Written Answers Nos. 594-618
594. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will establish an independent meat regulator with statutory powers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36268/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, there is a commitment in the Programme for Government for the establishment of a new authority to be called the National Food Ombudsman (NFO) or similar, to enforce the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive. A two-stage approach is being undertaken to deliver the commitment.
On 28th April, I signed Statutory Instrument No. 198 of 2021 which sets out the Regulations to give effect in Irish law to EU Directive No. 2019/633 on Unfair Trading Practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain. These Regulations came into effect from 1st July 2021 for new supply agreements for agricultural and food products.
One of the key principles of the UTP Directive is to protect farmers and other weaker suppliers of agricultural and food products against stronger buyers. These Regulations will help to provide that protection and are a significant step in progressing towards a more even playing field for our agricultural producers. The UTP Enforcement Authority required by the Directive will, pending the establishment of the new NFO or equivalent Office, operate in the Department and will have the necessary statutory powers to investigate complaints, carry out investigations on its own initiative and initiate legal proceedings for breaches of the UTPs prohibited under the Directive.
The establishment of the new NFO or equivalent Office requires primary legislation. The new Office, whose remit will include the meat sector, when established will have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland and will also incorporate the UTP Enforcement Authority functions. In addition to establishing the new Office, the primary legislation may introduce rules that go beyond those included in the UTP Directive. It is important to be aware, however, that the Office will not be able to determine commodity prices.
As the Deputy will be aware, the public consultation on the establishment of the new Office held by the Department ended on 11th June. The consultation sought views on extending the rules of the UTP Regulations as well as on what other functions may be assigned to the new Office. The Department is currently examining the submissions and recently held an information seminar on 25th June for stakeholders at which an overview of the submissions received was provided stakeholders were also reminded of their obligations under the new Regulations. The next step is to finalise the primary legislation.
The Programme for Government commitment is to establish the new Office to ensure fairness, equity, and transparency in the food chain and this must be delivered for suppliers of all agricultural and food products, including suppliers of meat products. I am fully committed to ensuring that the new Office will bring as much transparency as possible to all sectors within the agricultural and food supply chain. I will also ensure that the new Office has the appropriate statutory powers to enforce the legislation, when finalised, to ensure all suppliers will have assurance that there will be appropriate investigation of non-compliance with the requirements.
The outcome of the current consultation will help to determine the principles and policies to be included in the new legislation and the powers to be assigned to the new Office, so it is not possible to state at this stage what the primary legislation will include. However, I am satisfied with the new Office will provide a service that will help to enhance the position of all agricultural producers for all product sectors in the food supply chain, in a fair and equitable manner.
595. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will extend all TAMS 2 grants by three months to allow time for farmers to complete works that have been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36312/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFlexibility has been provided by the Department on completion deadlines for the suite of TAMS measures. On 1st April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a three month extension was granted on all projects due to be completed (or approvals due to expire) between 1st March and 1st July 2020.
Further flexibility on TAMS completion deadlines has been provided to all participants with TAMS approvals or COVID-19 extensions expiring between 1st April and 30th June 2021 who could apply to the local office for an additional three month extension.
These flexibilities were provided in addition to the standard provisions for the granting of extensions which is provided for in the terms and conditions of TAMS II published on the Department's website.
The Department is continuing to monitor the evolving situation and will implement further changes if and when they are needed.
596. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 28-29 June 2021 regarding the Common Agricultural Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36313/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the June Agri-Fish Council, Ministers accepted the provisional deal agreed between the Council Presidency and European Parliament on 25th June.
The new CAP sets out a number of measures aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt climate- and environment-friendly farming practices, including:
- enhanced conditionality standards, with a new GAEC 2 for wetland/peatland protection;
- 25% ring-fencing of Pillar I payments for new eco-schemes;
- 35% of Pillar II expenditure to be targeted at environmental actions.
