Thursday, 7 May 2015

Written Answers Nos. 78-88

Public Sector Staff Increments

Ceisteanna (78)

Eoghan Murphy

Ceist:

78. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the cost to the Exchequer of the payment of increments to all public sector staff under his remit per year since 2008. [18336/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

In response to the Deputy's question the following table outlines the approximate annual cost of increment payments to staff in my Department and those under my remit since the formation of my Department on 6 July 2011. 

	2011	2012	2013	2014
Department of Public Expenditure & Reform	€60,199	€126,270	€182,113	€183,175
Institute of Public Administration (IPA)	€105,000	€105,000	€105,000	€105,000
The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)	€3,432	€3,943	€7,408	€5,578
The State Laboratory	€34,500	€24,600	€16,600	€25,000
The Office of the Ombudsman	€36,400	€38,300	€33,600	€30,350

The Office of Public Works, the Valuation Office and the Public Appointments Service are unable to provide a response in the time permitted but have assured me that they will respond directly to you by 29 May 2015.

Grocery Industry Regulation

Ceisteanna (79)

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy

Ceist:

79. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when the published draft grocery regulations aimed at ensuring transparency and predictability in the relationships between suppliers and retailers will come into effect. [17921/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

The programme for Government contains a commitment to regulate certain practices in the grocery goods sector and this will be met by way of enabling powers to regulate certain practices in the grocery goods sector. These powers are contained in the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014. On 22 December 2014, I issued a set of draft regulations for public consultation with a deadline for submissions of the end of February 2015. However, some respondents requested an extension of the deadline into March 2015 for submissions. The contents of submissions received are currently being fully considered before the final version of the regulations is promulgated, and the regulations are signed by me, as soon as possible during 2015.

Allegations of unfair practice in the grocery goods sector have been made over a number of years. As the Deputy will know, I have consistently emphasised that it is important to ensure there is balance in the relationship between the various players in the grocery goods sector and that Ireland continues to have robust agri-food and retail sectors, particularly given the importance of these sectors to the national economy. The regulation of certain practices in the grocery goods sector is intended to achieve such a balance taking into account the interests of all stakeholders in the grocery goods sector including the interests of the consumer and the need to ensure that there is no impediment to the passing-on of lower prices to consumers.

Departmental Expenditure

Ceisteanna (80)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

80. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount spent by his Department since March 2011 on advertising its Action Plan for Jobs; and if he will provide, in tabular form, the detail of this expenditure, listing each place it was advertised and the cost. [17951/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

The Department does not advertise its annual Action Plan for Jobs, the first one of which was launched in February 2012, and each year since.

This year, in response to a well-recognised demand for more information on Government supports for SMEs, the Department decided to run an awareness campaign to address this deficit. Following a tender process in the Official Journal of the European Union, a successful tender was identified. This awareness campaign uses the web address www.actionplanforjobs.ie as a landing page for those interested in using the Government's online SME tool which helps explain what supports one might qualify for. The campaign uses business representative groups like SFA, ISME and Chambers Ireland, as well as experienced and young entrepreneurs in the advertising to raise awareness of the supports available.

A total budget of €250,000 plus VAT for the awareness campaign has been provided for within the Department's existing resources. To date, €88,450 has been paid with both digital and radio advertisement selected as best value for money. Ads have, to date, been run on RTE Radio, Today FM, Newstalk, Media Central, Independent Digital, Irish Times web and RTE Online.

In the first three week phase of the campaign, almost 12,000 people visited the website and the numbers using the online SME tool doubled.

Ministerial Appointments

Ceisteanna (81)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

81. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding an appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18048/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

The Government approved the delegation of responsibility for implementation of the Construction Contracts Act 2013 to my colleague, the Minister of State for Business and Employment, Deputy Gerald Nash., last November.

I am informed that Minister Nash intends to appoint a Chairperson of the Ministerial Panel of Adjudicators, which is to be established under the Act, as soon as is practicable, having regard to procedural and contractual considerations.

