nationwide ban are underway.

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