The new CAP also includes changes to the direct payments system, including:
- the option to cap the basic payment at €100,000, with a further option to reduce direct payments above €60,000 by up to 85%;
- the continuation of internal convergence, with farmers reaching 85% of the national average entitlement value by 2026;
- a mandatory redistribution of 10% of direct payments funding to small and medium-sized farms, with an option to derogate from this requirement where Member States' needs can be shown to have been addressed by other instruments;
- an increase to 3% in targeted support for young farmers.
The CAP will also include a social dimension - a new provision whereby farmers in receipt of direct payments, who are employers, will be subject to a direct payments penalty if they do not comply with relevant requirements relating to social and employment conditions.
I believe the political agreement strikes the right balance between ensuring a fair distribution of payments between farmers, and achieving a higher level of environmental and climate ambition. It also provides Member States with the flexibility required to implement the CAP in a way that best suits their national circumstances. This flexibility was one of my key objectives from the outset.
While political agreement has been reached, further work remains on certain technical details of the proposed reform. Legal texts will now be prepared by the Commission, and will be presented to Member States and the European Parliament in due course for formal agreement.
There is a considerable amount of work to be done in the coming months to finalise Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan, which must be submitted to the Commission by 1st January 2022. The Department and I will consult widely with farm families and stakeholders as part of this process. It is also my intention to write to the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine to formally seek its views.
597. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 28-29 June 2021 regarding fisheries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36314/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held on 28th-29th June, Fisheries Ministers agreed on a general approach on the revision of the fisheries control system. In 2018, the Commission published a proposal to amend the fisheries Control Regulation. The proposal has been examined by both the European Parliament and the Council Working Party. The Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the proposal in March. Now that the Council has adopted its general approach on the proposal, trilateral negotiations between the Council, European Parliament and Commission will commence shortly.
The general approach agreed by Council takes on board a number of Ireland's key concerns, including retaining the derogation allowing for weighing of catch away from the quayside under certain conditions, including the application of a rigorous control plan. This derogation is an important issue for fishing processors in Ireland whose factories are located away from landing ports. As the Deputy will be aware, the Commission has revoked Ireland's current control plan and Ireland's control authority, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), is preparing a new revised control plan for submission to the Commission.
The Commission also presented its annual communication on the state of play of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and on fishing opportunities for 2022. This is the preliminary step in the annual process of setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for the following year. I made clear at Council that the disproportionate burden placed on Ireland in terms of quota loss under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement must be addressed and that renegotiation of quota shares will be a priority for Ireland in the upcoming review of the CFP.
Other items on the Fisheries agenda included an update from the Commission on the implementation of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. The Commission also provided information on European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) programming, focussing in particular on the added value of public investment in fisheries and aquaculture.
I also raised the issue of the recent unjustified, unilateral mackerel quota increases by Norway and the Faroes. In May 2021, Norway increased its share of the mackerel stock by 55% for 2021. The Faroes then mirrored this and increased its quota by 55%. Iceland continues to set an unacceptably high share of the mackerel stock.
Ireland is the EU's largest shareholder in the mackerel stock and the actions by Norway, Iceland and the Faroes are a matter of great concern as they threaten the sustainability of the stock.
I made clear to the Commissioner and fellow Fisheries Ministers that if these parties are unwilling to reverse their unilateral actions, then the EU must take strong action using all possible measures, including trade sanctions, to protect the sustainability of the mackerel stock and to protect the EU share of that stock.
598. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 28-29 June 2021 regarding biological control agents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36315/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting held on 28th-29th June 2021, EU Ministers agreed on a Council Decision requesting the Commission to conduct a study on the Union's situation and options regarding the introduction, evaluation, production, marketing and use of invertebrate biological control agents and to submit a proposal, if appropriate in view of the outcomes of the study.
Biological control agents (BCA) are natural enemies such as insect, mite and nematode species, providing control of pest populations through predation or parasitism and are used to control plant pests.
Greater use of BCA’s as part of integrated pest management (IPM) and the development of new BCA’s may play a role in helping to achieve the challenging targets set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50%. However there is currently no harmonized EU regulatory approach to BCA’s.
