Results 5,061-5,080 of 7,790 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Where is that progress if we are down?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: How many parts of the Mackinnon report have been fully implemented? I do not want to hear about parts that are being discussed within different committees. How many parts are fully implemented? It is a straight question.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Out of how many?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Minister of State think that is progress?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: With regard to the new legislation, which the committee helped in every way, spruce is not included. Is this correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: There will be a take-up by farmers because it will probably cover them in the eco-scheme but in 20 years our numbers will be below what we need for sawmills. The stunt is that it is ticking a box for the Department.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Hold on. Will it help the sawmills - "Yes or No"?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: It is the only way the Department can get to what it aims to do with 8,000 ha.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Why does the Department not leave it out so?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes, I was listening.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: My understanding was that the Department was going to run what was for commercial and sawmills separately to the numbers we get weekly on the forestry dashboard and that it would not be included in the 7,000 ha.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: My next question is for Mr. Collins. How many ecologists deal directly with afforestation?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Dealing with afforestation?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: There are 20 ecologists.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Will Mr. Collins educate me on something? Are they doing half an application per week when the number is ten or 12?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Are there 20 or nine?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Right.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I watch the forestry dashboard weekly and it is very helpful. Do ecologists work on one licence per week? I look at the figures, which could be nine or 13. Is this the output?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Would the Department class it as low output to have one file per person per week? Planners have to deal with special areas of conservation and other legislation. I watch the planners in Galway. In fairness they pump them out. They have to go through various regulations and European legislation. Is there a blockage somewhere? What is wrong?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation and the Forestry Sector: Discussion (13 Apr 2022)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I want to come back to Mr. Delany on this. On its website in 2012 the forestry service stated it was fully compliant with the habitats directive. The legislation on the habitats directive has not changed since. I have watched it more than anyone. I know the blockages. It is the bane of our lives but many people were for it. I know there have been court cases. If it was being...