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Tuesday, 19 Jun 2018

Written Answers Nos. 429-446

Hospital Appointments Status

Ceisteanna (429)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

429. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of an operation for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26856/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

The National Waiting List Management Policy, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures since January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.

Cancer Screening Programmes

Ceisteanna (430)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

430. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health when the decision was made to appoint a person (details supplied) to represent CervicalCheck; to identify the person who made the decision; the purpose for which the person was appointed; the role and responsibilities of the person; and the fee being paid. [26922/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

On Friday 26 April 2018, a helpline was established for women affected by news of the CervicalCheck audit. As part of managing queries to this helpline, the HSE has advised that it was agreed to recruit a small number of experienced physicians in the field of obstetrics/gynaecology. These were recruited on a temporary basis for a short period to support and assist the call back team with specific complex medical queries. Their terms and conditions are in line with the rates delivered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Ireland.

Poultry Industry

Ceisteanna (431, 435, 437, 438, 439, 444)

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

431. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the regulatory system in place for the haulage, storage and disposal of poultry litter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26181/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

435. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are penalties or criminal sanction for the misuse of poultry litter leading to an outbreak of botulism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26187/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

437. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the licensing arrangements required for transportation, storage and end usage of poultry litter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26200/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

438. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the regulations on the disposal of poultry litter; the penalties in place for failure to comply with disposal regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26206/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

439. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the regulatory system in place for the haulage, storage and disposal of poultry litter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26214/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

444. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the regulations on the disposal of poultry litter; the penalties in place for failure to comply with disposal regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26598/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 431, 435, 437 to 439, inclusive, and 444 together.

The collection, transport, handling, treatment, transformation, processing, storage, placing on the market, distribution, and use and disposal of all animal products (ABP) including poultry litter is governed by the EU animal By-product Regulation (EC) No. 1069 of 2009 and Regulation (EU) No. 142 of 2011 which are given legal effect by The European Communities (Animal By-Product) Regulations 2014 (SI No. 187/2014).

Where a person is in breach of the EU ABP Regulations, the above mentioned Statutory Instrument provides for the Minister to take enforcement action including the issuing of a compliance notice requiring a particular action and also the use of criminal sanctions where appropriate.

Poultry litter is categorised as a category 2 ABP and the options for its disposal are set out in Article 13 of Regulation 1069/2009. Poultry litter containing residual poultry carcases must be disposed of in an incineration plant approved by this Department or the EPA or in a rendering plant also approved by the Department. However, as poultry litter that does not contain residual poultry carcases is considered to be an organic fertilizer/soil improver and is a valuable source of nutrients for farmers, it can be disposed of by spreading on land subject to strict conditions. The other main disposal routes for this material is in composting and biogas plants or as a fuel for combustion.

Poultry litter must be transported by a haulier registered with the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine in accordance with Regulation No. (EC) 1069 of 2009 and must be accompanied by a commercial document that provides details of the place of origin of the material and place of destination of the material. The material must be transported in covered, leak-proof containers or vehicles which are maintained in a clean condition with signage stating "Category 2 Material - Manure"

Poultry manure must be spread without delay and, where in the event that the material is being held for a short time prior to land-spreading, it must be stacked on a concrete base away from rivers, streams and other water courses and any run-off must be collected.

The Department has issued Good Practice Guidelines for poultry farmers, for poultry litter hauliers and for the end-users of poultry litter to ensure each stakeholder is aware of their legal obligations for the transport, use and disposal of the material.

The codes good practice for poultry farmers, poultry litter hauliers and end-users of poultry litter can be found on the DAFM website at

www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/diseasecontrol/botulism/.

Animal Diseases

Ceisteanna (432, 433, 434)

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

432. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if botulism is a notifiable disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26182/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

433. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action taken when an outbreak of botulism is detected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26183/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

434. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has the power to investigate the source of an outbreak of botulism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26184/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 432 to 434, inclusive, together.

Botulism in cattle is not a notifiable disease. However, from an industry perspective it is of benefit that suspect cases of botulism are reported to my Department in order that the incidence and extent of outbreaks may be monitored. DAFM veterinary laboratories are available to assist in diagnosis and to rule out other diseases which can present in a similar manner to botulism. Suspect cases may be reported by the herd owner's private veterinary practitioner to the Regional Veterinary Laboratory or the nearest Regional Veterinary Office (RVO).

Botulism outbreaks in cattle are most commonly, but not exclusively, associated with exposure to contaminated poultry litter – often coinciding with the recent spreading of poultry litter on land when the management of poultry litter is poor or deficient. Cattle grazing these contaminated pastures or coming into contact directly or indirectly with poultry litter are at risk of contracting the disease.