I look forward to the outcome of the Commission’s study which should provide a lot of useful information for the development of a harmonised EU approach to the regulation of BCA’s that allow for safe and effective products to be placed on the market and used.
Ireland will work closely with other Member States and the Commission in this regard.
599. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 28-29 June 2021 regarding setting a specific protection goal for honeybees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36316/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting held on 28th-29th June 2021 included a political discussion on two questions posed by the European Commission concerning the setting of a specific protection goal for honeybees.
The context for the discussion was the ongoing revision of the Bee Guidance Document developed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for use in pesticide risk assessments. The Commission mandated EFSA in March 2019 to review the guidance and to consider new scientific evidence that has become available since 2013. The Department supported this scientific review and revision process and wishes to see effective guidance that can be fully implemented in as short a time frame as possible.
An important part of the process is the definition of a specific protection goal for honeybees to be used in the updated guidance. During the discussion at the recent meeting, I indicated that Ireland agreed with the Commission that one specific protection goal for honeybees should be set for the whole of the EU. I also indicated that Ireland could agree with the Commission’s proposal of a maximum allowable reduction of 10% in honeybee colony size as a consequence of exposure to a pesticide.
Ireland’s position on the Commission’s proposals, which was shared by a majority of Member States, was based on scientific information presented by EFSA and the Commission during previous consultations with Member State experts and other stakeholders. The agreed protection goal is considered to be a highly protective science-based figure which can be reliably measured under realistic conditions in appropriately designed field studies.
I also pointed out during the discussion that there is a pressing need to develop suitable protection goals for bumblebees and solitary bees as well, something that is currently lacking, in order to allow for full implementation of the updated guidance and comprehensive assessments of the risks of pesticide use to all relevant bee species.
600. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funding will be provided for an organisation (details supplied) that cares for greyhounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36317/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine supports over 100 animal welfare charities annually. In December 2020, I announced record funding of €3.2 million to assist these charities in their valuable work and to help offset some of the difficulties created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Of this sum, the organisation in question received €48,500.
As regards the care of greyhounds in particular, the Department provides dedicated financial support under the Horse & Greyhound Fund to Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ), the statutory body responsible for the operation and regulation of the greyhound industry. Private greyhound re-homing organisations in Ireland may, through RCÉ’s registered charity the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, seek assistance towards costs incurred in the preparation of greyhounds for re-homing. I would urge the organisation in question to avail of this funding opportunity.
I am pleased to announce that the Department is now accepting applications from eligible animal welfare charities for the 2021 Animal Welfare Grant Programme. Details are available at: gov.ie - Animal Welfare (www.gov.ie).
601. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the recommendation of the working group 4 within Project Woodland with respect to its recommendation that an independent review of the regulatory process takes place; if he plans to act on this recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36353/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWorking Group 4 of Project Woodland have made a recommendation to the Project Board around carrying out an independent review of the regulatory process. The Project Board are examining this recommendation and will be making a proposal on the terms of reference for this review to Minister of State Hackett shortly. This review of the regulatory process is a vitally important part of the work of Project Woodland to ensure that our systems are efficient and legally robust.
602. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the engagement his officials have had with the European Commission in relation to the forthcoming EU Forest Strategy; the information that has been received from the European Commission on the strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36354/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the European Union Green Deal, the EU launched an online public consultation on the development of a new EU Forest Strategy. Citizens and stakeholders had until 19th April 2021 to share their views with the Commission. The strategy will build on the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 and will cover the entire forest cycle as well as promoting the many services forests provide.
The Department participates in both the EU Council Working Group on Forestry and the Standing Forestry Committee where this matter has been discussed on foot of presentations by the European Commission. Ireland supports the development of this strategy. Minister of State Hackett met with Vice President Timmermans earlier this year to update on him on Irish forestry and made particular reference to the proposed EU and Irish forest strategy being developed.
The EU Strategy is being developed by the European Commission. The Draft European Union Forest Strategy will be published by the European Commission later this month with adoption planned for later this year.
