Results 5,641-5,660 of 9,159 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Seanad: Order of Business (31 May 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I am going to take a leap of faith and accept that-----

Seanad: Order of Business (31 May 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: -----on the basis of the assurance given by the Leader, the meeting will take place by tomorrow morning.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 May 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Can the Leader provide an assurance that the meeting will take place within the next 24 hours?

Seanad: Order of Business (31 May 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Within the next 24 hours.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 May 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 and Fish Quotas: Discussion (20 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It was useful, to say the least, to have all the various organisations here today and to have all the perspectives put in front of us. I will start with voisinageand the Bill that the Minister has introduced. It is alarming that there is a piece of legislation introduced by the Minister on the back of a Supreme Court decision and every single organisation here today has said that it was not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank Dr. Steele and her colleagues for attending. The fishing community is aggrieved because its members believe they have been criminalised under legislation. There have been stand-offs at various ports between fishing communities and SFPA officials. Perhaps the problem is with the legislators, given that the authority is simply enforcing the legislation. I refer to super trawlers....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Does Mr. O'Mahony have an opinion on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I asked whether Mr. O'Mahony himself has an opinion on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: May I ask a supplementary question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: My apologies to Mr. O'Mahony for interrupting him during his presentation. Mr. Kinneen has answered my question. I welcome his advice to the committee in regard to his concerns. It is very helpful because the view has been that we do not have the capacity in this State to give a cast-iron guarantee that there is full monitoring of vessels. The FV Margirisoperates under a Lithuanian flag.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It was mentioned that a vessel is ultimately the responsibility of the flag state. I note from a previous discussion that the Naval Service boarded the FV Margirisin November 2016. I am focusing on this vessel only because it is the second largest vessel in the world and it gives rise to great concern when it is off our coast. It was said earlier that, under European regulations, SFPA...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Thank you for your patience, Chairman. I appreciate it. I will be very brief. Could I propose that the SFPA would make a submission to our committee outlining ways or ideas it has for strengthening its ability, including the need for additional resources? We can then put that submission to the Minister. Is that a reasonable request?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I am asking the SFPA as practitioners.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Could I propose then that the SFPA would do as suggested? Could I also propose that the committee would write to the Minister asking him from a policy perspective to address the issues that we have raised here today? Most if not all of us have raised concerns about super trawlers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In terms of the specific issues here, could I ask that the committee will write to the Minister asking for assurances? In fairness to the SFPA, the witnesses have said they are limited to a policy perspective.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Perhaps the Minister and his departmental officials could reassure us in that regard. Is that fair enough?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Annual Report of Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority: Discussion (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I am happy to give way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jun 2017)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank the witnesses for attending in order to deal with this Bill. Some of them witnessed our hearings with a range of fish producer organisations last week. Those organisations are united in their opposition to the Bill. I was struck by how none of them had been consulted about it. I found that extraordinary. Against overwhelming odds, the witnesses were collectively forced to...