Written Answers Nos. 236 - 246
236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the adequacy and efficacy of the traceability regulations throughout the food sector with particular reference to compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21344/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFood products placed on the marketplace are covered by a range of legislation designed to ensure that products supplied to consumers are of the highest safety standards. My Department plays a part in the enforcement of this legislation along with other Government departments and State Agencies such as the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and the Health Service Executive. However the FSAI is the body responsible for enforcement of regulations governing traceability, labelling and provision of food information to customers.
Primary responsibility under EU law for the safety and traceability of food placed on the market lies with food business operators. The role of National Competent Agencies is to verify compliance with this requirement. This is done via a combination of inspecting establishments and auditing the food safety management systems which operators have in place. These controls are applied at different stages in the food supply chain. Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002 sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law and stipulates that food business operators must, at all stages of production, processing and distribution within their business, ensure food law requirements are satisfied. In regard to traceability, the regulations require that food business operators have what is referred to as the ‘one step forward, one step backward’ traceability system. There are additional requirements for certain fishery and aquaculture products under the Control Regulation (Regulation 1224/2009 and Implementing Regulation 404/2011) from first sale to subsequent stages of production, processing and distribution up to retail.
My Department has a permanent veterinary presence at all its approved slaughter plants. Controls at plants only engaged in secondary processing are carried out at a frequency based on an annual risk assessment. An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department-approved plant, including checks on physical identity, labelling and documentary checks.
Extra veterinary checks are carried out on selected consignments of foods imported into DAFM-approved establishments from other EU Member States or from Third Countries outside the EU. These checks include, physical checks of product condition, checks of accompanying documentation and checks of labelling and health markings.
The import of products of animal origin from third countries is governed by a comprehensive and robust legislative framework laid down at EU level, controlled by Member States in the first instance, and audited by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (formally the FVO), to ensure compliance with all of the relevant food safety standards. The legislation imposes health and supervisory requirements designed to ensure that imported products meet standards equivalent to those required for production and trade between Member States. Border Inspection Posts are operated by my Department. Import control procedures on products of animal and fish origin are highly prescriptive and strictly audited by the Directorate to ensure compliance. Inspection finding reports are published on the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety’s website.
I am satisfied that the controls and checks in place and enforced by my Department ensure that Irish consumers are protected and correctly informed when they purchase and consume food products.
237. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which discussions have taken place with the various stakeholders with a view to resolution of difficulties which resulted in the closure of Harold's Cross greyhound stadium; if any or all of the issues raised have been addressed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21345/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraBord na gCon is a commercial state body, established in 1958 under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.
Bord na gCon has informed me that there were two separate mediation talks held and arrangements were in place to hold a third one however this was subsequently called off. A resolution of the differences between the parties has not been found to date.
238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which breaches in food quality and traceability standards have been identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21346/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe FSAI is the body responsible for enforcement of regulations governing traceability, labelling and provision of food information to customers.
My Department has a permanent veterinary presence at all its approved slaughter plants. Controls at plants only engaged in secondary processing are carried out at a frequency based on an annual risk assessment. An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department-approved plant, including checks on physical identity, labelling and documentary checks.
Extra veterinary checks are carried out on selected consignments of foods imported into DAFM-approved establishments from other EU Member States or from Third Countries outside the EU. These checks include, physical checks of product condition, checks of accompanying documentation and checks of labelling and health markings.
It is imperative that food businesses ensure that they have robust traceability systems in place to check that the appropriate food safety systems and compliance with the law are assured. I assign the highest priority to this issue to ensure continued confidence in our agrifood industry, and my Department continues to work with all stakeholders to ensure the highest standards continue to be enforced across the sector.
239. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which his Department monitors the costs of farm inputs such as fertilisers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21347/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Central Statistics Office (CSO) monitors the price of fertilisers on a monthly basis.
Currently, Europe is only 80% self-sufficient in fertiliser production and must import 20% of its requirements. As such, European and Irish fertiliser prices are strongly linked to global prices and heavily influenced by supply and demand.
My Department monitors on an on-going basis the data on the type and quantity of fertilisers and lime sold on a Quarterly basis.
240. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which adequate slaughtering facilities remain readily available to meet the needs of the beef, lamb and pig producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21348/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe slaughter of livestock in this country for human consumption is carried out at facilities which are approved by either the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or by the relevant local authorities.
There are currently 49 meat plants approved and supervised by my Department to slaughter animals for human consumption. The numbers of animals slaughtered from the main species in Department-supervised plants in 2016 were 1.63m cattle, 2.67m sheep, 3.25m pigs, 92.9m poultry. Smaller abattoirs are supervised by local authorities.
The establishment of a slaughtering plant is a commercial decision made by individuals or companies. I am confident however that the processing industry has the capacity to meet the throughput requirements for the various sectors outlined by the Deputy now and for the foreseeable future.
241. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason an overpayment of €1,126.33 was assessed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Sligo; the amount and the years it relates to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21353/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe penalty applied under the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme relates to breaches of Cross Compliance requirements. Under the Terms and Conditions of the Basic Payment Scheme, an applicant, as well as meeting the scheme criteria, must comply with EU regulatory requirements relating to Cross Compliance.
A report detailing findings of an inspection carried out by Sligo County Council on 12th December 2016 was referred to my Department's Cross Compliance Unit for attention. This report detailed breaches relating to the cross compliance requirements under the Nitrates Regulations.