The planned publication of the EU Forest Strategy is timely as it will feed into how we shape the new Irish Forestry Strategy currently being developed. Our Forest Strategy will be subject to full public and stakeholder consultation which is planned to take place this year.
603. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has carried out an analysis on job losses in the forestry and timber industry as a result of the licensing crisis; if so, if financial supports will be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36355/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is intensively engaging with all relevant stakeholders in order to resolve the current licensing delays. I believe that continuing to focus our efforts on increasing the output of licences is the best way to support the Forestry Industry. We are committed to issuing 4,500 forestry licences this year, which is an increase of 75% on 2020. To 30th June, 40% of that target has issued, with 105 licences issuing last week.
In order to address licensing issues as well as encouraging woodland creation, Project Woodland has been set up under the leadership of Minister of State Hackett, who has responsibility for forestry.
It involves four different Working Groups reporting to the Minister through a Project Manager and a Project Board. The Working Groups are working concurrently, focusing on different areas. The first will concentrate on the backlog, the second on a vision for forestry, the third on devising a fit-for-purpose organisational structure and communication and the fourth on streamlining the licensing process for the future. Through this framework, it is hoped that a renewed confidence in forestry will be fostered, that communication of its benefits will be more widely understood and that, looking to the future, a new vision for forestry in Ireland will be developed.
Along with Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has overall responsibility for the sector, I am committed to tackling the issues facing us and will put all efforts into maintaining a steady flow of licences to the sector. I know the importance of the sector to jobs in rural areas and will do all that I can to support its continued contribution to the rural economy to maximise the sector's output and its employment potential.
604. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of felling licences; the number of licences applied for in 2020 and to date in 2021; the processing metrics associated with the applications; the actions being implemented to speed-up processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36356/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department has issued 1,105 felling licences to the end of June 2021 which is 28% higher than the same point last year. In volume terms, 77% more timber has been licensed this year compared to last year, albeit from a lower base.
Over 1,760 felling licence applications were submitted in 2020 and 2,413 have been submitted to date in 2021. The 1,105 licences issued represents an increase of 28% on the number of licences issued to the same date last year which clearly demonstrates that measures that have been introduced to speed-up processing times are working.
The Deputy will be aware of Project Woodland which aims at, among other matters, addressing the backlog of forestry licences awaiting decision.
Two working groups in particular are looking at the licensing situation. Working Group 1 is tasked with looking at the backlog. This Group has examined in detail the cases on hand and is producing specific recommendations for improving output, including a definition of the backlog, which has been brought to the Project Board for consideration. Working Group 4 is concentrating on licensing process improvement. A business analyst has commenced work on an end-to-end process review.
605. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 597 of 29 June 2021, if a person (details supplied) still holds their position. [36365/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen an allegation that a member of staff has failed to uphold and fully comply with the law is upheld, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine acts robustly and in accordance with the provision of fair procedures to address the matter in accordance with appropriate Civil Service policy.
The Department does not comment on individual cases.
607. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision on a Covid-19 temporary tie-up scheme application in respect of a fisherman (details supplied) in County Kerry will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36410/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme 2014-2020 is the principal source of public funding for the sustainable development of our fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors and is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the EMFF Regulation. That Regulation was amended in 2020 to facilitate financial supports to the fishing sector for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a COVID-19 Temporary Fleet Tie-up Scheme implemented over the months of June, July and August 2020 providing a lump sum to participating vessel owners to cover their fixed costs while tying up for a calendar month period.
Arising from the provisions of the EMFF Regulation, one of the mandatory qualifying criteria for this Scheme is for vessels to have carried out fishing activities at sea for at least 120 days in total over the calendar years 2018 and 2019. I am informed by BIM that the individual concerned did not satisfy this mandatory criterion and was informed of such by BIM. I am further advised by BIM that the individual concerned did not choose to appeal the decision on his application.
608. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the 2021 Covid-19 temporary tie-up scheme will be opened for applications; if the terms of the scheme will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36411/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme 2014-2020 is the principal source of public funding for the sustainable development of our fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors and is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the EMFF Regulation. That Regulation was amended in 2020 to facilitate financial supports to the fishing sector for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supports were restricted to either temporary fleet tie-up or storage aid market supports and were available only in the period February to December 2020. A COVID-19 Temporary Fleet Tie-up Scheme was implemented over the months of June, July and August 2020 and this Scheme provided a lump sum to participating vessel owners to cover their fixed costs while tying up for a calendar month period. Some 91 vessel owners availed of the Scheme.
As the EMFF Regulation does not permit funding of COVID supports to the fishing sector beyond December 2020, I have no plans to introduce a 2021 COVID-19 Tie up Scheme.
609. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on a forestry application by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36467/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for an afforestation licence and the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme was received in October 2019 for the person named and has been referred to my Department’s Ecology Unit. The application site is near eight designated sites including the Killarney National Park SPA. Therefore, the impact of any afforestation operations on the sites and the surrounding area, must be carefully considered before deciding on the licence application.
If the applicant wishes, they may provide a Natura Impact Statement (NIS). The NIS must be prepared by a suitably qualified person. An NIS can considerably reduce the time taken to assess the application as, once received, the NIS will be examined by an ecologist within two to three months and a decision will issue once the assessment of the application is complete.
It is difficult to predict a timeframe for progressing this file in the absence of an NIS being submitted by the applicant.
610. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an application for conversion of possessory title to absolute submitted by legal representatives on behalf of a person (details supplied) in County Galway to the records branch of his Department in Cavan will be dealt with in view of the urgent need for the processing of this application to be finalised as it is impacting on the sale of a house; the reason for the delay in processing the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36533/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that the documents sought in this instance have now been located, that the legal representatives of the individual concerned have been advised of the position and also that a certified copy of the relevant documents will be released to them on receipt of the standard fee.
611. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a forestry felling licence will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36568/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraA felling application was received in March 2019 for the person named and has been referred to the Department’s Ecology Unit. The application site is near nine designated sites including the Stacks to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA. Therefore, the impact of any felling operations on the sites and the surrounding area, must be carefully considered before deciding on the licence application.
A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) was submitted to the Department on 30th June 2021 and is being prioritised. We expect that an ecologist will begin work on this file within the next 2 to 3 months. The licence should issue shortly afterwards.
612. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she plans to share a draft copy of the new islands policy with those representing island communities to ensure a high level of consultation as part of the new policy; the stage the policy is at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35858/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWork has begun on preparing a first draft of the Islands Policy, however drafting is at a very early stage so it is very much a work in progress. It was envisaged that the new Islands Policy would be published this year, however I am conscious that getting the policy right is the real priority and this will be the guiding principle.
My Department has placed the islanders at the centre of this process from the outset and has consulted widely with the communities, building and strengthening relationships with the various Island Representative Groups. The Department will continue to keep them updated as to the progress being made. The umbrella organisation representing all the inhabited offshore islands, Comhdháil Oileáin na hEireann, was invited to make a presentation to the most recent meeting of the Inter-Departmental Committee which was held last week.
The presentation reinforced, in a very constructive manner, much of what has been collated in the consultation process to date, emphasising the need for a robust and interconnected islands policy. Additionally, preliminary steps were proposed at the meeting to establish links between Comhdháil and participating departmental representatives to provide island communities with lines of communication to explore relevant island issues.
It is envisaged that a finalised draft of the policy will be ready for consideration by the end of the year. I would also envisage further meetings with island bodies such as Comhdháil in tandem with progressing the draft policy and they will be kept informed and consulted with through all stages of the process.
613. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department plans to review the public participation network and local authority participation structures as part of the review set out in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35868/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy officials are working to progress the commitment given in the Programme for Government to carry out a comprehensive review of the Public Participation Networks (PPNs) and the Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs) to ensure that they are fit for purpose for climate action and community development.
Late last year my officials went to tender for a root-and-branch review of Public Participation Network structures. This was seen as timely, not only with regard to the commitment in the Programme for Government, but also given the length of time since the PPNs were established under the 2014 Local Government Reform Act.
