Results 21-40 of 5,102 for speaker:Danny Healy-Rae

Legislative and Structural Reforms to Accelerate Housing Delivery: Motion [Private Members] (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: I thank Deputy Michael Collins and his group for tabling this motion and giving us all an opportunity to talk about housing and discuss it as much as we can to see if we can help. This is one of many motions, Bills and whatever trying to address housing, but we really need to get down to work and see after the people to ensure that everyone has a home. The answer has to be to build more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: I thank the witnesses for coming this. They have a fine team. My first question is for Mr. Savage and is about ACRES. We have been tormented by farmers who have not received their ACRES payments and this is going on since last September or October. Mr. Savage said the Department had reached 97% to 98% for advance payments. How many applicants have not been paid at present?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: I will wait for Mr. Savage's answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: When Mr. Savage talks about percentages, it looks grand but when we hear that 1,635 still have to get advance payments, that is kind of serious. When does the Department expect to have that cleared?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: When Mr. Savage said the system was broken, what kind of machine was broken down, was someone sick or what was wrong? When we have a machine that is broken down, we have to repair it and if it cannot be repaired or will take 12 months to repair, it is time to send the machine off to Hammond Lane or somewhere like that. I have been speaking to a fella since last September. I know that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: Will the same thing be repeated next year? Will we have to go through the same racket next year with this system? Will there be a totally new system to deal with this next year or what? If we go through the same thing again next year, the system will have to be scrapped. I am not blaming the officials personally but this scheme is not good enough. Farmers are owed money and are entitled...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: I see a problem with that. Do the applicants know the guidelines for what they will get grant aided for? Is it the standard of roofs they had, a Department standard or what? Does the Department know what standards it will demand?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: Jesus, the Department would want to hurry on if, as has been said, that the money will be spent by the end of the year. It takes time to build a shed and erect a roof. Such work is not as easy as turning the next page in a book.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: All right. I have a question on GAEC 2. GAEC is a funny kind of an acronym but it might not be funny before we will be finished with it. There was only a couple of days before GAEC 2 was announced and maps were made available. Applicants only had two days in between to apply so some farmers are worried that maps may not be correct. Will the Department show discretion if maps are wrong...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: It has been stated that 96% of advance payments have been made for ACRES. How much remains to be paid?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: How much remains to be paid?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: How long will that take?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: How long will it take?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: My father was using his tractor to transport a load of hay for a farmer called Mickey Reilly. When the hay fell off my father was given out to with the words "You're best is not good enough and you'll have to improve." The same goes for the Department. It will have to improve because the delay is terrible and there are people who owe money to other people. Farmers depend on this money. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: Yes, that is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: All the rest of the shed is painted and is designed to be painted but the specifications did not say anything about painting the doors.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: We have been around the houses with this, with every one of us asking the questions and the officials trying to answer. The one threat we can make is that if the Department does not pay the farmers fairly soon, we will have to bring the officials in again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: When people receive this money, they will be getting two payments in one year and therefore paying double the tax. That will create a difficulty.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Delays in Departmental Scheme Payments: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Jun 2025)

Danny Healy-Rae: All right. I thank the Chairman and all the officials who have come in here. I am aware they are doing their best but, as a man said to my father long ago, their best is not good enough and they will have to improve.