Results 7,221-7,240 of 7,793 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What was exported in total in 2023? The Department would definitely have those figures.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am talking about farm plastic now. Be very clear on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I want the 2023 volume of farm plastics. I do not want to know about other plastics, just farm plastic only. The Department has given money for research. There were €2 million or €3 million in funds it gave to some companies. How successful has that been? It is making wax for candles or something like that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes, there was a company trying to set up the gear to recycle plastic and make it into candle wax.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, sorry. Just be clear on this. From every bit of research I have done, the fertiliser bags can be used for that but the farm plastic for bales or silage cannot be used for the plastic stakes, as we call them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am asking how successful it was. Does the Department know?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We have done a fair bit of analysis on plastics, as have others. We would be fairly confident there are 35,000 tonnes of plastic lying around in yards in Ireland at the moment. Why did the Department not, as we asked, get an independent body to carry out an estimate or quantification of the amount of plastic that is in those yards?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I asked if anybody from the Department did this. It is estimated that around the country, between all the different yards that store plastic and allowing for some that moved in the last three months, there are approximately 35,000 tonnes. Does the Department have an independently verified exact figure to verify whether that is correct or not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I know that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Will that date be soon? This is an urgent issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Let us not waste time now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am reading a document on waste plastic recovery. It states that the IFFPG disclosed at this committee that the target of 70% of the farm plastics has been recycled, with up to 90% recycled in 2021 and 88% recycled in 2022. It states the volume of waste plastic being collected each year is in the region of 36,000 or 37,000 tonnes. This is what was collected. On the website, it states...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If we are having a meeting, could the Minister of State have the 2023 figures for exports of farm plastic only and for recycling of farm plastic? None of us are conspiracy theorists, but we have a big concern. We have driven around, some of us have been in some of the factories that recycle plastic and some of us have been around looking at where plastic is stored. Some of us, though not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Why do the two sources say two different things?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, I did not say that. I told the Minister of State earlier that it is twice. He told us 6,000 tonnes was recycled. I do not know whether it was or was not and I do not deny it. However, there is talk about 38,000 tonnes of plastic. We are not doing a third of our plastic recycling. That is the fact. I will give the Minister of State space and time to answer those questions when he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will make it simpler. Can we have figures for what was exported in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023?

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (14 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 397. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to clarify if a person (details supplied) over 65 and on over-65 jobseeker’s benefit, not having to actively seek employment and at home on a full-time basis, would be entitled to carer’s support grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21225/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Recycling Farm Plastics: Discussion (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I would like that. I would like to know what was exported and what is estimated to be there now. We will soon get the figures.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (16 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 232. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress made in developing a procurement framework for disability home support; if he is still on target to develop and agree this by quarter of 2024, as per the HSE National Service Plan 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22154/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Help Service (16 May 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 245. To ask the Minister for Health the waiting list for home support for each month in 2024, in each CHO and LHO; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22151/24]