Results 1,901-1,920 of 7,986 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: The deal is not with Coillte and Gresham House.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Is it part of-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: It is in under Coillte's portfolio now, is it?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: -----and Coillte was here on 13 December. The announcement of the deal was on 16 December, and this went through Land Registry, which we thought very unusual. Bidding had to be done six months before that, and it was very coincidental, from the committee members' point of view. Would Mr. Carlin agree?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: On the last day that Coillte was in, it was stated that it was in negotiations. The negotiations must have wrapped up fairly quickly when, three days later after this meeting, Coillte was able to finalise everything. I know Coillte stated the negotiations were at an advanced stage. As a committee, we said we would have liked if Coillte had come in to update us before it finalised anything,...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I understand. That is fair enough. However, Coillte was asked by the public representatives on this committee to come in and address us before it was finalised, but that was not done. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: This committee does not matter.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I want to try and keep going. Ms Gray said that Coillte was concerned about Ireland meeting its targets. How is it that at the end of 2022 or in 2023 Coillte got this burst of concernment when in 2016 and 2017, Ireland still had the same figures and there did not seem to be a bother about it? Could Ms Gray explain this to me whether Coillte is concerned about Ireland's climate targets? My...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I just want to be clear. The forestry programme that was announced last year is not yet in place.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: It amounts to €1.3 billion but it is not in place. It is not for farmers alone, it is for companies, and it probably will be for Coillte.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Granted, but, as Coillte will be well aware and it went through this when the representatives were before the committee previously, that be it for felling licences or planting licences there was a major problem and a lot of farmers walked away from it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry to interrupt Ms Gray. Some of the old agreements between farmers and Coillte are still dragging on. Am I correct that those issues have not been resolved?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Good relationships need to be built up to basically resolve those issues so there might be a new relationship built.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Can we go through the rest of the questions?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Did Coillte not make an operating profit of €98.3 million this year, going by what I have googled?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Then Google is wrong.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I want to try to get to Mr. Carlin. Could Ms Hurley explain where the 7,500 ha or 8,000 ha of standing forest that Coillte bought, such as in County Tipperary or whatever, come in because that is already accounted for? That will not help our mitigation. Does Ms Hurley agree?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Okay. The Minister stated to us that he believes Coillte will change its model. Has the Department talked to Coillte about that? There was a lot of backlash from the Gresham House fund. Is Coillte looking at a different model now or is it staying on 100,000 ha under that model? I just want a quick yes-no answer on that because I want to let Mr. Carlin in.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I have heard there are people in Brussels today and my understanding is that it seems where we are getting caught at the moment on the new programme is there is seemingly a lot of confusion in Brussels about the rewetting and spruce or pine on peatlands. Has that matter been resolved between Coillte and the Department?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (1 Mar 2023)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Brussels seems to be unhappy about the trees on the peaty ground, to put it simply, and under the new programme, officials want to see clear markers or whatever of how this will be resolved. It is my understanding based on what I am from Brussels today. Coillte has a plan of what it will do. Will that cause a problem if Coillte takes 30,000 ha of trees out and rewets the land, it will be...