Written Answers Nos. 704-723
704. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the plans for stakeholder engagement on the next forestry programme will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25798/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware aware, a national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed.
An extensive public consultation process on the new strategy is underway. Bilateral stakeholder meetings have taken place over the last number of months. A public attitudes survey and a community engagement survey have already been completed and presented to the Forestry Policy Group. An online public consultation was open from 16th March to 27th April and over 3,000 responses were submitted. A deliberative dialogue in the form of a national event took place over the week ending the 15th May.
The new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027. My Department will engage further with stakeholders on the measures that will be considered for the new Programme and details of this engagement will be made available in the coming weeks. The Programme will also be subject to a Strategic Environmental Analysis/Appropriate Assessment process, and this will include public consultation on the draft plans and Environmental Report.
705. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are plans to expedite the receiving of tenders for buildings at a harbour (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25868/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing protracted legal proceedings, my Department recovered vacant possession of this property in early 2019. Since then, the property has undergone remedial works in order to prepare the building for tender. These works were completed in early 2022.
Following the recent successful conclusion of two property tenders in Howth - Mariner's Hall and Claremont Industrial Estate - my Department is now currently drafting the tender documents for No. 6 West Pier, Howth.
I anticipate that the tender will be advertised in Q2 or early Q3 this year. Details of the tender will be made available in local press, in Howth Harbour Masters office and online at www.gov.ie/en/collection/351d2-tenders-and-notices/.
706. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions that have been taken by his Department to ensure the welfare of Irish thoroughbreds and other racing horses being sent to UK slaughterhouses since the broadcasting of a television programme (details supplied); and the measures that have been put in place to stop such transportation of Irish horses to UK slaughterhouses. [25900/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra707. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of horses sent to UK slaughterhouses in 2021 and to date in 2022. [25901/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 706 and 707 together.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine only certifies and permits animals to be transported in compliance with the EU's animal welfare legislation, and the Government demands the highest standards of animal welfare during transport. The vast majority of animals exported from Ireland travel to the EU, which is governed by these same high standards of animal welfare legislation.
Prior to 1st January 2021, there was a Tripartite Agreement in place between Ireland, France and UK. Under this agreement, equines, except those consigned directly for slaughter, could move between Ireland, the UK and France without veterinary inspection or certification. Equines being moved to the UK directly for slaughter however did require veterinary health certification. No equines were certified for movement from Ireland to GB for slaughter in the period since 2019.
Since 1st January, 2021, all horses being exported to GB require a veterinary certificate. There have not been any certificates issued in respect of animals being sent for slaughter in GB since then.
The inspection and certification process does not differentiate between different breeds of animals as the matters of interest are the health and welfare of the animals, which are not breed dependent, so my Department does not have data on the breeds of horses exported.
Enhancing our equine identification and traceability system in order to better support equine welfare is one of my key commitments under Ireland’s Welfare Strategy 2021 – 2025, published by my Department following consultation with stakeholders. One of the actions I have taken to achieve this is the undertaking of the first equine census last November. This will create a link between each equine kept in the State on census day and the premises where it is kept at that time. This formal linking of equines to their keepers should increase compliance with equine legislation, including transfer of ownership requirements, where the recorded keeper is legally responsible for the day-to-day health and welfare of all animals in his/her care.
In addition, my Department intends to approve an equine e-passport shortly which will see technological innovation contribute to equine traceability. E-passports have huge potential in terms of real time monitoring of movements and ownership thereby improving traceability in event of disease outbreak.
708. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if grant assistance is available to assist a farm family (details supplied) in the removal of buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25912/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not provide grant assistance for the removal of asbestos in farm buildings.
The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) in my Department does provide grant aid for a comprehensive range of investment items including construction of farm buildings. This aid is available to all applicants who meet the requirements of the scheme regardless of their farming sector.
The suite of seven TAMS measures launched under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 have been very successful to date in terms of uptake with the number of approvals that have issued reaching over 49,000. All of these approvals represent committed expenditure and until such time as these approvals are acted upon or expire the budget for TAMS must include provision for the potential expenditure involved. The budgetary position is that additional investment items cannot be accommodated within the RDP budget.
Specific investment items have not yet been finalised in relation to the interventions to be included in the CAP Strategic Plan (2023-2027) and all appropriate new technologies will be considered. The Capital Investment Scheme, as is the case with all proposals under the CAP Strategic Plan, is subject to the formal approval of the European Commission.
709. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his officials have been in contact with their counterparts in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the issue of planning permission and ash dieback in the week commencing 9 May 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25919/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the Forestry Licensing Plan 2022, which was published earlier this year, we have committed to refocusing on the delivery on approvals for the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback).
It is the case that many RUS applications are screened in for Appropriate Assessment and are referred to ecology. Of these, any that propose replacing the ash crop with conifer species currently require planning permission. My Department is continuing to engage with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage, with a view to amending legislation to remove the planning permission requirement in cases involving the replacement of broadleaf with conifers on sites under 10 ha.
710. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when consultation on the next forestry programme will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25920/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraA national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed by Working Group 2 of Project Woodland.
An extensive public consultation process on the new strategy is well underway. Bilateral stakeholder meetings with members of the Working Group and officials from the Department have taken place over the last number of months. A public attitudes survey and a community engagement survey have already been completed and presented to the Forestry Policy Group. An online public consultation was open from 16th March to 27th April and over 3,000 responses were submitted. Deliberative dialogue in the form of a national event took place over the week ending 15th May.
The new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027.
The Department will engage further with stakeholders on the measures that will be considered for the new Programme and details of this engagement will be made available in the coming weeks. The Programme will also be subject to a Strategic Environmental Analysis/Appropriate Assessment process, and this will include public consultation on the draft plans and Environmental Report.
711. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current position of the study commissioned by COFORD into private forest certification in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25921/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs previously outlined in a recent parliamentary question the COFORD Council with funding from my Department has carried out a study on forest certification. Forest certification is a voluntary process used by forestry organisations to reassure consumers that the wood and wood products they buy come from sustainably managed forests.
The report is currently being prepared for publishing with a number of key recommendations on how to increase the level of certification in the private sector. The report outlines the extent of private certification in Ireland and examines similar models in other European Member States.
The report outlines that there is approximately 15,680 hectares certified in the private forest estate, or less than 5.69% of the total private estate. Currently all Coillte forests are certified to both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Standards (PEFC) standard.
It has been agreed that the COFORD Council will now prepare a business case outlining in detail the funding model and funds required to facilitate private certification as outlined in the report. Once this business case is received, my Department will examine the level of funding that is being provided by the forest sector and level of funding requested by my Department. The COFORD Council is scheduled to meet to this month and will discuss the work required in preparing a business case and next steps.
712. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the project manager of Project Woodland is still involved in the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25922/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine procured an external project manager for Project Woodland, who has recently retired. A replacement project manager will be appointed imminently.
713. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the final recommendations of the external review of the forestry licensing system will be presented to the Forestry Policy Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25923/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraProject Woodland was established by Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, over a year ago to improve the licensing system and deal with the backlog, and to drive forward the planting of trees under a shared vision for forestry in Ireland.
I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made.
Last November, as part of Project Woodland, the Department engaged the services of an external body with expertise in legal and environmental legislation to conduct a legal and regulatory review of forestry licensing. This external review is currently being finalised and following extensive ongoing stakeholder consultation, the publication of the Philip Lee and Associates Regulatory review is expected in the coming weeks.
A status update on the draft report was included in a presentation made to the Forestry Policy Group on 6th April 2022, which is available on my Department's website.
714. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a forestry group (details supplied) has requested membership to his Department's Organic Strategy Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25924/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Organic Strategy Forum, which my colleague Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, reconvened earlier this year is comprised of a broad range of stakeholders from the organic sector. A request has been received from the organisation named seeking to join the membership of the Forum. This request is currently under review and a decision will issue to the organisation in due course.
715. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made by his Department to date in implementing the recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee’s report published on 2 March 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25925/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere were a number of recommendations made in the Joint Oireachtas Committee report and I can report that significant progress has been made on these.
Project Woodland was set up to deal with the challenges faced by the forestry sector, as identified in the report. The project has twin objectives: it aims to improve the licensing system and deal with the backlog, and to drive forward the planting of trees under a shared vision for forestry in Ireland. The structure of Project Woodland consists of a Project Board and four Working Groups, with each Working Group allocated clear deliverables and milestones to be achieved, and the following is an update on progress made to date.
Working Group 1 - Reducing the Backlog
Much of my Department’s focus in the past year has been on improving licence output. My Department issued 4,050 licences in 2021, an increase of 56% on 2020. Through various initiatives of Working Group 1 and increased efficiencies and staffing within my Department, the forestry licencing backlog has been reduced by 50% from 6,500 in April 2021 Project to 3, 400 licence applications currently. The Forestry Licencing Plan for 2022 details a range of forestry priorities for 2022, the delivery of which will reduce the backlog further. In relation to appeals, as you are aware, changes introduced to the functioning of the Forestry Appeals Committee have been very effective with only 30 cases currently in the system, where previously a backlog of approximately 1,000 cases had built up.
