Written Answers Nos 211-220
211. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has taken regarding a complaint made by National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, inspectors in relation to a farmyard (details supplied) in County Wexford on 4 May 2018 involving the existence of a number of decomposing carcasses in the farmyard; if an inspection has been carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21841/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe case referred to is being investigated by my Department and I do not propose commenting further in the circumstances.
212. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a farm payment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21850/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs detailed in my reply to a PQ on this matter on 26 April 2018 ( ref. 18411/18), the application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing eligibility inspection. This inspection, which included a field visit to determine the position on the ground, identified over-declarations in area exceeding 10% of the area claimed. This resulted in the area determined being reduced by 1.5 times the difference between the area claimed and area determined, as required under the governing EU regulations. The final position was that no payment was due under the 2017 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraints Schemes. A letter detailing the final outcome of the inspection issued on 6 February 2018.
A review of the case was requested and this was referred to the local inspectorate for examination. This process, which included a further field visit, has now been completed and the outcome will be notified to the person named in the coming days.
In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with this outcome, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months.
213. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons in receipt of green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, 1, 2 and 3 who have received their 2017 balancing payment by county in tabular form; the number who have passed all payment approval checks and are awaiting on their 2017 balancing payment; the number in receipt of GLAS payments who have yet to receive the 2017 balancing payment by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21907/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraBalancing Payments for the GLAS scheme can only commence when the Member State has verified that all eligibility conditions have been met. This is a requirement in the relevant EU Payment Regulations and is a long-standing EU audit requirement. The Department is currently undertaking the verification process. It is anticipated that GLAS balancing payments will commence in the coming days.
I would encourage any GLAS applicant with outstanding obligations, such as the submission of a Nutrient Management Plan or a Commonage Management Plan to speak to their advisor and ensure that this work is completed as a priority. Without the submission of all the required information, these applicants will be ineligible for further GLAS payments.
214. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons in receipt of the sheep welfare scheme payment who have received their 2017 balancing payment by county, in tabular form; the number who have passed all payment approval checks and are awaiting on their 2017 balancing payment; the number in receipt of sheep welfare payments who have yet to receive the 2017 balancing payment by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21908/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is currently being collated and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
|
County |
Number of applicant's paid balancing as at 30th May 2018 |
|
CARLOW |
297 |
|
CAVAN |
290 |
|
CLARE |
154 |
|
CORK |
701 |
|
DONEGAL |
2818 |
|
DUBLIN |
61 |
|
GALWAY |
1841 |
|
KERRY |
1236 |
|
KILDARE |
244 |
|
KILKENNY |
211 |
|
LAOIS |
161 |
|
LEITRIM |
522 |
|
LIMERICK |
50 |
|
LONGFORD |
156 |
|
LOUTH |
163 |
|
MAYO |
2312 |
|
MEATH |
377 |
|
MONAGHAN |
117 |
|
OFFALY |
183 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
777 |
|
SLIGO |
668 |
|
TIPPERARY |
286 |
|
WATERFORD |
154 |
|
WESTMEATH |
301 |
|
WEXFORD |
413 |
|
WICKLOW |
625 |
|
Total |
15118 |
|
County |
Number in receipt of Sheep Welfare Payments who have yet to receive a balancing payment. |
|
CARLOW |
145 |
|
CAVAN |
150 |
|
CLARE |
65 |
|
CORK |
327 |
|
DONEGAL |
801 |
|
DUBLIN |
45 |
|
GALWAY |
613 |
|
KERRY |
470 |
|
KILDARE |
136 |
|
KILKENNY |
93 |
|
LAOIS |
99 |
|
LEITRIM |
166 |
|
LIMERICK |
43 |
|
LONGFORD |
72 |
|
LOUTH |
74 |
|
MAYO |
729 |
|
MEATH |
202 |
|
MONAGHAN |
109 |
|
OFFALY |
115 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
286 |
|
SLIGO |
225 |
|
TIPPERARY |
190 |
|
WATERFORD |
92 |
|
WESTMEATH |
113 |
|
WEXFORD |
183 |
|
WICKLOW |
251 |
|
Total |
5794 |
215. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons in receipt of the AOES payment who have received their 2017 balancing payment by county, in tabular form; the number who have passed all payment approval checks and are awaiting their 2017 balancing payment; the number in receipt of AOES payments who have yet to receive the 2017 balancing payment by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21909/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll AEOS cases that have passed payment approval checks have been paid in full for 2017. The following table gives the numbers per county paid and the numbers per county not paid. Any participants who have been contacted in relation to outstanding documentation are encouraged to reply without delay:
|
County |
Numbers Paid |
Not paid |
|
Carlow |
8 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
72 |
2 |
|
Clare |
119 |
6 |
|
Cork |
82 |
8 |
|
Donegal |
297 |
12 |
|
Dublin |
3 |
0 |
|
Galway |
349 |
11 |
|
Kerry |
161 |
11 |
|
Kildare |
5 |
1 |
|
Kilkenny |
18 |
0 |
|
Laois |
17 |
1 |
|
Leitrim |
152 |
7 |
|
Limerick |
52 |
2 |
|
Longford |
18 |
0 |
|
Louth |
12 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
335 |
22 |
|
Meath |
22 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
45 |
0 |
|
Offaly |
21 |
4 |
|
Roscommon |
127 |
8 |
|
Sligo |
85 |
6 |
|
Tipperary |
33 |
1 |
|
Waterford |
16 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
29 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
11 |
0 |
|
Wicklow |
12 |
2 |
|
Totals |
2,101 |
106 |
216. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 381 of 8 May 2018, his views on whether all entitlements will reach a minimum value of 60% of the basic payment scheme national average by 2019. [21910/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll payment entitlements with an initial unit value less than 90% of the BPS national average are scheduled to reach a minimum value of 60% of the BPS national average by 2019 (Article 25(4) of EU Regulation 1307/2013 applies).
217. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount allocated separately to the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development at EU level for the MFF programme 2021-2027 as referenced in COM(2018) 321 final. [21911/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total CAP budget (EAGF and EAFRD) will be approximately €365 billion over the 7 year period (2021-2027). Pillar 1 (EAGF) will account for approximately €286 billon with Pillar 2 (EAFRD) accounting for approximately €79 billion.
The following table gives a breakdown per year allocated under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (figures are € billions):
|
Scheme |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
2027 |
Total |
|
EAGF |
40.300 |
40.527 |
40.791 |
40.931 |
41.072 |
41.214 |
41.357 |
€286.195 |
|
EAFRD |
11.259 |
11.259 |
11.259 |
11.259 |
11.259 |
11.259 |
11.259 |
€78.811 |
|
Total EAGF and EAFRD |
51.559 |
51.786 |
52.050 |
52.190 |
52.331 |
52.473 |
52.616 |
€365.005 |
218. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the commitment to provide high speed broadband to each house and business in County Louth; the deadline for same; the number of homes and businesses which have access to high speed broadband; the number of additional homes and businesses which received access to high speed broadband in 2017; the number which will receive access in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21760/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. By 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.
In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll out high speed broadband to 300,000 premises as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April 2017.
According to OSI figures provided to my Department in Q1 2018 there are nearly 60,500 premises in County Louth. Over 8,500 (14%) fall within the AMBER area and will be served by the State led Intervention. Nearly 51,000 (84%) of premises are in a BLUE area and are, or will be, served by commercial providers, some 1,000 (2%) are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be served by eir's planned rural deployment.
Information on categories of premises can be accessed on my Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ie by entering the relevant eircode into the High Speed Broadband Map.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.
In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide High speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie
According to figures provided by eir the company had passed some 6,700 premises in County Louth as of Q4 2017. An additional 881 premises have been passed in Q1 2018 according to figures currently being verified by my Department. The remaining Light Blue premises (some 1,000) will be covered by eir during the remainder of their roll out.
A county by county breakdown of eir’s data for Q1 2018 will be available shortly on my Department’s website.
Prior to the rollout of the State led intervention network, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers, including the Officer for County Louth, on my Department's website at https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/communications/topics/Broadband/national-broadband-plan/latest-news/Pages/Broadband-Officers-Workshop.aspx.
219. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the fibre optic broadband system at a location (details supplied) can be extended due to poor broadband connectivity in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21761/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. By 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.
In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).
The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:
- The AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing procurement process.
- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.
- The LIGHT BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll out high speed broadband to 300,000 premises as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April 2017.
According to my Departments High Speed Broadband Map, available at www.broadband.gov.ie, the telecommunications infrastructure serving the area referred to by the Deputy is in a BLUE area, while the Ballinagard area itself is a mixture of both BLUE and AMBER.
Decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the roll-out, siting and extension of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market. I have no statutory role or function to intervene in the commercial decisions of private operators, and therefore cannot direct operators regarding infrastructure installation or delivery of services.
There are 191 premises in the townland of Ballinagard. 60 (31%) fall within the AMBER area and these will be served under the State led Intervention. 131 (69%) of premises are in a BLUE area and are or will be served by commercial providers. Information on categories of premises is available on my Department’s website www.broadband .gov.ie by entering the relevant eircode into the High Speed Broadband Map.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.
Where a premises situated in a Blue area is unable to obtain a high speed broadband service, I would encourage them to email my Department at broadband@dccae.gov.ie with their eircode and details of the service providers they have contacted and my officials will follow up.
Prior to the rollout of the State led intervention, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.
220. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for fibre broadband; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21775/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraEircodes are assigned to new property addresses using a valid postal address and verified geo-locations. An Post GeoDirectory, issue a new release of the GeoDirectory database file on a quarterly basis to Capita Business Support Services Ireland, trading as Eircode, in accordance with their licence agreement. Each new address assigned an Eircode is published on the free to use Eircode Finder website and a notification letter is issued to the occupant containing the Eircode of that address.
The timeframe for the updated eircodes to be made accessible to telecommunications companies is dependent on each company's own eircode data provider's contracted agreement. All such eircode data providers are sourced and contracted by individual telecommunications companies, including eir.
Operational matters and commercial decisions of private commercial operators, including the updating of databases, are a matter for these commercial operators and one in which I have no direct function.