As part of controls on the poultry sector, my Department carries out certain inspections of poultry units to monitor compliance with the requirements of the Animal By-Products (ABP) Regulations as they relate to the proper disposal of dead poultry and the disposal of manure. Poultry producers are required to ensure that litter does not contain any residual poultry carcases. Transporters of poultry litter/manure are required to be registered as ABP transporters with the Department. Transporters must keep records, including the details of the place of origin of the material they are transporting and the place of destination.

My Department may also undertake follow-up investigations in situations where poultry litter is suspected of being the source of a botulism outbreak to ensure that adequate measures are being taken to prevent outbreaks - on the farm where the poultry litter is being spread, by the poultry litter haulier and on the poultry units that supplied the poultry litter.

The Department has drawn up Codes of Good Practice for poultry farmers, poultry litter hauliers and end-users of poultry litter, providing advice in relation to the management, transport and use of poultry litter in order to minimise the risks of contamination of pasture to cattle on the end user’s farm and neighbouring farms. These and other information in relation to botulism are available on the DAFM website at this link: www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/diseasecontrol/botulism/.

I would particularly encourage all farmers handling or spreading poultry litter to advise their neighbours of the fact so that they can move cattle that may be susceptible to fields that are not adjacent to the handling/spreading area.

Question No. 435 answered with Question No. 431.

Basic Payment Scheme Eligibility

Ceisteanna (436)

Charlie McConalogue

Ceist:

436. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the eligibility of a person (details supplied) for a BPS payment will be reviewed in view of new evidence which has become available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26199/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

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 Donegal County Council on 14th  October 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 resulted in a 45% penalty being applied against the 2016 Direct Schemes payments. The person named was notified of this decision on 28 February 2017.  A review was requested the outcome of which was to up-hold the inspection findings and the person named was notified on 30 August 2017.

A further review of this case will now be undertaken based on the additional correspondence provided by the Deputy. The person named will be notified of the outcome on completion of the review process.

Questions No. 437 to 439, inclusive, answered with Question No. 431.

Felling Licences Applications

Ceisteanna (440)

Bobby Aylward

Ceist:

440. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a felling licence application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26261/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

A felling licence application for the above named was received by my Department on 3rd April. It was referred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the local authority, which is standard procedure. A reply has been received from the NPWS and will be reviewed by the Department's Forestry Inspector. The Inspector also requested that the application be referred to the local Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) office, as the site is near a sensitive water course for fisheries. The IFI has until 22nd June to respond to the Department.

GLAS Payments

Ceisteanna (441)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

441. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when outstanding 2017 GLAS payments will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26290/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015. All 2015, 2016 and the 2017 Advance GLAS payments have been paid to the participant.

The 2017 GLAS balance payment has now cleared all validations and it is expected that the payment will issue shortly.

Departmental Expenditure

Ceisteanna (442)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

442. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount paid per project to a company (details supplied) since 1 January 2016 to date by year, amount and project name; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26382/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

It is not possible to provide a comprehensive response to the Deputy in the required timeframe. I will arrange for a reply to be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
I refer to PQ 26382/18 the answer to which was deferred from last week. Attached please find tables which set out the Department's expenditure through the media purchasing company Mediavest for the years 2016, 2017 and to end of April 2018 (the most recent month for which we figures). In the period there were over a thousand individual adverts.
As you are aware, Mediavest hold the central Government contract for the provision of advertising services in relation to public notices and this Department, in the main, uses that company to purchase necessary advertising.
The vast bulk of the Department's advertising consists of press notices in the specialised farming press, provincial and national newspapers. Much of this expenditure is recurring as it relates to afforestation notifications and aquaculture licence applications. Recurring expenditure also includes the publication of Statutory Instrument Notices that are required to comply with various national and EU legislative requirements.
There is also advertising which is less regular and where this has occurred, the attached tables identify the topics to which the expenditure relates.
Decisions on the placement of notices are made on a case by case basis, depending on the nature of the advertisement and the target audience.
Finally, the table for 2018 also includes expenditure labelled
December. These figures relate to advertising costs incurred during December 2017 but which were paid in 2018.

