Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Departmental Licences

Michael Ring

144. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will issue on an application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10930/24]

Forestry Sector

Colm Burke

145. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what supports are available to an organisation (details supplied) to ensure that their project can continue to thrive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10973/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Jackie Cahill

146. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the subsidies paid to farmers affected by ash dieback will be liable for any form of taxation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10978/24]

Departmental Staff

Carol Nolan

147. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify the number of redundancies, or so called ‘exit-packages’, that have been paid to staff or personnel at any level of seniority in his Department, or in any agency or body under the aegis of his Department, from 2018 to date; the value of each and the total value, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10979/24]

Forestry Sector

Michael Fitzmaurice

148. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total area of land submitted at form one stage of the 20 licences issued week ending 23 February 2024 and the net area of land actually approved for the same licences, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10997/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Claire Kerrane

149. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will advise on any delays to payments under the organic farming scheme; if delays to other farm payments such as ACRES have caused delays to payments for organics; if this is the case what measures are his Department taking to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11002/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Claire Kerrane

150. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 95 of 28 February 2024, if he will engage with any farmers whose ACRES payments may be affected by the introduction of this rule and consider them on an individual basis given it has been raised that farmers were unaware of this rule and he confirmed that the implementation of the rule was under review; if a timeline can be provided for when farmers whose ACRES scoring is affected as a result of the rule will be notified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11003/24]

Departmental Staff

Catherine Murphy

151. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of exit and or severance and or redundancy packages granted by his Department, and bodies under his aegis, and of bodies he funds in full or in part, of €200,000 and above in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and if he will provide the amount of same, body, name and year. [11008/24]

Special Protection Areas

Denis Naughten

152. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) was not included in the Shannon Callows scheme even though he is within the Shannon SPA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11029/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

153. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm the contractors/employees named in the tender submitted by the Irish Horse Board in April 2022 for sport horse marketing services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11070/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

154. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the individual qualifications of the successful team involved from the Irish Horse Board, which was announced in September 2022 as the winning bidder for sport horse marketing services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11071/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

155. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has satisfied himself as to the governance structures within the Irish Horse Board, including the organisation’s ability to comply with the governance requirements as a freedom of information prescribed body under his aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11072/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

156. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11073/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

157. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the names/confirm the officials and external parties involved in reviewing or scoring the equine marketing tender undertaken by his Department in April 2022; the date of any such tender evaluation; the number of applications received; the scoring differences between each tender evaluated; any guidance provided by officials involved in supporting the evaluators; the skills and background of each evaluator; what steps did the Department undertake to ensure that no official or external evaluator had any conflict or perceived conflict of interest and loyalty; what skills and experience in international marketing did those evaluating the applications possess; to provide the tender submissions received by each party to the tender process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11074/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

158. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm the reason for awarding an approximate €4 million marketing contract to an organisation with no marketing staff, no website, no social media presence and no history of marketing experience at the time of the award; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11075/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

159. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm that the interactions he or his officials had with new appointees at that time to Horse Sport Ireland in November or December 2022; if he or his officials encouraged those board members to cease the High Court action launched by the previous board of the Horse Sport Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11076/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

160. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter in relation to a tender (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11077/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

161. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view that Government policy for the past 15 years has revolved around centralising sport horse services through the Horse Sport Ireland organisation, his views that changes in long established Government policy should be decided by way of tender decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11078/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

162. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has given consideration to the impact of tendering on other organisations funded by similar means as that of the Horse Sport Ireland, i.e., could ICBF, rural shows, dog shelters, or other organisations receiving grants from his Department without tenders, be required to tender into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11079/24]

Horse Racing Industry

Michael Fitzmaurice

163. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has a view of the anti-competition cases taken by a person at national and European level given that the complaint involved allegations of an anti-competitive relationship between his Department, HSI and the Irish Horse Board; his view that the tender decision will end speculation from WSI of anti-competitive practices; the current status of anti-competitive actions taken against his Department both at within the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Commission in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11080/24]