Results 1-20 of 23,892 for speaker:Michael Healy-Rae

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: 334. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether applications to transfer initial teaching licences from overseas to the Teaching Council can be accepted (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40468/25]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Applications (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) was established in 2018, under the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001 as amended, to deal with appeals against decisions of this Department in relation to forestry licences. At present, the majority of licences appealed are set aside and remitted to the Department. Appeals can be made on any number of grounds and have become more complex since the foundation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: The Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector is intended to assist in the development of the Irish horticulture sector, including beekeeping, by grant aiding capital investments in specialised plant and equipment. Scheme applicants have until the 31st of October 2025 to complete their projects and submit their completed claims for payment. The table...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Data (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: The Woodland Improvement Scheme, with it's five different elements, gives existing forest owners a wide range of support options to sustainably manage the potential of their forests, to fulfil current and future relevant demands for wood and non-wood products. The scheme aims to support the growing of high quality and high value round wood timber for the timber industry while also...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: 536. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the working status of certain employees (details supplied) is not considered 'permanent'; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40330/25]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: I thank the Chair and committee members for the good work they do on this Oireachtas committee. As a rural-based TD, the work going on here on a regular basis is very important and I thank everyone for that. I thank the committee for the invitation to speak here about ash dieback and other matters, which I consider important to the forestry industry in Ireland. For the past 100 years, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: With regard to the report on "Morning Ireland" this morning, I would like to answer that first of all in the following way. In Scotland at the moment, they are planting 17,000 ha per year, which is a massive amount of timber. I see our job as being to compete with that. In other words, we want to plant. It is in the programme for Government and it is part of our policy. We want to get to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: I am sorry. Could I just-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: I will give the Senator a straight answer: "No" to the agency.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: No.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: I would love the opportunity to expand on it-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: -----but if the Senator wants a straight answer, the answer would be "No". With regard to the roadside scheme, I am sorry to quote the Roads Act, but I have to because as the Senator knows - this is a great bone of contention in this room when it comes to cutting hedgerows and everything else along the side of the road - it is a fact that, unfortunately, section 70 of the Roads Act 1993...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: It is not as though we are sending people off and telling them they must manage by themselves. There is money for them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: With regard to a specific scheme, there are 100,000 km of roadway that could be affected by this. The Senator might do the sums himself. If we had a specific scheme, that would not be practical.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: It is incorrect. With regard to the State rules we have, the answer is that is incorrect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: I am, but what I am aware of are the rules we have here, which state that when people plant land and get financial encouragement to do so, there is an obligation on them to replant that land.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: We have had different delays in the past, as the Deputy is well aware. We have had different problems with regard to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: I am answering the question, if the Deputy will allow me the opportunity. We have had different problems over the last number of years. We are addressing all of those problems. What happened this year is that there were a couple of internal problems earlier this year, which have now been sorted out and about which I would hope the Deputy is aware. We had over 120 applications for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: No. Many of our mills were only operating at 60% capacity. I know that from speaking to mill operators, but they have the ability to deal with the additional windblown material. I will put it the Deputy this way; they are busy enough and will be getting busier because of the fact I stated earlier, which is that, today, 95% of the harvesting equipment in Ireland is working on windblown...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Healy-Rae: That is double what we had this time last year.