Forestry Premium Payments

Ceisteanna (82)

Pat Breen

Ceist:

82. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when final payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17942/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The application for approval to plant under the Afforestation Scheme application number CN58456 was refused as the site was too exposed. Therefore, no payments were applied for or are due under this contract number.

All forestry premium payments under CN53972 have been made to the applicant and there are currently no outstanding premium payments. An application form for the second instalment of the establishment grant (Form 3) under this contract was sent to the applicant on 16 February 2015 for completion. It has not yet been returned to the Department. Therefore, there are no outstanding payments to be processed under this contract in the Department currently.

Single Payment Scheme Eligibility

Ceisteanna (83)

Patrick O'Donovan

Ceist:

83. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Wexford is entitled to a single payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17954/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My Department received an application from the person named for an allocation of entitlements under the 2012 National Reserve Scheme on 10th May 2012. This application was rejected as one of the requirements for an allocation of entitlements from the 2012 National Reserve was that a farmer must have commenced farming after 17th May 2010. Departmental records show that the person named commenced farming in 1999. The person named will therefore not qualify under the Young Farmers Scheme.

If the person named has never held any entitlements he may be eligible to apply for an allocation of entitlements under the Scottish Derogation. Detailed Terms and Conditions for the Scottish Derogation are available on my Department’s website www.agriculture.gov.ie. My Department can be contacted directly at lo call 0761 064447 if any further information is required.

Agriculture Scheme Eligibility

Ceisteanna (84)

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

84. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a second penalty has been imposed on a single payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway, when a previous penalty was dealt with through an appeal. [17971/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

An application under the 2013 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Schemes was received from the person named on 17 April 2013 and payments of €5,642.31 and €3,532.77 were issued on 16 October 2013 and 2 December 2013 respectively under the Single Farm Payment Scheme. A payment of €2,553.33 was issued on 20 September 2013 under the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.

A review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that several of the land parcels declared by the person named contained ineligible features and the person named was notified. These area reductions resulted in a reduction between 3% and 20% to the area payable under the 2013 Direct Payment Schemes. Therefore, any payments made under the 2013 Schemes, which are now deemed to be over - paid will have to be offset against future payments made to the applicant by my Department.

The person named was notified of this decision and of her right of appeal. Following the review of my Department’s decision, sought by the person named, a visit by a Department official to verify the position on the ground was necessary. The finding of the verification check resulted in a further reduction in the overall payable area from 25.28 hectares to 22.52 hectares.

A letter detailing the outcome of the verification check was issued to the person named on 26 July 2014 where she was advised of the option open to her to pursue the matter to the independent LPIS Appeals Committee should she so wish. The person named opted to avail of her right to appeal her case to the independently-chaired LPIS Appeal Committee. Following due consideration, the LPIS Appeal Committee rejected her appeal, and she was notified of the decision by letter on 29 October 2014. The person named can appeal this decision to the Office of the Ombudsman if she so wishes.

Tuberculosis Incidence

Ceisteanna (85)

Andrew Doyle

Ceist:

85. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of tuberculosis outbreaks in County Wicklow since 1985, broken down by district electoral division and in five-year intervals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17977/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The following table details the herd incidence for TB and the number of reactors in the Wicklow East and Wicklow West regions. It is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown based on the district electoral division in the time available.

Year		Wicklow East		Wicklow West
	Reactors Numbers	Herd Incidence	Reactors Numbers	Herd Incidence
1985	353*	NA	NA	NA
1990	382	5.98%	287	6.62%
1995	688	10.68%	252	8.05%
2000	562	9.21%	398	12.17%
2005	268	6.69%	166	5.66%
2010	833	15.72%	85	4.81%
2011	665	11.10%	490	7.60%
2012	724	10.64%	226	9.64%
2013	577	8.18%	124	7.46%
2014	1029	8.15%	189	8.47%

*Herd incidence not available in 1985 nor is a breakdown between East and West.

