Written Answers Nos. 691 - 708
691. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a GLAS payment; and if the GLAS contract transfer request has been processed in this case. [18032/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named is not the person who applied for and was approved into GLAS. An application was made to my Department to transfer the GLAS 2 contract to the person named and this transfer request has been approved by the Department. The details of the new herd owner must also be updated on the commonage database and when this is completed processing of the 2016 GLAS payment will proceed.
692. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will be notified of the decision on their appeal in view of the fact that the oral hearing in this case was held some time ago. [18034/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Agriculture Appeals Office has confirmed that an oral hearing was held late November 2016. When all of the facts of the case have been fully considered a comprehensive decision letter will issue. It is hoped to be finalised shortly.
693. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a GLAS payment will issue to a person (details supplied). [18035/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has received full entitlements in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
During the 2016 prepayment checking process an issue presented on the computerised crosscheck of Department databases. Department officials are actively working to resolve this issue with a view to further processing the application for the 2016 payment as soon as possible.
694. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 588 of 4 April 2017, his views on whether this reply is a suitable response (details supplied); if he will provide the details requested as to the supports which will be made available from his Department to assist hard pressed farmers who have to keep their animals in sheds much longer than those in drier parts of the country and as such face increased costs and financial difficulties from buying silage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18044/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has been monitoring the availability of fodder since the beginning of winter. Exceptionally dry weather last October allowed silage to be made in many areas which helped ease the difficulties caused by the earlier wet weather in the west and northwest. The long term Met Éireann weather forecast is good which will allow land to dry further and facilitate the turnout of stock. Nationally, there is sufficient fodder for sale to ensure no shortages in the short term. Taking account of this, there are no plans at this time to establish a fodder aid scheme.
As an additional support to cash flow on farms, I am pleased to record that to date €1.183 billion has been paid out under the 2016/17 Basic Payment Scheme to 123,929 farmers and these payments are ongoing. Furthermore, payments of €201.38 million have also been made to 94,101 applicants under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme.
The ‘Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme’ was introduced to enable farmers to plan and budget more effectively by providing an attractive cash flow support loan product as an alternative to more expensive forms of credit such as merchant credit and bank overdraft facilities. The purposes for which the loans may be used include working capital requirements, and the interest rate that applies is 2.95%. There has been significant interest in the scheme; however there may be some residual availability and this will be apparent as applications are processed and loans drawn down. Further details can be sourced on the Department’s website.
My Department will continue to monitor the situation.
695. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of livestock cattle dealer numbers his Department has issued to each county in each of the years 2009 to 2016 and to date in 2017; if the criteria have changed over the same years; the number of applications which are pending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18048/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation on the number of livestock cattle dealer numbers issued by my Department in each county in each of the years 2009 to 2016 and to date in 2017 and the number of applications which are pending are set down in the following table. The criteria for assessment of applications for livestock cattle dealer numbers has not changed in the 2009 - 2017 period.
Issue of Livestock Cattle Dealer Numbers 2009 - 2017
|
COUNTY |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 - to 10 April |
Applications Pending |
|
Carlow |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Clare |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cork |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Donegal |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
Dublin |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Galway |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kerry |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kildare |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Laois |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Leitrim |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Limerick |
1 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Longford |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Louth |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Mayo |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Meath |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Offaly |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Roscommon |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Tipperary |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Waterford |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Wicklow |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
696. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a payment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18110/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) was received from the person named on 14 May 2014 declaring a total of 6.26 hectares comprised of 3.71 forestry, which had been afforested in 2010, and 2.55 forage.
Under the Terms and Conditions of the Single Payment Scheme, applicants who afforested part of their holding from 2009 onwards and wish to benefit from the Single Payment Scheme, must have retained at least 10% of the eligible hectares declared in 2008 by the applicant or their predecessor in an agricultural activity subject to a minimum of 3 hectares, whichever is the greater. As the person named had declared 64.33 hectares on the 2008 Single Payment Scheme application the minimum to be retained was 6.43 hectares. The additional parcel referred to would bring the total eligible land to 3.38 hectares but would unfortunately not meet the minimum 10% requirement.
697. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person who started green certificate education in September 2016 will qualify for the young farmer national reserve scheme in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18120/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Terms and Conditions of the 2017 National Reserve state that an applicant must have successfully completed a recognised course of education in agriculture giving rise to an award at FETAC Level 6 or its equivalent by 15 May 2017. Where an applicant has fully completed all aspects of their course by 15 May but has not yet been verified as successful or received final certification, a Confirmation of Education Form should be submitted with the application. This form is available to download through the online application system and is also available on my Department’s website.
Decisions in relation to the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme, including educational qualifications, are made in consultation with the Direct Payments Advisory Committee which includes members of the main farming bodies and advisory services. Full Terms and Conditions of the 2017 National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme are available on my Department’s website.
698. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18157/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe subject matter of the correspondence, namely the ownership of a certain plot of land, has been examined by my Department who have ascertained that the land in question was vested in Coillte. Section 39 of the Forestry Act 1988, under which Coillte was established, provided inter alia that all of the State’s forest estate, other than land designated by the Minister, stand vested in the company. Notwithstanding the vesting of the bulk of the State’s forest estate in Coillte upon its establishment, a lot of the land may still be registered in the name of one of my predecessors e.g. Minister for Lands.
In response to your query I have forwarded the person’s details to Coillte and I have asked the company to reply directly to that person's solicitor.
699. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a single farm payment for a person (details supplied). [18160/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 31 December 2015 thus incurring 100% late penalty as it was outside the timeframe allowed under the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme. An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the person named to clarify the position.
700. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the consultation process relating to the proposed sharing arrangement between the RSW pelagic fleet and the polyvalent fleet in view of the significant scientific mistake made by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea regarding the 2017 mackerel total allowable catch which eliminates the 14% increase to the Irish fishing sector; the details of the submissions made to that process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18273/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI received a request from the Irish South and West Fish Producer Organisation to allocate the increase over 2016 of Ireland’s mackerel quota for 2017 entirely to the Polyvalent Segment on a 1 year pilot basis in exchange for the recipient vessels forgoing demersal fishing in order to gauge the impact on the demersal vessels.
This matter has generated a lot of discussion in the industry and I have received many representations on the matter. Having carefully considered the matter, I decided that, without prejudice, there is a case for a review of the policy on allocations between the RSW Pelagic segment and the polyvalent segment of the fleet, taking account of request by the IS&WFO. In that regard, I decided that I am restricting consideration to the increased quota for Ireland in 2017 over that in 2016.
It is important to note that I have not made any decision at this time to change the allocations between the segments in respect of this part of the quota. All relevant issues will be carefully evaluated and subject to a full consultation with stakeholders before I decide if any amendment to the policy is justified for the proper and effective management of the mackerel fishery.
The public consultation process concluded on 28 February 2017 and 353 submissions were received. All submissions are currently being evaluated.
To support transparency in this process, it is intended that all views received on the Consultation Document and/or any clarification provided will be publicly made available on my Department’s website. Following the closure of the formal consultation process, any meeting that may be held with stakeholders will be open to all interested stakeholders that have engaged in the public consultation.
701. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if fisheries will be a priority for the Government in view of the hearing of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the actions taken to date in terms of highlighting the priority of fisheries in all of the other member states and at EU Commission level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18274/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI listened to the hearing in the Oireachtas Committee with great interest and of course I engage regularly with the contributors to that debate. They, and I, understand the potential very serious threat to our fishing communities posed by Brexit.
As both I and An Taoiseach have stated before, fisheries is, and will remain, a high priority for Ireland in the Brexit negotiations. We intend to ensure that fisheries remains high on the Brexit agenda in the EU and that the interests of Ireland's fishing communities are fully protected.