Mazars were selected earlier this year as the winning tenderers to carry out the review. The first stage of the process is complete with an online survey now closed and the analysis is currently taking place of 665 completed responses received. Targeted focus groups will commence later this month and continue in September and it’s expected that the consultants will provide a draft report with recommendations to my Department before the end of this year.
Local Authorities published their first Local Economic and Community Plans (LECP) in 2016/2017. These plans are required under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 and span a six year period. The early stages of the development of new LECPs is now underway.
My Department is currently chairing an Advisory Group to finalise a comprehensive set of guidelines for Local Authorities to support the development of the new LECPs. The guideline document is currently in the final stages of development and will be published as a statutory guideline under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 in due course.
614. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of interest her Department has been charged for savings or other funds on deposit in Irish banks since negative interest rates were introduced by year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35939/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFinancial services for my Department, including banking arrangements, are provided on a shared service basis by the Financial Shared Service Offices of the Department of Justice. As such, my Department does not hold a bank account in its own right and so has not incurred any negative interest charges for savings or funds on deposit.
With regard to the Dormant Accounts Fund, while my Department is responsible for the preparation and implementation of disbursement schemes and related annual actions plans, the fund itself is managed by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA). The NTMA annual reports provide detail on the Dormant Accounts Fund, including negative interest returned on the money in recent years. These reports are available on the NTMA website. www.ntma.ie/publications.
615. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she is satisfied in the context of the freedom of information publication scheme that all logs are published and up to date in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2014; if not, the reason they are not published; and if she will update them as a matter of priority. [36130/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra616. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount collected on an annual basis since the Freedom of Information Act 2014 commenced in respect of fees attached to freedom of information requests submitted to her Department. [36148/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra617. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of freedom of information requests refused by her Department since the Freedom of Information Act 2014 commenced for the reason that search and copy costs would exceed the maximum threshold; the number of requests that were subsequently granted following engagement with the requester to narrow the scope of the request; and the costs associated with same. [36166/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 615 to 617, inclusive, together.
My Department was established on 19 July 2017. In the context of the Freedom of Information publication scheme all logs are published and up to date in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2014, and are available online at: www.gov.ie/en/collection/f68256-disclosure-logs/.
A total of €240 in fees was collected by my Department, in respect of one FOI request, during the period in question. The maximum threshold for estimated search, retrieval and copying fees under the FOI Act is €700. My Department has not refused any requests on the grounds that search and copy costs would exceed the maximum threshold. Where requesters may be subject to fees, my Department is active in assisting requesters to refine their requests where possible to ensure that information can be provided without a fee requirement.
618. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will extend the pilot mountain access scheme to new areas in view of the fact that the original pilot areas were selected over ten years ago and that at time it was intended to extend the scheme to all mountain areas interested in it within a small number of years; the method by which new areas would be selected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36184/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Mountain Access programme was first developed over a decade ago through Comhairle na Tuaithe to facilitate access to the uplands for recreational users. Two areas were selected to pilot the approach - one at Mount Gable in Connemara and the other in the MacGillycuddy Reeks in Co Kerry. Comhairle na Tuaithe later established a Mountain Access Project Steering Group, which was tasked with reviewing progress on the pilots and examining issues around a National Indemnity Scheme for landowners.
In June 2019, a new mandate was presented to Comhairle na Tuaithe which reinforces and strengthens its advisory role in relation to the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland. A Working Group was established to make recommendations on membership and working arrangements to ensure that Comhairle could deliver effectively on its renewed mandate. The Working Group proposed the establishment of a number of new subgroups, including one to replace the Mountain Access Project Steering Group, which had not been operational for some time.
The Sustainable Uplands Recreation Subgroup was established in May this year. It has been tasked with reviewing the Mountain Access Programme and facilitating its expansion. The group has met twice and has begun work on reviewing the existing Mountain Access Project Toolkit in order to support the expansion of the Programme to other areas. Through the work of this subgroup, I expect that Comhairle na Tuaithe will come forward with recommendations as to how the Mountain Access Programme can be expanded to other areas.
