Written Answers Nos. 221-240
221. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider granting an exceptional needs payment in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40886/24]
View answerThere is a range of supports provided by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. These supports can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs). The Department may make an ANP to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) and Urgent Needs Payments (UNPs), and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary. ANPs are administered by Designated Persons (DP) in the CWS considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. Departmental records show that the persons concerned applied for an ANP on 29/08/2024 for assistance with the cost of furnishing their new accommodation. This claim was disallowed on the basis that the persons have sufficient means available to them in the form of savings to cover the expenses from their own resources. A letter advising the persons concerned of this outcome and affording them the opportunity to seek a review of the decision issued to them on 14/09/2024. Determinations made in relation to claims made under Sections 200, 201 and 202 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation Act) 2005, namely allowances-in-kind, ENPs and UNPs, can be reviewed by a SWA Reviewing Officer under Section 323 of that Act. Following your Parliamentary Question, a review of the decision on the ANP application of the person concerned is now being undertaken. A SWA Reviewing Officer will review the application and may contact the person directly if any further information is required. When this review has been completed, the person concerned will be notified of the outcome in writing.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
222. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of people granted leave to come to Ireland from Gaza who are currently unable to leave Palestine. [40864/24]
View answerI am acutely aware of the grave humanitarian crisis unfolding before us in Gaza. My Department is working closely with colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure a coordinated national response to this volatile and evolving situation. This includes their work to evacuate Irish citizens and their families who may require visa assistance. The Embassy of Ireland in Israel is actively engaging with the applicants to gather the required documents to ensure that the Visa Division of this Department have everything needed to progress these applications. My Department will ensure that visa applications for immediate family members are, wherever possible, processed speedily and sympathetically. Since last 07 October 2023, my Department has issued 179 Type D long stay visas to Palestinian nationals permitting them to come to live in Ireland. Of these, 112 were Join Family visas. The vast majority of these applications were to join spouses, children and parents living in Ireland. It should be noted that not all of these applicants may have been resident in Gaza or the West Bank. A person who has a valid Irish Visa does not have to provide my Department with any further details of their travel arrangements. The Deputy will appreciate this prevents my Department from giving an estimation of the number of people currently in Gaza that may have received an Irish Visa to travel to the State. I am advised that the Department of Foreign Affairs is very limited in the assistance that it can provide to individuals in Gaza who are not Irish citizens or immediate dependents accompanying Irish citizens. The decision to permit or refuse exit from Gaza is made by the relevant authorities on the ground. In this context, I am however aware that the Department of Foreign Affairs was able to assist a small number of student visa holders to request the necessary clearance to exit Gaza as they travelled to Ireland to take-up or continue their studies.
223. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if, given that the last review of South Africa's designation as a safe country of origin occurred in 2021 in addition to the fact that she is obligated under section 72(5) of the International Protection Act 2015 to review the designation of safe countries on a regular basis, ideally every 12 months, and this lack of a timely review raises significant concerns about compliance with legal requirements, if she will review South Africa's designation urgently (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40744/24]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that in making the assessment to designate a country as safe, it is considered, among other things, the extent to which protection is provided against persecution or mistreatment by:
• The relevant laws and regulations of the country and the manner in which they are applied. • The observance of the rights and freedoms laid down in specified European and International Conventions. • Respect for the principle of non-refoulement in accordance with the Geneva Convention. • Provision for a system of effective remedies against violation of those rights and freedoms. The assessment is based on a range of sources of information, including from other EU Member States, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Council of Europe and other international organisations as? appropriate.
I would also like to advise the Deputy that I keep the list of safe countries under review.
More generally, if an applicant for international protection is from a country designated as a safe country of origin, their application will still receive a full consideration on its merits by the International Protection Office.
224. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Justice the mean, maximum and minimum timeframe for physical Irish residence permits being issued following immigration residence permit appointments over the past six months at each location, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40788/24]
View answerResponsibility for the registration of Irish immigration residence permissions, both first registration and online renewal, leading to the issue of an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, is split between the Registration Office of Immigration Service Delivery of my Department at Burgh Quay in Dublin, and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) operating through Garda stations in relevant counties.
The Registration Office had responsibility for Dublin only, up until 8 March 2024. On that date, responsibility for registrations in counties Meath, Kildare and Wicklow transferred to the Registration Office at Burgh Quay. Similarly, responsibility for counties Cork and Limerick transferred on 8 July 2024.
Appointments for first registration of permission at the Registration Office at Burgh Quay are normally available to be booked by applicants within two to three weeks. Online renewal of existing permissions are processed by my Department and take approximately three weeks from the date submitted.
Outside of these six counties, the GNIB retains responsibility for appointments for first registration and renewals.
