Results 41-60 of 94 for speaker:Ian Marshall

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Nov 2018)

Ian Marshall: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I would like some clarity on three points. First, there has been much reference to micro-generation. Having spoken to some of our counterparts in Europe and to businesses which are involved in micro-generation, namely, businesses with a high electricity demand and the ability to generate same, there is an appetite for an adjacent business to...

Seanad: Brexit: Motion (22 Nov 2018)

Ian Marshall: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, for her statement. We are currently living through an unprecedented set of circumstances that has the potential to divide us more than unite us. It is important we take a brief moment to reflect on how we got here. This was something that was borne out of ideology and the debate became politically charged very early on. Last week we had the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Ian Marshall: I thank the witnesses for the presentation. A number of things spring to mind. At the outset, Professor Ó Gallachóir mentioned the collective responsibility we have. We have the legacy of a silo mentality on this problem. We have not worked across Departments and different areas of industry and business to adopt a holistic approach. Targets are ambitious. The fact that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Ian Marshall: I thank Mr. Donnellan for his presentation which included a lot of useful information. As we all know, agriculture and transport are very often portrayed as the villains, but it is important to state at the outset of the discussion that agriculture and farming reacted to demand. Food demand stimulated growth in agriculture, to which farmers were only reacting. Senator Daly has alluded to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Dec 2018)

Ian Marshall: I will begin by referring to Deputy Stanley's comments. With regard to Northern Ireland and Protestants cutting hedges, I would like to make it clear that one's religion is probably not a sign of one's predisposition towards being environmentally responsible or irresponsible. It may be a reference to the fact that Protestants have a tendency to cut their hedges around the 12th fortnight. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Examination of the Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly (Resumed) (19 Dec 2018)

Ian Marshall: I thank the witnesses for their interesting presentation. All of the questions have probably been asked but I would like clarity on one issue. With the advent of smart meters and smart grids, will it be possible for business-to-business transactions and trading? If one business is a producer of energy and another business is a consumer of energy, could they work together to maximise...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Examination of the Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly (Resumed) (19 Dec 2018)

Ian Marshall: Lord Deben has made continual references to science policy and its importance. His last point was very interesting. I listened to a BBC Radio 4 interview with a German farmer who was asked why wind turbines and wind generation were considered more successful in Germany than they were in the UK or Ireland. He made the point that when he looked out of his kitchen window, the turbine he saw...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2019)

Ian Marshall: Most of the questions have been answered. It is interesting because I come from a part of the country where the only safe topic for discussion is the weather. It is the one non-political issue about which someone can talk with a stranger. I would like to pick up on one point with the director general of RTÉ. I was interested when she said RTÉ had a 94% penetration rate, which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jan 2019)

Ian Marshall: To pick up on Deputy Dooley's point, climate change is a reality, but the challenge is to make it a reality for the general public. Considering Met Éireann's positioning within RTÉ's scheduling, is there an opportunity to use sound bites to highlight the behavioural changes people could make that would make a difference? Rather than having a big advertising campaign, there would...

Seanad: Climate Action: Statements (24 Jan 2019)

Ian Marshall: I thank the Minister for his presentation. As everyone in this House knows, there is no silver bullet for this. We talk about wind energy, electrification of vehicles, biomass, solar photovoltaics, PV, and retrofitting of insulation. It is quite an endless list. The important point to recognise is the significance of the work of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Climate...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: As we all know, language is emotive and powerful and no more so than the comments made by Donald Tusk yesterday. Let us not forget that this inflammatory language has been used before and also reference was made to the comments by Ms Priti Patel, MP, to the effect that there will be food shortages in Ireland. Ms Patel's comments were completely derogatory and derisory. To put the matter in...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: I take the opportunity to bring to the attention of the House the information received from the British Chambers of Commerce this morning. It represents 75,000 firms which employ over 6 million people. It is telling us that there has been a holding back of investment in business in the United Kingdom and a stockpiling of commodities and food. People are moving offices and relocating in...

Seanad: Progress in Relation to Climate Change: Statements (14 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: I thank the Minister for coming before the House to present to us on this interesting topic. The work of the Oireachtas joint committee on climate change and the environment is certainly worthwhile, but there are grave concerns that sometimes the proportion of blame attributed in the work to agriculture and transport is perhaps unfair. I refer the House to a piece of work published this...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: The Brexit discussions change on a daily basis and, in fact, on an hourly basis at the moment. In the last 48 hours we have witnessed a Prime Minister, after a deal had been rejected, offer the opportunity to separate the votes to leaving without a deal or the opportunity to vote on whether to extend Article 50. We have also witnessed Jeremy Corbyn do a U-turn and move to a position to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: If the UK needs and requests more time then that is good. If the UK needs and requires these decisions to be referred to parliament then that is good. If the Prime Minister and the UK Government cannot get a majority position and decide to go back to the electorate then that is good-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: -----and should be seen as such. Do not underestimate the integrity of either the politicians or the electorate. The best people to decide the future of the UK and its relationship with Ireland, the EU and the rest of the world are ultimately the electorate. Give them all of the facts, and I mean all of the facts, give them all of the information and let them decide. Democracy dictates...

Seanad: Gambling Legislation: Motion (27 Feb 2019)

Ian Marshall: I am happy to support this motion. My fellow Senators have made many arguments and there is no point replicating or repeating them. We need to understand the problem to understand how we fix it. Experts used to think that addiction was dependence on a chemical. However, it is now defined as repeatedly pursuing a rewarding experience despite serious repercussions. This could be a drug but...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2019)

Ian Marshall: I acknowledge the trip to Belfast on Tuesday by the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU. The trip was ably chaired by Senator Joe O'Reilly, deputising for Senator Neale Richmond, and present were Senators Black, Paul Daly, Ó Donnghaile, Craughwell, and I. We met many businesses and other organisations such as the Northern Ireland Food and Drink...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (26 Mar 2019)

Ian Marshall: I suppose my circumstances are slightly different from those of other Senators in that I reside in the North and I perform a function as a Senator in this House. I am, therefore, aware of both sides of this argument. Agreements made more than 60 years ago with a degree of vagueness and ambiguity present a number of concerns. However, if we consider that we trade in an all-island agrifood...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2019)

Ian Marshall: I am sure everyone watched with interest the ongoing proceedings in Westminster last night. Although it is not conclusive on any strategic plan, what they did achieve was to clearly demonstrate that a no-deal Brexit or crash out for the UK is well and truly off the table. As I indicated to this House a number of weeks ago, reading between the lines of the discussion that was going on at...