Results 3,301-3,320 of 4,024 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Vetting Applications Data (7 Nov 2017)

Martin Kenny: 524. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the annual costs incurred by the Exchequer in processing Garda vetting applications for each year to date since the process of Garda vetting was established. [46327/17]

National Planning Framework: Statements (Resumed) (26 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: Ireland 2040 plans for where we will be about 22 years from now. As Deputy Connolly has said, there is much in the document to be welcomed. There is much in it that is very aspirational, that is very good and that we want to see happen. An awful lot of it is very vague, however. That is one of the problems I have with it. I am thinking of the sections on agriculture, forestry, tourism...

Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: The programme for Government states very clearly the Government wants to deal with the housing and homelessness crisis across the country. While homelessness in the city of Dublin in particular is very evident because we all see it in front of us, homelessness in rural counties such as Leitrim, where I come from, is equally as big a problem but is not so apparent. We have people coming into...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Nitrates Usage (26 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: 53. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will extend the slurry spreading deadline of 14 October 2017 to enable farmers to spread when conditions allow in view of the extremely wet weather conditions in parts of the country over the past six to eight weeks which has prevented the spread of slurry. [41893/17]

Leaders' Questions (25 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: That is obvious.

Other Questions: Stamp Duty (24 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: That was for commercial property, not agricultural land.

Other Questions: Stamp Duty (24 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: The Minister fails to accept the gravity of the situation. The average farm income in this country is half the average industrial wage, which is the issue here. Farmers are struggling to survive. In many cases and where they depend on the farm alone, the only way to survive is by expanding. To expand, they must buy land beside them. This aspect is recognised and the Minister for...

Other Questions: Stamp Duty (24 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: 10. To ask the Minister for Finance the way in which he will ensure that farmers are not affected by stamp duty increases aimed at commercial developers. [44729/17]

Other Questions: Stamp Duty (24 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister for his reply. The issue raised is quite unusual. We had the announcement on budget day and the following day the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, informed us that the increase was not going to apply to farmland. We all said "Fine, great, it is not going to apply to farmland". It turns out that the Minister was mistaken and that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: I apologise for arriving late. I had a question in the Dáil. My understanding is that a lot of this is around change of land use. The officials will correct me if I am wrong. There is a kind of worldwide lobby suggesting that if I take Rwanda out of producing food and put it to producing energy, there will be people starving in the Horn of Africa. We had the Famine in Ireland...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: I have heard all those arguments before. Where I live, all I see are trees around me and no people. Every 1,000 acres of forestry employs only one full-time person. I absolutely agree with Dr. Hendrick on the climate change benefits, but it employs nobody. That is the reality when compared with any other sector of farming. I never saw trees having to go to the town to buy a gate or a bit...

Topical Issues: GLAS Payments (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: I understand that and I understand why the problem has arisen. I would like the Minister of State to try to deal with it. The system was to take in the nutrient management plans before March 2017. The deadline was extended until the middle of June. It then had to be extended a second time, into July, because the system was not able to take them. That is what I was told was the reason....

Topical Issues: GLAS Payments (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: Or the advisers. There will always be somebody who is a little late. Everybody does not get every wisp of hay home; that is life but farmers have been waiting for their money for a very lengthy period as the Minister of State will acknowledge. What needs to be acknowledged is that there is a problem in the Department in regard to the IT systems it uses. I am not blaming the Minister of...

Topical Issues: GLAS Payments (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: I am very glad to see the Minister of State, Deputy Doyle, in the Chamber. The issue I am raising is about green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, payments. The 6,000 or more farmers waiting for their GLAS money are waiting for their 2016 payments, and we are now nearly at the end of 2017. I am given to understand that a lot of the reason for this is to do with nutrient management...

Questions on Promised Legislation (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: In the programme for Government there is much talk of investing in rural Ireland and ensuring it gets fair play and equal access to all services. One of the pertinent matters for most people living in rural Ireland, even in the context of the recent storm, is the ambulance service. This service in many parts of rural Ireland cannot possibly even dream of reaching the target of 19 minutes to...

Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: There was dismay in the farming community and among farm organisations when it became clear that the Government's proposal to triple to 6% the rate of stamp duty on commercial property would apply to farmland, despite the assurances of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Sinn Féin supported an amendment tabled by Deputy Fitzmaurice in an attempt to amend the Government's...

Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: In the case of farmland, we are hearing that the exemptions will be extended in the finance Bill-----

Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: -----by eliminating the cap that limits certain reliefs to those under the age of 67. This would negate the original purpose of the Government's measure, which was to incentivise the early lifetime transfer of land to the next generation and to encourage young farmers to extend their holdings. All this is being done now to cover up for the clear mistake the Government made in the budget....

Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: I will explain what the unintended consequences are. We all know farmers around the country with small pieces of land who are working very hard and struggling to survive and raise their families. The only way forward for them is to expand when land comes up for sale beside their farms. Many of them cannot get the money from the bank to extend their holdings in such circumstances. The...

Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2017)

Martin Kenny: We all know the-----