I have established a dedicated Brexit unit in my Department and a special focus has been placed on fisheries. I held a Seafood Sectoral Civic Dialogue and arranged a meeting between the Industry, myself, and An Taoiseach in February to ensure that stakeholders are included in this process.
I have recently held a further series of meetings with key fisheries Ministers and we are working closely at all levels with a like minded group of fishing Member States (Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands) to ensure that fisheries remains a top priority in the negotiations to come. Protecting existing shares will be a top priority for that group.
In terms of the European Commission, I have had a number of discussions with Commissioner Vella on this topic and there is ongoing contact between my officials and relevant Commission officials.
In conclusion, I would like to assure the Deputy that I will be unequivocal in ensuring that Irish fisheries remain a priority during negotiations, and opposing any dilution of our existing EU quota shares, including protecting the benefit to Ireland of the Hague Preferences, and any limitations on our existing rights of access.
702. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the aquaculture licensing review; if he will provide an overview of the submissions made; the next stages in the process; the estimated completion date for the entire process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18309/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI appointed the independent three-person Aquaculture Licensing Review Group in December 2016. The Group is tasked with identifying and recommending changes to improve the aquaculture licence process and its associated legal framework. The review is expected to take four months, concluding with the Group providing me with a concise report and recommended actions.
The Group conducted a public consultation earlier this year, running from early January until 10 February. Information on the number of submissions received (385), as well as a list of these submissions, has been made available on the website www.fishingnet.ie, the Government's commercial sea-fishing network portal.
I understand that it is the intention of the Group to publish the submissions received during the consultation concurrently with the final report. Any publication of submissions will be carried out in compliance with Freedom of Information, European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations and Data Protection legislation.
703. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an exception was made which allowed persons to qualify under the 2015 national reserve scheme before completion of their agricultural course even though this did not receive the approval of the European Commission subsequently; if such persons were permitted to remain in the 2015 national reserve and young farmers scheme that year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18321/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with EU Regulations governing the operation of the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme, Member States may define additional eligibility criteria as regards appropriate skills, experience or education.
To ensure that the benefits of the ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant’ categories are targeted at those who have a genuine interest in farming as a career, Ireland included agricultural education at FETAC level 6 standard or its equivalent as a requirement to qualify for the schemes. In order to maximise the number of young farmers for eligibility under the 2015 National Reserve and Young Farmers schemes, it was decided that any person who meets the other qualifying requirements and commenced a relevant agricultural course any time up to and including September 2016 would be accepted under the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme in 2015. The increased flexibility would ensure that the benefits of the ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant’ categories would be widely available even to those who were unable to complete their agricultural course by 2015.
Ireland was required to notify the EU Commission of the additional educational eligibility criteria being applied to the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme, and the increased flexibility in relation to same. The EU Commission subsequently advised Ireland that the flexible arrangements that would allow an applicant to commence their agricultural education after the date of submission of an application under the National Reserve and/or Young Farmers Scheme did not fit with the ‘annual logic of the Direct Payments’ and was a risk of non-compliance with requirements.
In order to ensure that no young farmer would be disadvantaged by this ruling and in order to comply with the notification from the EU Commission thus avoiding the risk of a financial correction for Ireland, extensive efforts were put in place by the Department and Teagasc at the end of 2015. This resulted in applicants to the 2015 National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme being provided with a placement on an agricultural education course prior to 31st December 2015.
704. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if participants under the national reserve who receive a top-up of entitlements on land for which they hold no entitlements can keep these increased entitlements after the scheme ends; the timeframe for these entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18322/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Reserve provides for a permanent allocation of entitlements to successful applicants on land for which they hold no entitlements and/or a top up to the value of existing entitlements held by them, where such entitlements have a value below the National Reserve National Average.
