Results 2,941-2,960 of 7,789 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: To be honest about it, we were told lies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What council was that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Was there a meeting?

Carers: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion, which I support. Care work is a vocation. Carers put in hours and hours to help their loved ones and close relatives, be they young children, middle aged or elderly. Sometimes, in desperate situations, carers are looking for respite help and it is not out there. Take, for example, a child with autism whose parent is his or her carer. That...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sick Pay Scheme (26 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 101. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason payment is being withheld from a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27091/19]

Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown: Statements (Resumed) (27 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak about this matter. Everyone agrees with the climate action plan when it comes to the better insulation of houses. The more insulation one can use, the better. However, the problem emerges when one looks at the price of insulation which ranges between €30,000 and €50,000 which many in this country cannot afford. They are the...

Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown: Statements (Resumed) (27 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: To receive cash-backs or apply for a grant, one must earn less than a certain threshold. The reality, which we see day in and day out, is that people in middle Ireland, earning €35,000 or €40,000 and paying a big mortgage, do not get money back. Some of those people are driving large distances to work. Some are driving from Roscommon to Dublin, some to Sligo and Galway. We...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (27 Jun 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 62. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has the authority to overrule decisions made by Bus Éireann on the routes buses take under the school transport scheme; if exceptions can be made for routes to be extended short distances to accommodate children who wish to attend a certain school that is not deemed to be their nearest post-primary centre for academic reasons; and if...

Land and Conveyancing Law Reform (Amendment) Bill 2019: Report Stage (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, on bringing this Bill forward. We spoke about it many times, but in fairness to him, he got it through the back corridors, through Committee Stage and so on, fairly quickly, and I compliment him on that. Deputy O'Callaghan, in fairness to him, is trained in looking at this type of legislation while many of us are not. Everybody puts down...

Mental Health Services Reports: Motion [Private Members] (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion, which I support. This is probably our tenth debate on mental health and, unfortunately, as a previous speaker pointed out, things do not change. That is especially the case in the Roscommon-Galway area where we have had nothing but closures and services being taken away. Day care centres were closed, hostels were closed and then we had the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I apologise for being late. Do the witnesses envisage a comprehensive package coming for young farmers? A whole-of-Europe approach to the decline in young farmers is probably required. Is it here or in Brussels that it will be handled? The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's definition of a young farmer is 40 years of age or under, whereas for Revenue it is 35 years when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What about the forgotten farmers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will clarify what I was saying. In the programme for Government, there is a commitment to liaise with Europe about this, and the Minister did that. The MEPs voted on something last Christmas and made it very clear that funding is now accessible for the category of farmers to whom I refer. I am surprised to hear Mr. Savage saying there remains a problem with the regulation that appears to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If there is surplus money from the young farmers, can it be put into that? My understanding from the Commission is that it could be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does Mr. Morrin envisage that will be sorted out under the new CAP?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Some of these guys who, unfortunately, got a herd number when they were young are now 38, 39 or 40, and do not fit into any category. Would it not be wise of us, if we are talking about keeping young farmers farming, to make sure that we give an opening to the forgotten farmers to farm rather than them having to pack up because of the payments they get?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Department promote locally led projects? In fairness to the Department, for all the people who give out about it, the administration is fairly good. Moving to locally led projects involves bringing in consultants, and because of the cost of that, the farmer is the loser.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: In the designated areas there are a lot of restrictions on farmers, be it some of the mountains and even callows in the lowlands, where there is a designation under the so-called special areas of conservation, SACs, natural heritage areas, NHAs, special protection areas, SPAs, or whatever. Mr. Savage talked about the hen harriers. At the moment those farmers have to get approximately 36...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Jul 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes, but there is no money in it.