Once the applicant has provided all necessary details, whether processed by the Registration Office or GNIB, the IRP cards are sent for printing and will issue to the address provided. Delivery is made daily by An Post and distributed via express post.
My Department does not receive the statistical data requested by the Deputy. However, I can advise the Deputy that IRP cards are delivered within a maximum of 10 working days from the date a case is processed and typically within a shorter time.
225. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Justice the current mean, maximum and minimum processing times, for the processing of minor applicants for Irish citizenship through naturalised Irish parents since 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40789/24]
View answerUnfortunately, the information requested is not maintained in a way that allows my Department to separate processing times of minors from adults.
Applications made on behalf of minors are not treated as separate to standard adult’s applications and are processed as part of the normal overarching processing structures in Citizenship Division.
That said, minor applicants under the age of 16 do not require Garda vetting and bypass this part of the processing structure. Also minor applicants are not required to attend Citizenship Ceremonies. This obviously means minor applications are more straight-forward, in general, and normally lead to quicker decisions for minor applications.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
Minors cannot apply for naturalisation in their own right and any application must be made by their parent, legal guardian or person acting on the child's behalf "in loco parentis".
I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants. I want to assure anyone who has an application for naturalisation submitted that the Citizenship Division of my Department is doing everything possible to progress applications as quickly as possible.
Citizenship Division have taken a significant number of steps to speed up the process for applicants. These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are dramatically reducing processing times.
Based on the current application levels, I expect going forward, that most straightforward applications based on residency will receive a decision within one year.
226. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the current waiting time for labour market access permit applications and renewals; the point at which a person can apply for labour market access; the length of the grace period for those in employment and awaiting a renewal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40800/24]
View answerUnder the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 230 of 2018), persons are eligible to apply for labour market access permission if:
• They are an international protection applicant; and
• They have waited at least 5 months from their “Application Received” date for their first instance recommendation; and
• They are cooperating with the international protection process – delays in receiving a recommendation must not be attributable to the applicant.
Following that, a person will be issued a permission for labour market access if, at 6 months, they have not yet received a first instance recommendation. This permission is valid for 12 months and may be renewed until a final decision is made on the person's international protection application.
From February 2024 the process of applying for Labour Market Access for International Protection applicants has moved to a new online application process. The new system has provided a more streamlined process and shorter processing times for all renewal and first time applications. The current processing time for these applications is 8 and 10 weeks respectively.
Applicants are recommended to submit labour market access renewal applications at least 2 months in advance of their current permit’s expiry date. Employers are requested to allow a grace period post-expiry (maximum 4 weeks) for permit renewal once the applicant has provided a confirmation email showing an application for labour market access renewal has been submitted.
The immigration services of the Department utilise the resources available in order to ensure that applications are processed in the shortest time frame possible. The Labour Market Access Unit is working to finalise applications as quickly as possible and appreciate customers’ patience as they deal with the very high levels of applications. The Department is also reviewing the processing arrangements generally to establish if they can be further streamlined.
Any queries in relation to a person's eligibility or otherwise for a labour market permission can be directed to: Lmauqueries@justice.ie or by post to the Labour Market Access Unit, PO Box 12931, Freepost FDN5264, Dublin 2
More information and further details on labour market access permission is available here: www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/labour-market-access-permission/
227. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the number of people who have been arrested, detained, prosecuted, and sentenced under sections 11 and 12 of the Immigration Act 2004; the nationalities; the number of those arrested under section 11 who later applied for international protection, to date in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40801/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the prosecution of offences in these instances are a matter for An Garda Síochána and the Director of Public Prosecutions, who are independent in the exercise of their functions in this regard; as Minister I have no role in the taking of such prosecutions.
I have sought the information requested from the Garda Commissioner and I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.
228. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice the breakdown of the number of decisions made by the IPO in 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; the number of those that received refugee status, subsidiary protection and permission to remain; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40802/24]
View answerMy Department has significantly increased investment into the international protection system. Measures have been implemented to improve efficiencies and throughput while also enhancing the application, interview, and decision-making process for applicants.
One of the priority areas of focus has been to recruit both civil servants and panel members to increase case processing. The IPO now has 548 staff, an increase of 158% over 2022.In addition, there are currently 208 Panel Members contracted by the IPO, an increase of 124% over 2022 figures.
Budget 2025 has provided a €25m package for end-to-end investment in the immigration system including Service Delivery, International Protection Office, International Protection Appeals Tribunal and the Legal Aid Board.
These significant additional resources will be directed to streamline the end-to end international protection process, with approximately 400 further staff to be recruited for roles across this process. This will support reaching key targets, including the IPO making 25,000 first instance decisions in 2025 compared to an expected 14,000 decisions in 2024.
I introduced accelerated processing in November 2022 and it now applies to the following cohorts:
• 15 safe countries of origin - Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, India, Kosovo, Malawi, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia and South Africa.
• Applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe.
• Citizens of those countries which provide the most number of applicants in the previous quarter (currently Nigeria & Jordan).
Under the accelerated process, applicants receive an interview date when they arrive and a first decision within three months.
Since the introduction of accelerated processing for citizens from the country with the highest number of applicants (Nigeria), applications from that country have dropped by 55%.
Overall, accelerated processing has resulted in reductions of up to 70% in applications from countries covered by these arrangements.
The table below details the number of first instance international protection decisions made since 2021 to 7 October 2024.
|
First Instance Decisions |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024* |
|
Refugee Status (RS) Grant |
859 |
1,390 |
2,469 |
2,592 |
|
Subsidiary Protection (SP) Grant |
74 |
69 |
237 |
247 |
|
Permission to Remain (PTR) Grant |
588 |
2078 |
530 |
233 |
|
Refused (RS,SP and PTR) |
788 |
866 |
5,144 |
6,379 |
|
Withdrawals |
164 |
491 |
360 |
356 |
|
Deemed Inadmissible |
<=5 |
70 |
150 |
427 |
|
Total |
2,475 |
4,964 |
8,890 |
10,234 |
*Up to 7th October 2024. Please note figures are correct at time of issue, however all statistics may be subject to data cleansing .
All applicants have recourse to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) and the Courts for review of IPO decisions, before a final determination issues from the Minister.
The Deputy may also wish to know that the Department’s website provides a detailed overview of the International Protection process in Ireland as well as monthly statistics and metrics on the processing of international protection applications.
This can be accessed at:
www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/304ba-international-protection/
www.gov.ie/en/collection/48a28-international-protection-in-numbers/ .
229. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if she has conducted a capacity review of her Department’s ability to deliver services that they are responsible for in the past ten years to date; the same of State bodies and agencies under her Department’s aegis; if she published those reviews; the number of recommendations implemented arising from the reviews and same for State bodies and agencies under her aegis; if the capacity review was outsourced; and if so, to whom and at what cost. [40842/24]
View answerIt has not been possible to collate the information requested by the Deputy in the time available.
I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand
230. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and/or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40876/24]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 1 immigration permission valid until 04 April 2025.
If the person concerned wishes to renew their permission at the end of this period, they should attend their local Immigration Registration Office.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the email service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
231. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if the residency status (Stamp 3) in the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40877/24]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 3 immigration permission valid until 04 April 2025.
An application for a change of immigration status to a Stamp 4 by the person concerned was refused on 10 December 2023. An appeal application was received on 28 February 2024 and continues to be processed by the Domestic Residence and Permissions Division of my Department.
To be fair to all applicants, applications are dealt with in chronological order by date received. My Department endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible. However, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications on hands, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and the resources available.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the email service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if an order to deport can be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40878/24]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that the person referred to is the subject of a Deportation Order (DO) and it is open to any individual to make representations under Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended, requesting to have their deportation order revoked.The applicant may complete form 3.11 to ask the Minister to consider revoking their deportation order, pursuant to the provisions of section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended).All representations and documentation submitted on this form should set out any new or changed circumstances that were not previously presented to the Minister. They must also complete a criminal declaration form. Both forms and further details are available at the following link:
www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/spouse-civil-partner-of-irish-national-scheme/repatriation-division/.
Both forms must be sent either by email to repatadmin@justice.ie or by post toRepatriation Division,Immigration Service,Department of Justice,13-14 Burgh Quay,Dublin 2,D02 XK70Ireland. Once their application is processed, they will be informed of the outcome of their request. The outcome of that request will be that the existing deportation order will either be 'affirmed' or 'revoked'. If their application is successful, they will receive a letter stating that their deportation order has been revoked along with a copy of the revocation order. If they are currently residing in the State and do not hold an alternative immigration permission, they will also receive a letter granting them permission to reside in the State. In the meantime they remain legally obliged to comply with any reporting requirements placed on them by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if she will review order to deport in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40879/24]
View answerThe person referred to has made a request to have their deportation order revoked, pursuant to the provisions of section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended). This request was received on 9 August 2024 and will be considered as soon as it is possible to do so.
The decision to ensue from the consideration of this request will be that the existing deportation orders will be either ‘affirmed’ or ‘revoked’. Once this decision has been made, it will be notified to the person concerned in writing.It should be noted that this request is amongst many to be considered at present and, as such, at this point in time, it is not possible to provide a specific indication as to when this case will be finalised. However, the person concerned can be assured that there will be no avoidable delay in having their case brought to finality.Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice whether an application to deport might be deferred in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40881/24]
View answerThe person referred to has made a request to have their deportation order revoked, pursuant to the provisions of section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended). This request was received on the 13 August 2024 and will be considered as soon as it is possible to do so.The decision to ensue from the consideration of this request will be that the existing deportation orders will be either ‘affirmed’ or ‘revoked’. Once this decision has been made, it will be notified to the person concerned in writing.It should be noted that this request is amongst many to be considered at present and, as such, at this point in time, it is not possible to provide a specific indication as to when this case will be finalised. However, the person concerned can be assured that there will be no avoidable delay in having their case brought to finality.Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
235. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if she might reconsider the decision to deport in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40882/24]
View answerFor reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate.