The allocation of new entitlements is on the basis of one entitlement for one hectare of eligible land declared on the Basic Payment Scheme application for which the applicant holds no entitlements. Successful applicants who already hold existing owned entitlements with a value below the National Reserve national average value will receive a top-up whereby the value of those entitlements will be increased to the national average value.
705. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount spent across his Department over the past five years on maintaining vacant or unused State owned properties, including security arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18721/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe property portfolio in the six state owned Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs) at Killybegs, Ros An Mhíl, Dingle, Castletownbere, Dunmore East and Howth is managed and operated by my Department, including maintaining the FHCs to an appropriate standard for all harbour users. There are no ongoing costs in relation to the maintenance and security of vacant or unused properties within the FHCs. However in 2015, my Department spent €27,560 on repairs and modifications to a building in Howth FHC in order to make the property available for tender later that year. The building, Store E, West Pier, was successfully tendered by my Department in 2015 following the works.
Separately, a building at Darrara, Clonakilty, which is owned by the Office of Public Works, was vacated by my Department in February, 2014. Energy and security costs paid by my Department in 2014 amounted to €20,790.97.
706. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the adjudications and the findings of the Workplace Relations Commission in respect of public bodies in each of the years 2015 to 2016 and to date in 2017 that have not been accepted by his Department having consulted with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; the numbers involved and the reasons for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18733/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere have been no adjudications of the Workplace Relations Commission for the years 2015 to 2016 and to date in 2017, that have not been accepted by my Department.
In so far as the question relates to state agencies, this is an operational matter for those bodies.
707. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will ensure broadband roll-out in Ballinakill, Enfield, County Meath, under the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17498/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated.
A key principle of the NBP is to support and stimulate commercial investment through policy and regulatory measures. Commercial investment since the publication of the NBP has considerably exceeded expectations. To date, the commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2.5bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services.
There has been significant progress in relation to broadband rollout so that today, approximately 1.4m or 61% of premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband of a minimum of 30 Megabits per second. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector, which is continuing to expand this footprint.
On 4 April, I signed a commitment agreement with eir in relation to their plans to provide broadband to an additional 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Eir has committed to doing this work over the next 90 weeks, an average of 500 premises passed per day. My Department will be monitoring this rollout to ensure that they meet their obligations under the Agreement. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my website www.dccae.gov.ie.
I also formally published an updated High Speed Broadband Map on 4 April which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The updated Map shows the following categories of areas for delivery of broadband:
- The BLUE areas represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services,
- The AMBER areas on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the areas that will require State Intervention and are the subject of the current procurement process.
It is intended that all premises will have access to services of at least 30 megabits per second when the procurement process is completed and the network rolled out.
The map shows that 92% of the townland of Ballynakill (Ikeathy and Oughterany By) Co Meath falls within a BLUE area and will be covered in line with commitment agreement with eir while the remaining 8% is within the AMBER area and will be require State Intervention. Individuals can themselves check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by accessing the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their Eircode at www.broadband.gov.ie.
With the publication of the updated High Speed Broadband Map the State Intervention Area has now been finalised. A formal procurement process is in train to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network within the State Intervention Area. The procurement process is being intensively managed, to ensure an outcome that delivers a future-proofed network that serves homes and businesses across Ireland, for at least 25 years.
The timeframe for the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors including the complexities that may be encountered by the procurement team and bidders, during the procurement process. During the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated a 3-5 year timeline to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP once contracts are in place.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded.
The Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best rollout strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and/or high demand and a prioritisation programme.
708. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to offer an allowance for pay-by-weight refuse collection to those households where the elderly and sick are being cared for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17501/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe charges applied by waste management companies are a matter between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation.
My Department is currently reviewing, together with the regulatory authorities and industry representatives, the introduction of an incentivised system which encourages people to prevent, reduce and segregate their waste. This approach is in line with Government waste policy to reduce our reliance on landfill for waste disposal and will also facilitate the provision of a range of options for people to manage their waste costs. The issue raised by the Deputy will be considered as part of the review.