Levels of bovine TB have remained disappointingly high in Wicklow when compared with the progress achieved nationally, where herd incidence has declined annually in recent years and at the end of 2014 stood at 3.64% compared with 5.88% in 2008. My Department remains of the view that infection from wildlife, in particular badgers, remains a particular issue in the Wicklow area. For example, a recent study conducted in the Callary area detected a TB culture confirmation rate in badgers of over 26% which compares with a national rate of 13.3%. The level of TB found in badgers was also considerably higher than that found in deer in that area, where 4.8% of deer had visible lesions, with 15.5% culturing positive for TB. Strain typing with a view to establishing a clearer picture of the origin or transmission pathways for the infection as between the species is ongoing.

While my Department continues to implement a badger removal programme in Wicklow as it does in other relevant areas, responsibility for wild deer rests, under the Wildlife Acts, with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. A non-statutory Irish Deer Management forum has recently been established with an independent chairman and includes representation from stakeholder groups, as well as the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. It is intended that results of the exercise conducted in Callary will initially be considered by the forum.

Agriculture Scheme Eligibility

Ceisteanna (86)

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

86. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if exceptions will be made for inclusion on the old young farmers scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18015/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

In accordance with the EU Regulations governing the Young Farmers Scheme and the Young Farmer priority category of the National Reserve, a ‘young farmer’ is defined as:

- S/he is aged no more than 40 years of age in the year when s/he first submits an application under the Basic Payment Scheme;

- S/he is setting up an agricultural holding for the first time or has set up such a holding during the five years preceding the first submission of the Basic Payment Scheme application.

As these Regulations are applicable to all Member States, my Department has no discretion with regard to their implementation.

The ‘Old Young Farmer’ category under phase 2 of the National Reserve opened for applications on 1st April 2015. Eligible applicants under the ‘Old Young Farmer’ category must also meet the definition of young farmer with regard to age, off farm income and educational qualifications.

‘New Entrants’ to farming were catered for as a priority category under phase 1 of the National Reserve which opened for applications on 5th January 2015 and closed for receipt of applications on 31st March 2015. This category of the National Reserve catered for farmers over the age of 40 years who had only been involved in active farming for 2 years previously. To be eligible under this category an applicant must have commenced agricultural activity in 2013 or later, not have had any agricultural activity in their own name and at their own risk in the five years preceding the current agricultural activity, as well as satisfying the criteria in respect of off farm income and educational qualifications.

Beef Exports

Ceisteanna (87)

Tom Fleming

Ceist:

87. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm reports that the quota may be reached as soon as August 2015 for the export of Irish beef into the market in the United States of America; if he will provide assurances to Irish beef farmers regarding continuity of supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18020/15]

Freagraí scríofa

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

Whereas the U.S. market has now re-opened to the importation of beef from Ireland, there is no associated import quota specifically set aside for Ireland. This is due to the fact that the decision was not part of a multilateral agreement under WTO rules. As a result, import licences must be obtained in respect of the “other countries” beef quota and they are issued on a first-come first-served basis to eligible importers. This quota stands at 64,805 tonnes for the current year.

The latest market information I have is that 27.8% of the ‘other countries’ annual quota was filled by April 20, 2015. At the same stage in 2014, 23% was filled and 86% was filled by year end.

Market intelligence suggests that the ‘other countries’ quota will be filled by end 2015 (for the first time), but 100% fill by August is considered unlikely at this stage.

Agri-Environment Options Scheme

Ceisteanna (88)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

88. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter regarding the agri-environment options scheme 1 in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18059/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

A Department review of the non-productive capital investment claims submitted by applicants under AEOS, was undertaken in 2014. This review identified irregularities with documentation submitted for reimbursement in some of these claims. A full Department investigation was then initiated, which in turn led to the matter being referred to the Gárdaí. Payments to applicants under review have been deferred pending the outcome of the investigation.

The application of the person named is one of those being reviewed in the context of this wider investigation. My Department wrote to the person named on 28 January to explain the situation.

My Department plans to write to all participants with payments held shortly seeking further evidence to support their claim for payment, in the amounts declared. Where satisfactory proofs are provided payments will then be processed.