The IPO may be contacted: by email to info@ipo.gov.ie; by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.
The IPAT may be contacted either: by email to info@protectionappeals.ie; by telephone at 01-4748400 (or Lo-Call 1890 201 458), or in writing to Corporate Services Division, The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, 6-7 Hanover Street East, Dublin D02 W320.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the parliamentary questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if favourable consideration might be given to residency approval in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40883/24]
View answerFor reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate.
The IPO may be contacted: by email to info@ipo.gov.ie; by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.
The IPAT may be contacted either: by email to info@protectionappeals.ie; by telephone at 01-4748400 (or Lo-Call 1890 201 458), or in writing to Corporate Services Division, The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, 6-7 Hanover Street East, Dublin D02 W320.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the parliamentary questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
237. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice whether favourable residency status might be granted in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40884/24]
View answerFor reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State. An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate.
The IPO may be contacted: by email to info@ipo.gov.ie; by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.
The IPAT may be contacted either: by email to info@protectionappeals.ie; by telephone at 01-4748400 (or Lo-Call 1890 201 458), or in writing to Corporate Services Division, The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, 6-7 Hanover Street East, Dublin D02 W320.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the parliamentary questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
238. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of funding announced (in the context of Budget 2025) for the seafood processing capital investment scheme for 2025; the budget allocation for the seafood processing capital investment scheme for 2025 from the national Exchequer; and theamount of the funding that will be from European Union funding sources. [40671/24]
View answerFunding for the Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme is provided under the Seafood Development Programme (SDP).
The budget allocation for capital investments to be implemented by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) in 2025 is €18,660,000. This allocation will support a number of SDP capital investment schemes including the Small-scale Coastal Fisheries Scheme, the Sustainable Fisheries Scheme, the Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme in addition to the Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme. The precise budget allocation for each of these individual schemes in 2025 is not yet finalised.
The SDP is co-funded by the Irish Government and the EU Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2021-2027. In Ireland, the initial funding is provided by the exchequer via the annual budgetary process, and my Department, as the Managing Authority for EMFAF in Ireland, then applies for reimbursement of the co-funded portion of the expenditure from the Commission. In the case of the Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme the portion of eligible expenditure that may be claimed from the Commission is 54.97989332%.
239. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will have their standing ACRES payment issued. [40673/24]
View answerThe person named submitted an application for Tranche 1 of the General stream of ACRES, and was accepted with a start date of 1 January 2023.
An interim payment of €4,000 issued to the person named in February 2024, and their 2023 balancing payment, totalling €3,071.18, was processed for payment on 25th September 2024. There are no further payments due to this participant in respect of 2023.
My Department is working towards commencing 2024 advance payments by the end of November. Any payment issuing to a Scheme participant is subject to the passing of all pre-payment validations.
240. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the initiatives to address gender inequalities in the agriculture and food industry and to promote female participation and leadership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40714/24]
View answer• An increased grant rate of 60% under the Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme to fund on-farm investments by trained women farmers.
• The inclusion of an option to establish women-only groups in the current Knowledge Transfer Programme.
• Improved recording and reporting of gender data and the leveraging of the National CAP Network to increase the involvement of all women in the implementation of CAP.
A European Innovation Partnership open call in April 2024 for proposals on “innovative approaches to support greater gender balance in farming in Ireland”.
Additionally, I support rural female entrepreneurs by funding the ACORNS programme providing tailored support to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland. Up to 50 new female entrepreneurs can participate in ACORNS annually with the current ACORNS 10 programme due to conclude in April 2025.
I am a strong advocate of the need for greater female representation on the State Boards under my remit. During my tenure I have appointed and reappointed 49 women to these Boards. At the time of my appointment 2 boards out of 12 had reached the 40% gender target, whereas now 9 out of 13 have reached this target.
Ireland’s agri-food strategy, Food Vision 2030 also recognises the importance of gender balance to the long-term sustainable future for primary producers which includes actions to promote and improve gender balance at all levels within the sector. One such commitment was to hold a National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture, which was held in February 2023. This provided a platform to explore gender equality in farming and the agri-food sector generally. A report and action plan were published earlier this year.
A working group has been established to oversee implementation of the action plan, which is ongoing. In support of their work I wrote to the CEOs of state bodies under my remit encouraging them to consider how they might implement relevant actions within their organisations.
