Results 301-320 of 3,759 for speaker:Michael Collins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank Ms Brennan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: The whole point is that we need to look for new markets. This is a serious issue for the inshore sector going forward. I would appreciate it if the witnesses could furnish me with some information. If we see where we are going, we might be able to work on that. I will move on to pelagic fishermen. Their worst fears were yet again realised last week when ICES advice in respect of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I see that, unfortunately. It is reckless overfishing by Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Why can this not be called out? Why can it not be stopped? I cannot answer this question. I have one other question now. I have many more but I might be able to get back in later on. In fairness to BIM, there was great praise for the scheme to provide grant aid to do up vessels. The thing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I appreciate that. I thank Ms McSherry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Brexit has severely impacted the Irish fishing industry, affecting catching, processing and exporting. The loss of quota led to a decommissioning scheme resulting in the loss of 40 boats from the commercial sector. This has significantly harmed fish producer organisations in west Cork, especially the Irish South and West Fish Producer Organisation, ISWFPO, which saw its membership drop from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: The EU production and marketing funding has not increased in more than ten years despite rising costs. This makes the work of our fish producer organisations unsustainable. When will the Minister and the Department increase funding to account for the increased cost of living and doing business?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I appreciate that. Do the Minister and the Department recommend that fishermen and women on Irish-registered boats be made eligible for a seafarers' income tax allowance similar to that available to merchant seamen and members of the Irish Naval Service? This differing treatment seems discriminatory. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Does Ms McSherry have any idea, or can the Minister or the Department confirm, whether such a recommendation was made in advance of budget 2025?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I am going back to the first question I asked at the beginning. I thank Ms McSherry for answering the questions to the best of her ability. What can fishermen do to turn around the negative feeling that is out there? I know Ms McSherry will say she cannot answer that question but it was the last question asked in Bantry the other day. There is a negative vibe in the world of politics...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I will make a final point which does not require an answer. From talking to inshore fishermen and to people in the pelagic sector, I know that they want to fish their way out of these problems. They do not want compensation. They just want to fish but they are not allowed in our water.

Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I am not going to stand here and say people will not welcome the rebate for energy costs. Of course, they will welcome it in very difficult times with the rising costs of energy, which are sky-rocketing to an extraordinary level. Without the Government tackling the energy companies as to where they can make savings, I know people can make savings by ringing around. I contacted a telephone...

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We did not interfere when you were speaking.

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Sit down and have manners.

Planning and Development (An Taisce) Bill 2024: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: The proposed legislation aims to limit An Taisce's influence in Ireland's planning and development process, especially in rural areas. It seeks to remove An Taisce as a prescribed authority under the Planning and Development Acts to address delays caused by its objections which have impacted housing and economic growth. The goal is to streamline the planning process, reduce bureaucratic...

Spending of Public Funds by the Government: Motion [Private Members] (8 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: The complete waste of money is appalling, about which there is an outcry the Government is ignoring. It is quite adamant this pouch scheme is going to work. It knows as well as I do that no phone is going to go into that pouch. It is only codding us. I would like to know who is making these pouches. We need a bit more information about this because it seems the Government is determined...

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (8 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We have been talking about housing since I came into the Dáil and it has not got any better. It has got worse under the Government’s leadership. Instead of a clear light going forward it is more difficult. Talking about young people, especially in my own constituency, rural planning is savage. It is a horrible issue for a lot of young people. The disappointment, hurt and...

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (2 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: One of the best reports today was in one of the newspapers, that "Budget 2025 delivers vast spending – but a dire lack of vision stores up disaster for the country". That was true, in my view, on so many fronts. I look at the roads budget. I spoke quite a lot about other issues last night and I will not touch on them today. The VAT rate, at 13.5%, was one of the biggest mistakes...

Financial Resolution No. 3: Capital Acquisitions Tax (1 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We are talking about the inheritance tax here. I welcome the move we have made, but I do not think we have gone far enough. It is not that I believe we should be throwing confetti up in the air in the budget and have everybody grabbing it. However, people paid for these properties. Most likely it is a farm or whatever. They are paying back the bank for this property. They are paying the...

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Budget Statement 2025 (1 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: In recent days, I see Bertie Ahern had a secret meeting with Simon Harris. It is little wonder that he taught him about leaks and spins. Leaks usually come out of Fianna Fáil but they are now starting to come out of Fine Gael, with the leaks we had in recent weeks relating to the budget. It is like a bucket with no ass in it. At one time, when the budget took place nobody knew until...