Written Answers Nos. 202 - 211
203. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the capital allocation that is provided for structural improvements at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar; the timescale envisaged for major structural additions to the said hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28963/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraFunding has been made available in the Capital Plan to appraise, begin the design feasibility and design the future infrastructure developments at the hospital. Further funding beyond design stage is dependent on the costing and timing of any proposed projects, the availability of resources in the context of many other demands across the country and the limited future capital envelope for the health service and the overall priorities for future service development in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.
204. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons outside the payroll shared service centre, in increments of €5,000, in receipt of lump sums on retirement from the public service; and the corresponding amount of the lump sum in each of the years 2013 to 2015 granted by his Department. [28760/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department did not pay out any pension lump sums outside of those paid by the Payroll Shared Services (previously the Department of Finance) for the period 2013-2015.
205. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the review of the case of a person (details supplied) has been carried out; the outcome; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28827/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe review requested by the Deputy has been carried out. The person in question was notified by letter dated 14th September 2016 that a decision had been made by the Department to reduce the area payable on the contract from 3.79 hectares to 3.40 hectares. In carrying out the review the Department has acted in a very reasonable and fair manner towards the applicant. While the unplanted area is approx 1.30 hectares as outlined in my PQ reply on 21st June 2016, the Department, taking into account many factors, is reducing the area by 0.39 hectares. In this case the Department is not seeking to recoup the amounts overpaid to date and has minimised the reduction in the payable area going forward.
The 18th premium was paid to the applicant this week.
206. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide funding to match the allocation provided to Ireland under the €350 million EU aid package in July in recognition of the severe reduction in dairy farming incomes; if he will match the €11 million funding in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28835/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am fully aware of the pressures on farmers right now and I have committed to working with all the stakeholders, both at national and EU level, to address these issues and ensure that we continue to have a sustainable and resilient sector. In order to address the ongoing difficulties in the Dairy markets at EU and international level, the Commission presented a further package of measures at the Agri-Fish Council on 18 July 2016. The main component of the package is a fund of €500 million, which is in turn comprised of two elements.
The first is a €150 million EU-wide measure to compensate farmers for reducing their milk output in the final quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 (at a rate of 14c/kg). The detailed rules regarding this measure were agreed at EU level on August 25 and the Commission provided the legal provisions to give effect to this measure earlier this month. The Scheme is currently being implemented in Ireland and some 4,400 milk producers have applied, indicating that they propose to reduce milk production by 72m litres in the Oct – Dec 2016 period over the same period last year.
The second element of the EU July 2016 package, to which the Deputy refers, is a €350 million fund that will be allocated to Member States in the form of national envelopes, which each Member State can use in accordance with their domestic circumstances. Whilst eligibility criteria will apply, Member States are afforded a large degree of flexibility in terms of the measures they might adopt. Ireland’s allocation from the fund will be €11.09 million. Member States will be required to notify the Commission by 1 November 2016 of the measures to be adopted.
I will consider the question of national co-funding on this latter element in the context of deliberations on budgetary matters and taking into account the pressures across the agri food sectors.
207. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) under the basic payment scheme. [28868/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted a 2015 Private Contract Clause application to my Department seeking the transfer of land and entitlements by lease as transferee. This application was not successful and the person named was notified in writing and offered the opportunity to have this decision reviewed. The request for review was received from the person named and following consideration of the information provided as part of this request for review, the original decision was upheld. The person named was notified of this decision in writing and offered the opportunity to submit a further appeal to the Agriculture Appeals Office.
The person named also submitted applications under the ‘young farmer’ category of the 2015 National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme.
The Terms and Conditions governing the operation of these schemes state that in order to qualify as a ‘young farmer’, a person must be setting up an agricultural holding for the first time in his/her name or have set up such a holding during the five years preceding the first submission of the BPS application. Records held by my Department show that the person named had commenced his agricultural activity prior to the eligible period and on this basis the application was not successful. The person named was notified in writing of this decision and was offered the opportunity to appeal the outcome.
My Department subsequently received an appeal from the person named regarding the decision in relation to his National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme applications. This appeal was considered by my Department based on the information set out by the applicant and the original decision was upheld. The person named was notified of this outcome in writing as was offered the opportunity to submit a further appeal to the Basic Payment Scheme Appeals Committee in respect of the National Reserve application and to the Agriculture Appeals Office in respect of the Young Farmers Scheme application. The person named has submitted these appeals and he will be notified in writing of the outcome once completed.
208. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) under the basic payment scheme. [28869/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Agriculture Appeals Office has confirmed that an appeal was received from the person named. The file and a statement have been received from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and has been assigned to an Appeals Officer. The Appeals Officer will be in direct contact with the person named regarding the appeal. All of the facts of the case will be fully considered by the Appeals Officer and a comprehensive decision letter will issue in writing shortly, to the person named.
209. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on an application by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry to withdraw from the AEO scheme on force majeure grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28887/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraA request to terminate the AEOS contract under the provisions of Force Majeure as set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme was received on 27 May 2016. A letter issued to the person named on 4 July 2016 denying this request. The person named was also afforded the opportunity to appeal this decision to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office if they so wished.
That office have indicated that an appeal from the person named was received on 22 September 2016 and a written decision will issue to the person named in the case in due course.
210. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to reports of the cruel mistreatment in China of greyhounds that have been sent from Ireland, including some dogs being boiled alive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28897/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra211. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will immediately halt the transporting and trading of greyhounds from Ireland to China due to the cruel treatment that these dogs experience in transit to China and once they reach there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28898/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 211 together.
I am aware of recent media reports alleging mistreatment of dogs including greyhounds in China. Nine greyhounds were exported from Ireland to that destination earlier this year. There is no evidence to suggest that any of these greyhounds were mistreated. However, on foot of these exports, officials of my Department met with Bord na gCon, the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) and the welfare members of the International Greyhound Forum (represented by the ISPCA and the Dogs Trust) to consider all the issues surrounding the export of greyhounds. IGB regulates the greyhound industry in the Republic of Ireland and has advised all persons involved in the export of greyhounds to only export to destinations that provide the expected levels of care and management as defined in the IGB's Code of Practice for the welfare of greyhounds. I strongly endorse this view.
