Written Answers Nos. 109-119
109. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if members of unions who do not sign up to the Lansdowne Road agreement will receive the pay increases and changes to the pension levy provided for by the agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43452/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the acceptance by the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, I brought forward the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2015. That makes provision for the pay increases and reductions in the Pension-related Deduction for all public servants, as set out in the Agreement, regardless of whether they have voted against the terms of the Agreement.
The Government is fully honouring its commitments under the Haddington Road Agreement, and the Act shows that the Government is committed to honouring the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement which extended the Public Service Agreement out to September 2018. I remain hopeful that those Unions or Associations who have to date not been in a position to subscribe to the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement will do so to enable their members avail of the full benefits of that Agreement.
110. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to set out the amount of money lent by Microfinance Ireland in each year since its inception to the end of November 2015; the number of jobs sustained by this investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43407/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo give effect to the Microenterprise Loan Fund established by legislation in 2012 my Department set up Microfinance Fund Ireland. My Department publishes Microfinance Fund Ireland (MFI) quarterly progress reports on the Department’s website www.enterprise.gov.ie in respect of the Microenterprise Loan Fund Scheme.
The progress report detailing draw-downs and approvals and the analysis and performance by region up to the quarterly period ending 30 September 2015 is now available on the Department’s website. Data in respect of the period to end December 2015 will not be available until end January 2016.
The table outlines the amount of money lent by MFI, year on year, since its inception on 1 October 2012 to end September 2015 together with the number of jobs supported.
|
Year |
2015 (to end Sept) |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
TOTAL |
|
Amount lent |
€3,797,000 |
€3,277,000 |
€1,847,00 |
€52,000 |
€8,973,000 |
|
Jobs supported |
640 |
581 |
289 |
21 |
1,531 |
111. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline his plans to introduce legislation requiring supermarkets and large food retailers of a certain size to donate and make available, without charge, any unsold and edible food stuffs to registered charitable organisations and food banks, while also making it a criminal offence for such businesses to dispose of and destroy edible produce without having first offered it to these groups; if he has given consideration to the potential benefit which such legislation may yield in the reduction of food wastage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43201/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraRetail legislation on the lines proposed does not come within the remit of my Department. The STOP Food Waste programme, which is funded under the EPA National Waste Prevention Programme, supports homes and businesses to prevent food waste. The programme website, Stopfoodwaste.ie, is a valuable component of the campaign and provides advice and tips to businesses and large organisations on reducing food waste.
As I indicated in Replies to Parliamentary Questions 21940/15, 29478/15 and 22054/15, I am aware of the success of voluntary initiatives by organisations such as BiaFood and FoodCloud which have worked with large retail outlets to offer edible food to charities in a safe, efficient and responsive way. Earlier this year I visited the BiaFoodInitiative regional hub in Little Island, Cork, the first of three planned hubs, which is offering an infrastructure to accept and redistribute large volumes of surplus food to an industry standard, as well as the latest in software technology to track and trace all product movements from point of entry to the end user, and a strong voluntary organisation model. BiaFoodInitiative have met Tesco, who are providing equipment and some other support. The Department of Social Protection has supported staffing of the hub and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has provided advice on carrying out the business safely and in compliance with the food regulations, as such organisations come under the definition of a food business in the general food law. In March BiaFoodInitiative joined Bord Bia’s online Origin Green Platform, which provides access to a network of over 400 companies, who could include this as a waste reduction measure in their Origin Green action plans.
FoodCloud connects businesses that have too much food with charities in communities that have too little. Using their app, or through their website, participating businesses can upload details of their surplus food and the time period in which the food can be collected. The first charity to accept the offer collects it directly from the business. By donating surplus food to various charities, businesses can assist charities to reduce their food costs and so allow them to redirect funding to programs to assist the disadvantaged, creating tangible and long lasting local benefits. Following a successful pilot programme, Tesco Ireland and FoodCloud last year announced a partnership that will see all surplus food from Tesco’s 146 stores redistributed to charities and community groups through the use of FoodCloud’s innovative app. There is much to be said for promoting voluntary engagement by the industry with such initiatives before consideration by Government on whether legislation is appropriate.
112. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will confirm whether all successful applicants for the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 under the rural development programme 2014-20, which provides grants to farmers to build or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings, will receive approval in early December 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43353/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are six schemes involved in the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme TAMS II. These are:
- The Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme
- Dairy Equipment Scheme
- Organic Capital Investment Scheme
- Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme
- Low Emission Slurry Spreading
- Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme.
All schemes are launched and applications are invited and assessed on a tranche-based system as required under the Rural Development Programme.
The closing dates for all schemes under the first tranches have now passed, with the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme and the Organic capital Investment Scheme being the latest to close on the 30 November 2015. All applications received across the six schemes are being examined and approvals will commence when all of the required checks have been undertaken. This is a complex process and my Department is required to evaluate, rank and assess all applications received under any given tranche together.
Applications cannot be approved individually or on a rolling basis as they are submitted. It is anticipated that approvals will commence shortly and will continue throughout December and into the New Year.
113. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a payment under the basic payment scheme will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43208/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted an application under the Basic Payment Scheme on 6 May, 2015. Both the advance and balancing payments due under the scheme have issued to the nominated bank account of the person named.
114. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline his views on the sightings of super trawlers fishing off the western seaboard; the effect this is having on Irish fish stocks in Irish territorial waters; if such vessels have been inspected by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority or by the Navy; if such activity is in breach of Irish and European Union fishing regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43223/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraControl of the vessel within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone is a matter for the Irish control authorities who monitor fishing activity of all vessels operating the area. The Control authorities have on-going information in relation to the vessels operating in the Irish Exclusive Fisheries zone including their activities and characteristics.
Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature concerning sea fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. As Minister, I am precluded from getting involved in operational matters including in relation to law enforcement. The SFPA and the Naval Service through the Fisheries Monitoring Centre has monitored the movements of these vessels when in our Exclusive Fisheries Zone, using the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), Automatic Identification System (AIS) and declared catches through Electronic Reporting System (ERS). I am advised that there are three freezer vessels currently in our EFZ. This risk assessment had informed the SFPA’s identification of some of those vessels as a high priority for at-sea inspection, and aircraft surveillance. The SFPA is reliant on the seagoing fishery patrol activity of the Naval Service to verify compliance of vessels not landing into Ireland. The weather has been particularly severe in the recent past. Boarding vessels of this size at sea creates specific challenges and to date the operational decision of the Naval service has been that weather has been too severe to safely attempt a boarding operation.
I am advised that the Naval Service has ships on patrol and are ready to conduct boarding operations on these vessels when weather conditions permit.
In relation to the overall framework for fisheries control in the EU, in October 2009 a new regulation dealing with fisheries controls was adopted. Council Regulation 1224/2009 establishes a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy. Control and inspection is now focused where it is most effective through an approach based on systematic risk analysis. Inspection procedures are standardised and harmonised for all stages in the market chain, including transport and marketing. The Control Regulations were introduced so that there is a common EU level playing field and to provide for an effective range of controls across EU waters.
115. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will instruct Bord Iascaigh Mhara to remove from its website all references to the amount and usage of chemicals on Irish fish farms such as chemicals that are rarely used on today’s Irish fish farms, as he has made it clear that neither he nor any of the agencies under the aegis of the Department, such as Bord Iascaigh Mhara or the Marine Institute, has any data on which to base such statements. [43240/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I have previously advised the Deputy, the specific text on the Bord Iascaigh Mhara website referred to by the Deputy reads as follows: “Chemicals are rarely used on today’s Irish fish farms. The only chemicals used would be medicines which, if needed, are administered by a veterinary surgeon and detailed in records that are routinely inspected by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Young salmon are vaccinated before being put to sea, which means that the use of antibiotics is almost non-existent”.
The above text makes it clear that the chemicals referred to, are in fact medicines, that they are administered by a veterinary surgeon and that the records detailing their use are routinely inspected by my Department. I am satisfied that Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s inclusion of this text on their website is appropriate.
116. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 267 of 17 November 2015, if he has completed the examination of all applications and the associated commonage evidence regarding this commonage; when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43297/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes was received from the person named on 14 April 2015. My Department has completed the examination of the relevant commonage evidence submitted and processing of these applications has been completed.
Payment under the Basic Payment Scheme has now issued, and payment under the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme will issue shortly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
117. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a headage payment for 2015 will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43305/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2015 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraints Schemes was received from the person named on 22 May, 2015. Processing of the application under both schemes has recently been finalised and payment will issue shortly, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
118. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will put a scheme in place for trade nurseries for the replanting of ash tree plantations, such as the existing position for the forestry sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43331/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver the last number of years the Department has operated a Reconstitution Scheme to restore forests established under its afforestation schemes back to their original form following significant damage by natural causes. The Scheme has been used to assist forestry owners who have been affected by Ash dieback disease. The objective of the Scheme is to eradicate/contain ash dieback in forests by supporting the removal and destruction of trees and leaf litter and to reconstitute the forest by replanting with alternative species. The Scheme provides funding in respect of costs necessarily incurred in clearing the site and reconstituting the forest, subject to the maximum limits laid down.
The Scheme is restricted to forestry and currently there are no plans to either broaden the scope of the Scheme or to introduce any other Scheme for individuals or nurseries that have been affected by outbreaks of plant diseases including ash dieback.
My Department continues to provide funding for the development of the horticultural industry including commercial nurseries through the Horticultural Grant scheme. In the recent budget I allocated €4.5 million for the Scheme in 2016 and the Scheme is currently open for applications until the 18 December of this year.
119. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress of an application under the beef genomics scheme by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43332/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted a 2014 Beef Data Programme/Beef Genomics Scheme application on 3 April 2014. Payment under the Beef Genomics Scheme issued in full to the person named on 16 December 2014. The person named submitted an application under the 2015-2020 Beef Data Genomics Programme on 28 May 2015. Final validations under this Programme are underway and payments are expected to commence later this month.
