European Council Meetings

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2012

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Ceisteanna (499)

Patrick O'Donovan

Ceist:

546 Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the EU Council of Ministers on which he sits; the number of meetings of that Council that have been held between 2007 and 2011; the number of those meetings that he attended; the number that were attended by the relevant Minister of State; the number that were attended by an Irish official; and if he will provide the names of those who attended in tabular form. [5464/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Simon Coveney)

As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I attend the EU Council of Ministers (Agriculture and Fisheries). Between 2007 and the end of 2011, there were 54 formal meetings of the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers and 11 informal meetings. Ireland was represented at the majority of these meetings at Ministerial level either by the sitting Minister and/or, when fisheries items dominated the agenda, by the Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries. The table below sets out the position in relation to the head of delegation.

Month	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
January	Mary Coughlan	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith and Sean Connick	Tom MoranSecretary General
February	No meeting	Mary Coughlan and John Browne	No meeting	Brendan Smith	Tom Moran Secretary General
March	Mary Coughlan	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith and Sean Connick	Simon Coveney
April	Mary Coughlan	Mary Coughlan and John Browne	Brendan Smith	Cancelled (due to ash cloud)	Simon Coveney
May	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith	Geraldine Byrne-Nason, DPR (travel plans disrupted by ash cloud)	Simon Coveney
June	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Brendan Smith	Sean Connick	Simon Coveney
Second Council in June 2011	—	—	—	—	Simon Coveney
July	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith	Simon Coveney
September	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith and Sean Connick	Tom Moran Secretary General
October	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Sean Connick	Simon Coveney
November	Mary Coughlan and John Browne	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Tony Killeen	Brendan Smith and Sean Connick	Tom Moran Secretary General
Second Council in November 2008	—	Brendan Smith	—	—	—
December	Mary Coughlan and John Browne	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen	Brendan Smith and Sean Connick	Simon Coveney
Informal May	Tom Moran Secretary General	Brendan Smith	Tom Moran Secretary General	Brendan Smith	Simon Coveney
Informal September	Mary Coughlan	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith	Brendan Smith	Simon Coveney
Informal October 2009	—	—	Brendan Smith	—	—