Working Group 2 – A Shared National Approach
The JOC report recommended that all stakeholders work together effectively and welcomed the formation of the Forestry Policy Group. As already mentioned, individual members of the Forestry Policy Group make up the membership of the Working Groups. Specifically Working Group 2 is aiming to develop a cross-society vision for trees, woods and forests in Ireland, in the development of a new Forest Strategy.
The consultation on the new Forestry Strategy is well underway, with a public attitudes survey and a community engagement survey already completed while bilateral engagement with key stakeholders is nearing completion. An online public consultation was open from 16th March to 27th April and over 3,000 responses were submitted. Deliberative dialogue in the form of a national event took place over the week ending the 15th May. Output from these will feed into the formation of the new Forestry Strategy and Programme.
The Committee highlighted the need to re-engage farmers and to have sufficient supports to encourage them to enter, re-enter and remain within forestry programme. The new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027, which will focus on encouraging farmers to plant. My Department will engage further with stakeholders on the measures that will be considered for the new Programme and details of this engagement will be made available in the coming weeks. The Programme will also be subject to a Strategic Environmental Analysis/Appropriate Assessment process, and this will include public consultation on the draft plans and Environmental Report.
Native and broadleaf planting will continue to be supported. It is of note that an average of 27% broadleaves has been achieved since the current Programme started and that this figure reached 41% in 2021. A regulatory change has recently been made to the Forestry Act 2014 which will facilitate the planting of small areas of native trees of up to 1 ha in size as part of a scheme without the requirement for a licence. This regulatory change will complement existing efforts to increase afforestation and provides greater flexibility when establishing small areas of native trees important for biodiversity, landscape and water quality.
Working Group 3 – Organisational Development and Communications
The JOC's recommendation that a (Forestry) Customer Charter be developed, that an agreed timeframe be introduced for licensing applications, and that quarterly meetings be held to monitor its implementation fall under the remit of this Working Group.
Work on a draft Forestry Customer Charter has commenced and envisages identifying timelines within the Charter. Finalisation is dependent on any new practices arising from the Regulatory Review which should be completed in the coming weeks, and taking into consideration the implementation of the end-to-end process review as conducted under Working Group 4.
Furthermore, a training needs analysis for forestry licencing and an organisational review of the Department’s Forestry divisions will be undertaken in 2022. Work has progressed on the development of a communications strategy for forestry, and a refresh of the Forestry Page on the Departmental website to make it more accessible has been carried out. A review of the role of COFORD will also be finalised in 2022.
Working Group 4 – Process Improvement
The JOC's recommendation that the licensing system be accessible and not subject to delay for current stakeholders and new entrants falls under the remit of this Working Group . A related recommendation of the Committee was that additional resources be allocated as soon as practicable.
My Department has invested heavily in additional ecologists, inspector and administrative staff and it is these resources which will deliver on the target of 5,250 licences as contained in the Forestry Licensing Plan 2022.
An end-to-end review of the licencing process has been completed and recommendations arising from that review have moved to the implementation stage. A legal and regulatory review of forestry licensing has been carried out and is near finalisation. Pre-application discussions on forestry licence applications, are being piloted across six regions currently while work has progressed on the introduction of an environmental grant to cover additional costs associated with Appropriate Assessment under the Habitats Directive. Sanction is awaited from Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for the payment of this grant.
Some recommendations in the JOC's report fall somewhat outside the scope of Project Woodland, specifically questions on Ash Dieback and Elm Disease.
Ash Die Back
My Department has provided support totalling over €7 million to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme (introduced in 2013) and more recently the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS – Ash dieback) introduced in July 2020. My Department has received 782 applications for over 3,022 hectares under the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme. 189 of these applications have been approved and I am committed to refocusing on approvals under the Scheme, as outlined in our Licensing Plan for 2022. As regards the question raised by the JOC in relation to restarting annual premiums, my Department is currently examining the uptake of RUS in 2022 and the challenges faced by the owners of ash plantations in availing of the scheme in the context of the current year planned expenditure.
The report on origins of ash dieback in Ireland and lessons learned is under preparation and will be finished shortly. Following completion, the report will be published on the Departments website and will be sent to members of the Joint Committee.
Elm Disease
In relation to Elm, Teagasc are currently collecting samples of elm to verify its resistance in order to establish a collection of Irish elm genotypes resistant to the Dutch elm disease and to further explore the potential to initiate a breeding programme.