The breaches under the Nitrates Regulations related to the dumping of a significant quantity of farmyard manure at a location in Co Sligo.
The breaches resulted in a 20% penalty being applied against the 2016 Direct Schemes payments.
The person named was notified of this decision on 20 February 2017 and of their right to seek a review of the findings from the District Inspector. To date no request for review has been received.
In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of any such review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months.
242. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in a payment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21354/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has been paid in full in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
During the 2016 prepayment checking process an over declaration of wild bird cover area was identified resulting in the application of a penalty. Department officials are actively working to resolve this issue.
243. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on implementing a reduction in the broadcasting levy on independent radio stations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21515/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra246. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider supporting a reduction in the broadcasting levy on independent radio stations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21294/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 246 together.
I recognise the important role that independent broadcasters play in our society and the service they provide.
Section 33 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for the making of a levy order by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) for the purposes of meeting the expenses of the Authority and its Committees in undertaking the performance of its statutory functions. The funding provided through the levy by all relevant commercial, public and community broadcasters is vital to the proper functioning of the Authority.
As I indicated earlier this year, I am currently considering a number of proposals for amendment of the Broadcasting Act 2009 including measures to alleviate the levy burden on independent broadcasters. These proposals will be brought to Cabinet shortly.
244. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the timeframe for the UK’s withdrawal from Euratom; the way in which that will impact the Irish public; if he has made contact with his UK counterpart on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21233/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe decision of the UK Government to withdraw from the Euratom Treaty was confirmed on 26 January, 2017 on the publication of the Bill seeking Parliamentary approval to issue notification of the UK’s intention to withdraw from the EU. On the 30th of March, the UK published a White Paper entitled "Legislating for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union" which made clear that as part of the UK's Brexit plan it is intended that the Repeal Bill will reflect the decision to convert the "acquis" - the body of European legislation - into UK law at the moment that the European Communities Act is repealed.
Officials in my Department have engaged with the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation, through the UK-Ireland Contact Group on Radiological Matters. This Group met on 27 April where the matter was discussed. Further discussions will be arranged as appropriate.
It is not foreseen that the UK's withdrawal from Euratom will have any impact on the Irish public. The UK remains a member of Euratom and the UK nuclear industry remains subject to oversight by the EU institutions until such time as their withdrawal from the EU is finalised, a process expected to take a number of years following notification.
I would also point out that the UK is a member of the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UK applies the strict international standards on nuclear safety and security laid down by the IAEA, and that will continue to be the case post Brexit.
245. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will request a private contractor to provide broadband to a household (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21277/17]
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 its 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 a 90 week period, an average of 500 premises passed per day. My Department will be monitoring this rollout to ensure that eir meets its obligations under the Agreement. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my website www.dccae.gov.ie. The decision by eir to invest in infrastructure to deploy high speed broadband services to an additional 300,000 premises in rural Ireland was taken purely on commercial grounds having regard to the cost of service provision and the anticipated revenue returns from any such invest. I do not have a statutory authority to direct eir in this regard.
On the same day I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. which finalises the State Intervention area. 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 the eircode referred to by the Deputy is within the townland of Grange More Co Westmeath and falls within the AMBER area and will 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.
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 finalisation of the State Intervention Area for the procurement process is an important milestone as it means that bidders can progress their business plans and the Department can move to the next stage of the procurement.
The three bidders have indicated that they are proposing a predominantly fibre-to-the-home solution. A fibre-to-the-home solution means that householders and businesses may get speeds not just of 30 Megabits per second but much higher, potentially up to 1000 Megabits per second.
The State Intervention network will be a wholesale network and retail service providers will be able to use the network to provide enhanced broadband services to their customers.
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 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.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded.
In this regard, in July 2016, together with Minister Humphreys I established the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to identify immediate solutions to broadband and mobile phone coverage deficits and investigate how better services could be provided to consumers prior to the full build and roll-out of the network planned under the National Broadband Plan State intervention. The report of the Task Force was published in December and is available at the following link:http://www.dccae.gov.ie/communications/en-ie/Pages/Publication/Report-of-the-Mobile-Phone-and-Broadband-Taskforce.aspx.
In producing this report, the Task Force worked with Departments, local authorities, ComReg, State agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders. The report contains 40 actions that will alleviate some of the telecommunications deficits across Ireland and the implementation programme on mobile phone and broadband access identifies 19 of these actions as areas where immediate and direct action by Departments and State agencies can ensure accelerated benefits to consumers.
The work of the Task Force is being led by an Implementation Group. This group brings together all key stakeholders identified in the Task Force report with responsibility for delivery of actions. This group will formally report every 90 days on progress made on all actions to both myself and Minister Humphreys. I am expecting the first such quarterly report in May.
In addition, I have signed regulations allowing ComReg to proceed with a 2017 allocation of spectrum in the 3.6 GHz radio spectrum band. This will provide an 86% increase in total spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless services.
In my Department's Estimates for 2017, I have secured an €8 million provision for RTE to allow it to free up the 700 MHz spectrum band. ComReg in turn will make plans to allocate this spectrum to provide for significantly enhanced mobile coverage. The 700 MHz band is particularly suited to rural environments where the signal can travel long distances.
These initiatives should assist in enhancing the quality of mobile phone and data services across Ireland and particularly in rural Ireland.
