Results 2,201-2,220 of 2,691 for speaker:Tim Lombard

Seanad: Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I will follow the majority of those in the House by wishing the best to the Bruton family, in particular John's wife and siblings, including Richard, our close colleague, on the death of his brother, John. He was a unique individual. He was a TD and Minister, a Taoiseach and an ambassador, and overall he was a statesman. He will be sadly missed. I got to know John during the 1994...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (8 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is more than welcome. I raise the issue today of the review of dental services in west Cork, which is a very significant issue that we are trying to deal with at the moment. It is very appropriate to have a Minister of State with an understanding of west Cork with us this morning. That is very helpful. The issue I raise is the school dental service....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (8 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: As the Minister of State rightly pointed out, the issue here is geographical. Unfortunately, trying to get services in locations that might not be the centre of Ireland is becoming a huge issue. How can we promote posts in those areas? As the Acting Chair is from Donegal, he probably knows this more than anyone. How can we get people to take up these posts? We have many vacancies and it...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: A small village in south Cork, Ballinspittle, was badly flooded at 5 o'clock this morning. A torrent of rain came down through the valley and washed out businesses such as restaurants and pubs, while several residential properties were badly damaged. This is happening more frequently. Today is the second time in three months that Ballinspittle has been flooded, with the same houses and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: It is great to have the Minister of State in the House. It is nearly like her Wednesday morning coffee break at this stage. Every Wednesday morning, I have the pleasure of talking to her about health issues in Cork. I raised this issue about a dedicated cataract service for Cork that has been spoken about for many years. The regional centre that will be based in the South Infirmary...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the news, in particular her announcement that the transfer of services will be complete by March 2024. That is literally two or three weeks away. There has been major concern locally that this has slipped and slipped, and there have been issues as to how CUH and the Mercy were combining with the new South Infirmary and how they are all tying...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: It is like Groundhog Day. That is how I would describe it, as we have been through all these issues previously. It is great the witnesses are here. Their presentations were informative. I acknowledge the Chair's contribution to the debate. He has been active in making sure we got to have this forum, which is important for many of us. I will start with the IFA. We need to have a debate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: Regarding the catchments Mr. Drennan mentioned in his opening statement, we have Teagasc, the EPA and the Department all making acknowledgements or submissions to the Commission about the nitrates derogation. Two Departments are involved. The Department of local government and the Department of agriculture are working together on this issue. As an organisation, do we need a streamlined...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: Following on from that, will Mr. Buckley give his view on the testing regime that has been put in place? One is being carried out by Teagasc in 14 catchments for which we have results that are almost available up to date. We have the testing regime carried out by the EPA, which involves monthly testing in most bodies of water and that information is only made available in a report published...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: Is that not the issue? We are trying to empower farmers with the available information, yet reports are published 18 months after the first test. That is what happens. We wait for the EPA to come on "Morning Ireland" to inform us of what is happening with water quality nationally. It is important we are told what is happening. I do not have an issue with that, but farmers need to know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: My issue with that is if one has a beach that is closed because is an E. coli outbreak tomorrow morning, the public is told within days of the result. Automatically, if there is something that can be done, it can be done. The farming community do not have such information. They are waiting for "Morning Ireland".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: It is a point well made.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I thank the Deputy. Will Senator Paul Daly be brief?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: Can I ask Mr. Carroll to comment on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: It is a point well made. I call Mr. Buckley.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I thank Senator Paul Daly for that. I refer to the future, that is, the next seven or eight months. We are looking at a derogation that will be decided in the next 13 to 14 months. What tangible processes can be put in place so that there is change in those months? Storage cannot be provided. There were huge issues in TAMS not being done. We are very tight on time here to make real...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I thank the representatives of both the IFA and the ICMSA for contributing to the debate this evening. On behalf of the committee, I thank the witnesses. We will now suspend the meeting to allow witnesses for the next phase of the meeting to come in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I remind witnesses and members to turn off their mobile phones. Before we begin, I bring it to their attention that witnesses giving evidence within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. This means a witness has a full defence in any defamation action in respect of anything they say at committee meetings....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: Will I leave it to Ms Hanrahan to dispense the questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Tim Lombard: I welcome the presentation, which gave a unique angle on where we are going in this really significant debate on the nitrates derogation. Could I get down to the meat and bones of the issue and the empowerment of farmers with information? This is probably the key issue. I am referring in particular to getting out information on water testing. Is there a deficit of knowledge about EPA...