In conclusion, implementing the outcomes of Project Woodland remains a priority for my Department in 2022 and does I believe address in the main the recommendations contained in the Committee’s report.
716. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the expenditure by the forest service of his Department is in line with budget for April 2022, thereby ensuring there is no underspend again in his Department for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25927/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraExpenditure for April 2022 was €3,244,838.37 which is slightly under the profiled amount of €3,304,580. The remainder of the forestry budget has been apportioned to meet anticipated budgetary needs during the year. The budget allocation provides for new planting, the servicing of existing afforestation contracts and payments in relation to forestry support schemes. The Deputy will be aware that afforestation scheme is demand-led. My Department will continue to closely monitor expenditure versus anticipated spend throughout 2022.
717. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is advising applicants that reconstitution and underplanting scheme licence applications will be withdrawn by a defined date in cases in which such applications are associated with ash dieback given that his Department is still discussing a resolution with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26096/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the Forestry Licensing Plan 2022, which was published earlier this year, we have committed to refocusing on the delivery on approvals for the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback).
It is the case that many RUS applications are screened in for Appropriate Assessment and are referred to ecology. Of these, any that propose replacing the ash crop with conifer species currently require planning permission.
My Department is continuing to engage with the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage, with a view to amending legislation to remove the planning permission requirement in cases involving the replacement of broadleaf with conifers on sites under 10 ha. Once the proposed amendment is in place affected cases on hand will be processed in line with the legislation; we foresee no necessity for applicants to withdraw applications in order to avail of the new requirements.
718. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dates on which his Department was in communication with Coillte regarding the recently announced strategy and intention to afforest 100,000 ha; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26097/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCoillte advised the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of its proposed approach during the development of their new forestry strategic vision, which was launched on 21st April. Together with my colleague Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsbility for the sector, I attended a presentation by Coillte on its proposed stategic vision on 13th January last. Coillte had previously presented to Minister Hackett on 22nd November 2021.
Coillte is represented on the Forestry Policy Group and in Working Group 2 of Project Woodland, which is providing input into the development of the new national forestry strategy. Coillte's participation in the Working Group has facilitated close alignment between the proposed new national forestry strategy and their own strategic vision.
I am committed to working with all our stakeholders to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the coming years and Coillte will have a significant role to play in this regard. My Department continues to work with Coillte in exploring all available options to facilitate greater involvement by Coillte in afforestation.
I look forward to the detailed consultation that Coillte will undertake with stakeholders on their Strategic Vision and I welcome the stated intention in that vision to optimise their contribution to Ireland’s climate and biodiversity targets.
719. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of Coillte roads approved in the weekly dashboard, for week ending the 6 May 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26098/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraForest road applications are received and decided daily. Applications received from Coillte are treated the same as applications from private individuals. For week ending 6th May, 12 forest road licences were issued to private applicants and seven were issued to Coillte.
720. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the ministerial contact details for persons (details supplied). [26127/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Office can be contacted at Minister@agriculture.gov.ie.
Minister of State Hackett's office can be reached at Minister.Hackett@agriculture.gov.ie and Minister of State Haydon's office can be reached at Minister.Heydon@agriculture.gov.ie Additional contact information for my Department is available on the Departments website https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/?referrer=http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/
721. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of beef imported into Ireland from Singapore in 2021. [26150/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAccording to CSO trade statistics there was no beef imported from Singapore to Ireland in 2021.
722. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of full-time staff by grade working in the investigation division of his Department as of 1 January 2021 and 17 May 2022, in tabular form. [26151/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of full-time staff, by grade, working in the Investigations Division of my Department on the two dates requested by the Deputy are shown in the following table.
|
Grade |
1 January 2021 |
17 May 2022 |
|
Senior Inspector (Head of Division) |
1 |
1 |
|
Agricultural Inspector |
1 |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
1 |
3 |
|
Area Superintendent |
- |
1 |
|
Executive Officer |
1 |
1 |
|
Veterinary Inspector |
3 |
3 |
|
Total number of staff |
7 |
10 |
723. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the manner in which appointments to Rásaíocht Con Éireann board from 1 January 2021 to date were nominated; and the basis for same. [26165/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
A procedure is in place for appointment to the Board of RCÉ. Vacancies that arise on the Board are advertised on www.StateBoards.ie, outlining the desirable skill-sets required. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) convene an assessment panel to consider the applications received for the vacancy. PAS then forwards the names of those nominated by the assessment panel to this Department. A person is then appointed by the Minister from the short list of names provided by PAS, on the basis of suitability for the post in question.
