Written Answers Nos. 166-173
166. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position on determination of residency status on foot of their marriage to an Irish citizen in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28602/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the person referred to by the Deputy has not made an application to INIS for residency based on her marriage to an Irish national. The person concerned should make such an application, in writing, to the Spouse of Irish National Unit, Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), Department of Justice and Equality, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. Information regarding requirements for this type of permission are available at www.inis.gov.ie. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
167. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedural requirements in order to qualify for an Irish passport in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28603/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhere sections 6A and 6B of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, are applicable, a child born in the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 has an entitlement to Irish citizenship if, at the time of the birth of the child, one of his or her parents had, during the period of four years immediately preceding the person's birth, been resident in the island of Ireland for a period of not less than three years or periods the aggregate of which is not less than three years. Periods of unlawful residence, periods of residence which were for the sole purpose of having an application for refugee status determined or periods of residence where permission was granted for the purposes of study are excluded from the determination of periods of reckonable residence. Entitlement of a child to Irish citizenship is determined by the Passport Office following receipt of an application for a passport on the child's behalf. Where a child born in the State did not at birth have an entitlement to Irish citizenship, the parent or guardian or person who is in loco parentis to the child may lodge an application for naturalisation on behalf of the child. The parent must satisfy the conditions for naturalisation including having five years reckonable residency in the State since the birth of the child i.e. the child must be five years of age at the date of application. An application for a Certificate of Naturalisation may be made by a naturalised parent on behalf of their minor child. The parent of the person concerned lodged applications for a Certificate of Naturalisation in 2006 and 2008, which were unsuccessful. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
168. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current and-or expected residency status and-or eligibility for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28604/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned is a failed asylum applicant. Arising from the refusal of his asylum application, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was notified, by letter dated 15 September, 2009, that the then Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of him. He was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why he should not have a Deportation Order made against him. In addition, he was notified of his entitlement to apply for subsidiary protection in accordance with the provisions of the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations 2006. The person concerned submitted an application for subsidiary protection and, following consideration of this application, it was determined that he was not eligible for subsidiary protection. The person concerned was notified of this decision by letter dated 5th September, 2011. The case file of the person concerned, including all representations submitted, will now be considered in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement before a final decision is made. Once a decision has been made, this decision, and the consequences of the decision, will be conveyed in writing to the person concerned. The Deputy should note that as the person concerned has no current right of residency in the State, he would not be in a position to meet the lawful residency criteria applicable to persons applying to my Department for a Certificate of Naturalisation. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
169. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress made to date in a determination of eligibility for naturalisation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28605/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can inform the Deputy that the application has entered the final stage of processing and I intend to grant citizenship. A letter has issued to the person referred to by the Deputy asking him to submit the prescribed fee and other documents. Upon receipt of the fee and documentation, the case will be finalised. The person concerned will be invited in due course to attend a citizenship ceremony, at which he will make a declaration of fidelity to the Irish Nation and loyalty to the State and receive his certificate of naturalisation. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
170. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Defence the number of times in the past nine years that a full or partial ceremonial guard of honour was afforded to the President of Ireland; and if he will list the occasions when these guards of honour within that timeframe were formed. [28765/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraDefence Force Regulations provide that ceremonial Guards of Honour may be deployed to render honours to the President, on his/her arrival at, or departure from, State or Military ceremonies, or for ceremonies considered to be of a distinctive national character. A definitive record of all occasions when the President was afforded a Guard of Honour in the past nine years is not kept by my Department. However, the Defence Forces have provided a full ceremonial Guard of Honour in each of these years when the President has attended the following annual State ceremonies: the Easter Sunday 1916 Commemoration at the GPO; 1916 Arbour Hill Commemoration Ceremony; National Day of Commemoration; the National Famine Memorial Day (since 2009). Guards of Honour have also been provided by the Defence Forces to the President at other events of major national significance, for example, the Titanic commemorations in Cobh in 2012. The President is also afforded a Guard of Honour on departing the country for a State Visit and on his/her return.
171. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason payment under the disadvantaged areas payments scheme for 2012 has not issued to persons (details supplied) in County Galway; if the horses and donkeys owned by these persons were included in the stocking density assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28410/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, the holdings of eligible applicants were required to have met a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units for a retention period of six consecutive months, in addition to maintaining an annual average of 0.15 livestock units calculated over the twelve months of the scheme year. While initially the holding concerned could not be confirmed as having satisfied these requirements, following direct contact with the person named, it is understood that there are also donkeys on the holding for which passports are to be submitted. On receipt, the matter can be further progressed.
173. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the grant aid given to the horticulture industry in the past five years; if he has any proposed new initiative to help the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28475/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides grant aid and assistance to Ireland’s horticultural industry through a number of schemes and programmes. The Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector assists development of the sector by grant aiding capital investments in specialised buildings and equipment as well as emerging technologies specific to commercial horticulture production. The Scheme's objectives are to improve the quality of output, to facilitate environmentally friendly practices, to promote diversification of on-farm activities and to improve working conditions. This competitive grant aid scheme provides aid at a rate of 40% (50% in the case of approved young farmers), payable on the accepted cost (excluding VAT), of capital investments approved and completed to the satisfaction of the Department. Over recent years the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector has made a significant contribution to the growth and development of the horticulture sector across all areas; field vegetables, soft fruit, protected crops, mushrooms, nursery crops, apples, cut foliage and beekeeping. During the period 2008-2012, €16.2 million was paid out under the Scheme. This supported investment of approximately €40.5 million by growers over this period. Under the 2013 Round of the Scheme, I was pleased to approve a further €4.4 million in grant aid for 175 applicants. This will facilitate capital investments by these growers to the value of €11 million over the coming months. The Scheme for the Marketing and Processing of Certain Agricultural Products provides funding for capital investment. Payments to the horticulture sector under the Scheme amounted to €5.5 million for the period between 2007 and 2012 to support capital expenditure on horticulture processing investments and a further €1.7 million was paid during the period to support potato marketing and storage investments.
Support is also available to Irish growers through the Industry/ EU co-funded Promotion of Agricultural Products Programmes. These programmes cover aspects such as quality, safety, nutritional value or methods of production. The European Commission has approved two mushroom promotion programmes prepared by the trade and submitted through Bord Bia. A three–year €2.5 million programme to promote mushrooms on the UK market commenced in September 2010. The campaign “More to Mushrooms ” aims to address the decline in mushroom sales and to increase consumption by over 23,800 tonnes over three years by promoting their taste, nutrition and versatility. It is co-ordinated by Bord Bia and is funded 50% by the EU and 50% by the mushroom trade. To build on the success of the first programme and following my Department and the EU Commission’s evaluation of a new proposal submitted by Bord Bia on behalf of the Irish and UK mushroom industry, the Commission decided this year to award 50% funding for a further €2.7 million three year mushroom programme “Just add Mushrooms”. This will commence later this year and will promote mushrooms on the Irish and UK markets. In addition, financial support also continues to be available to those producers who participate in the Producer Organisation (PO) Scheme. This EU funded Scheme provides an important mechanism for growers to become part of a larger supply base, concentrate on marketing and improve quality.
My Department also provides funding to Bord Bia and Teagasc towards their work for the horticulture industry. Bord Bia continues to provide support to operators in the horticulture sector to develop new markets by way of assistance in the areas of product innovation and marketing skills as well as organising the very successful Bloom festival, which in 2013 attracted 110,000 visitors. Teagasc, on the other hand, is actively involved in providing education, research and technical advice to the horticulture industry.