Projects paid for in 2018

DECEMBER FISHERIES ADVERTS

7954.89

DECEMBER HORTICULTURE ADVERT

842.55

DECEMBER MISC ADVERTS (Land Purchase Acts)

201.08

DECEMBER SI ADVERTS

1385.48

JANUARY FISHERIES ADVERTS

2614.03

JANUARY MISC ADVERTS (Sheep Welfare Scheme, CAP 2020 consultation, Clean Livestock Policy Locum Tenens Veterinary Inspection

13265.35

JANUARY SI ADVERTS

461.84

FEBRUARY FISHERIES ADVERTS

3141.84

FEBRUARY MISC ADVERTS (BPS co-ordination/one to one clinics, equine derogation)

17209.77

FEBRUARY SI ADVERTS

1049.61

FEBRUARY VETERINARY ADVERT

676.5

MARCH FISHERY ADVERTS

2286.8

MARCH FORESTRY ADVERTS

8283.21

MARCH MISC ADVERTS (BPS one to one clinics)

3510.28

MARCH SI ADVERTS

1805.3

APRIL FISHERIES ADVERTS

2893.27

APRIL FORESTRY ADVERTS

839.68

APRIL MISC ADVERTS (BPS one to one clinics, backyard poultry)

1478.57

APRIL S.I. ADVERTS

797.69

Grand Total

70697.74

 

 
 

Public Consultation Process

Ceisteanna (443)

Shane Cassells

Ceist:

443. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of public consultations held by his Department or by a State agency under the remit of his Department; the number of replies received per consultation; and the cost of each consultation in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [26453/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Due to the volume of the information requested by the Deputy, it is not possible to provide a comprehensive response in the required timeframe. I will arrange for a reply to be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as the information requested is available.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A 
The Minister's earlier reply stated that due to the volume of the information requested, it was not possible to provide a comprehensive response in the required time and that a reply would be forwarded to you as soon as the data was compiled.
I now wish to advise you that the information requested is set out in the attached table. In some cases, specific costs in relation to consultations are not readily available because the advertisements took the form of public notices. The Department publishes a great number of public notices, typically over 400 each year, and an examination to identify just those relating to the consultations would involve a significant amount of resources.
As regards the twelve State Bodies under the aegis of the Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. The question has been referred to the Agencies and they have been requested to respond to you within 10 days.

2011 Name of Public Consultation held by Department

Number of replies received

Cost of consultation

Deer Management Policy Vision

27

Nil

CAP 2014-2020 Public Consultation process

*See combined figures included in returns for 2012

Nil

Consultation on the implementation of the Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides

72

Nil

Statement of Strategy

0

Nil

Fishery Management Plan and Appropriate Assessment for Dundalk Bay 2011-2016

7

554

Fisheries Natura Plan and Appropriate Assessment for Roaringwater Bay 2011-2016

1

646

Fisheries Natura Plan and Appropriate Assessment for Castlemaine Harbour

5

Not available

The impact of CFP Reform Proposals

14

1,199

Fishing Opportunities for 2012

4,056

646

Total: 9

Question No. 444 answered with Question No. 431.

Hen Harriers Threat Response Plan

Ceisteanna (445)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

445. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) did not enter the hen harrier scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26664/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

At the outset, I need to explain that while the new Hen Harrier Programme is fully financed through a combination of national and EU funds, it is nonetheless a locally-led, locally-designed and locally-administered scheme - it is not operated or managed directly by my Department.

However, I have made enquiries and while the person named was unsuccessful in gaining entry to the Hen Harrier Programme in the last round, recruitment into the scheme is an on-going process with Letters of Offer issued every month for each of the six SPA designated areas. The application of the person in question remains live and will be assessed by the local Project Team against the relevant selection criteria, and applications from other candidates, on a monthly basis.

Knowledge Transfer Programme

Ceisteanna (446)

Kevin O'Keeffe

Ceist:

446. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to persons (details supplied) in respect of their involvement in KT discussion groups. [26740/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Knowledge Transfer is one of a suite of measures included under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and involves the formation of knowledge transfer groups across the beef, dairy, equine, sheep, tillage and poultry sectors.  Department approved agricultural consultants acting as Knowledge Transfer Facilitators administer groups operating over a three year period.

Farmers may participate in a maximum of two KT Groups in different sectors. Participants who complete all of the requirements of the programme receive a reimbursement of €750 for their primary group while their KT Facilitator receives €500.  Secondary participants who complete all of the requirements of the programme receive a reimbursement of €375 while their KT Facilitator receive €250.

The Herd number referred to by the Deputy is a joint herd number with only one of the herd owners being a participant in KT Beef and KT Sheep.  In this regard the participant has received a full reimbursement payment of €750 for his KT Sheep discussion group.

However, an issue relating to his change of status to a partnership and his registration for a second group in the Beef sector is currently being resolved with a view to issuing this second payment shortly. 

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