Parliamentary questions

Forestry Management

Maureen O'Sullivan

642. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with regard to the new national forestry programme, Forest, Products and People, and the EU requirement for a strategic environmental assessment to be conducted on same, his views that the recent SEA which was completed by his Department on the recent forestry review report is complete; if the review of Coillte report is not made available when it was carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55462/13]

Forestry Sector

Maureen O'Sullivan

643. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason Coillte has not been in a position to supply the ESB with wooden poles for electrical cables, and the way it is justified that ESB has been importing approximately 40,000 wooden poles at the rate of €600 per pole; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55463/13]

Severe Weather Events Response

Maureen O'Sullivan

676. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the role his Department will take regarding the severe storm damage caused to island communities, for example, Cape Clear, County Cork; if his Department will provide assistance for the recovery of areas damaged; if he will address the ongoing transport issues such as access to and from the island; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1456/14]

International Agreements

Maureen O'Sullivan

16. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to the recent meeting of the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives where the majority of EU member states consented to send a letter to the EU Parliament to ask its consent for the conclusion of the protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Morocco, if his attention has been drawn to the social, political and economic consequences this protocol will have for Western Sahara, and particularly the issue of problematic fishing practices by Spanish fleets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48869/13]

Fish Landings

Maureen O'Sullivan

150. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of landings by non-Irish fishing vessels into the ports of Cobh, Castletownbere, Dingle, Renard, Fenit, Galway, and Killybegs; the tonnage and values of such landings for the year to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53237/13]

Coillte Teoranta Reports

Maureen O'Sullivan

152. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will respond to the Woodland League in calling for the report of the review of Coillte, initiated by the last Government in 2010, to be made public; if he will suspend the passing of the new Forestry Bill until that document is made public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53331/13]

Animal Welfare

Maureen O'Sullivan

359. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider suspending the hare coursing season during spells of adverse weather conditions and spells of freezing weather when the welfare of the hares and greyhounds is increasingly under threat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51874/13]

Animal Welfare

Maureen O'Sullivan

522. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason he has included the docking of dog tails and clipping of dew claws in pups of up to four days old in regulations being drafted under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013; if the regulations will require only qualified personnel to carry out such operations; the way in which these regulations are in line with section 12, prohibition of animal cruelty in the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50174/13]

Animal Diseases Issues

Maureen O'Sullivan

142. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the death of a dog from the Longford pound due to go to a new home in the UK which was vaccinated for rabies and which, according to the vet, died as a result of a complication from the rabies vaccine; if he will clarify the need for the introduction of a rabies vaccination process for animals being exported to the UK when the UK has been rabies free since 1902; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48457/13]

Animal Welfare Expenditure

Maureen O'Sullivan

504. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the reinforcement by UK officials to have dogs travelling between here and the UK to have a rabies vaccination, if he will consider the increased funding needs of animal rescue centres in the country arising as a result of rabies vaccination costs; if he will extend the family pet 2015 derogation from the rabies vaccination to include rescue dogs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42434/13]

Animal Disease Controls

Maureen O'Sullivan

211. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if DEFRA UK has informed his Department of its intention to enforce pet passport regulations for animals being transported to the UK, including the enforcement of rabies vaccinations, micro-chipping of animals, and issuing of passports; if his attention has been drawn to the possible impact this will have on the resources of Irish Rescue centres for costs of vaccinations, costs for animals for 21 days before transportation after vaccination, if he will call for an exemption to the rabies vaccination taking into account that Ireland and the UK are rabies free; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40175/13]

Animal Welfare Issues

Maureen O'Sullivan

458. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the fact that world travelling circuses in Ireland are unable to provide adequately for the animals in their care, if he will consider backing a ban on the use of animals in Irish circuses in favour of a circus industry without animals, putting Ireland in line with dozens of countries around the world that have banned animal-act circuses, the most recent being Colombia and the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33454/13]

Natural Heritage Areas

Maureen O'Sullivan

787. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way he will increase protection of the 600 proposed Natural Heritage Areas here; if he is working on proposing areas of conservation in the marine especially in areas exposed to damage from excessive fishing practices such as trawling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26671/13]

Hare Coursing

Maureen O'Sullivan

791. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to statements made by vets as presented in the recent ICABS report, that during cold and wet weather, hares are subjected to health conditions such as pneumonia, pleurisy, peritonitis consistent with septicemia and bacterial infections which compromise their chances of survival during hare coursing meetings; if, in view of this report, he will consider a ban on hare coursing during such adverse weather conditions to ensure that hares have a maximum chance of survival; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26811/13]

Hare Coursing

Maureen O'Sullivan

802. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the statistics collected by ICABS of hare coursing deaths at coursing meetings monitored by the National Parks and Wildlife Service; if he has noted one ranger's account at Liscannor coursing meeting that healthy hares are kept as substitutes in the event of hares becoming injured; if he considers the number of deaths, injuries and euthanasia as constituting a high number; if this contradicts the notion that hare coursing is a non-fatal activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27008/13]

Animal Welfare Issues

Maureen O'Sullivan

493. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 1068 of 16 April 2013, if he will address the question asked in relation to a person's letter (details supplied) written to his Department which stated a noted increase in movement of terriermen, men engaged in terrier activities, between here and the UK as part of their networking activities and carrying out of terrierwork together; his plans to address this issue; if he has since corresponded with the director of DiggingOut.org; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20394/13]

Fisheries Protection

Maureen O'Sullivan

980. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure, during the Irish Presidency of the EU that there will be no fishing agreement signed between Morocco and the EU in view of the situation in Western Sahara and the issue of territorial sovereignty. [17231/13]

Live Exports

Maureen O'Sullivan

1058. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has received a report on the last consignment of the shipping of cattle from Ireland to Libya detailing the condition of the cattle when they landed, injuries, deaths and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17221/13]

Animal Welfare

Maureen O'Sullivan

1068. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the reported growth of terriermen traffic between the UK and Ireland as stated in correspondence (details supplied); the actions that he intends taking in response to this letter; if he will cease the exchange of terriorwork between the two countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17490/13]

Hare Coursing

Maureen O'Sullivan

624. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the monitoring reports from the National Parks and Wildlife Service which document hare hits, injuries, kills and hares having to be put down due to injuries for the 2011-2012 coursing season; if he is concerned that hares continue to be injured and killed, despite muzzling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8636/13]