Results 721-740 of 6,944 for speaker:Michael McNamara

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: One can only know that information after a tree has been cut down. What happens if there is too much timber for a 10 ft. by 6 ft. trailer? If there is, then that means one has broken the law and the inspector will be able to say that the tree was 3.2 cu. m. and not 2.9 cu. m.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Why not refer to the diameter of the tree? That would mean anyone could use a measuring tape to make his or her calculation.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Can Deputy Ó Cuív share the formula with us? I am afraid I do not know the formula.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: I support the point made by Deputy Barry. The amount of timber in 15 cubic metres is very little. We have to distinguish between active and passive farming. If one is growing trees as a crop, one should be able to thin out the forest and use the timber for firewood and also for sale as firewood. This Bill is unique in terms of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine policy in that...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: The person must apply for a felling licence. He cannot cut the timber for firewood without a felling licence.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Of course, but he must go to the trouble of obtaining a licence to do so. Section 18 deals with exempted trees. Subsection (1)(m) applies to trees outside a forest, whereas I believe it should apply to trees inside a forest . The provision in section 18(1)(m)(iii) should be changed to specify 25 cu. m. rather than 15 cu. m. That would enable people who are active farmers to use their...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: I welcome that. The fines are set out in the Bill as €500, €1,000 or whatever, and over time they become meaningless as the fines in the 1946 Act became meaningless. The power to prescribe fees is just a general power to prescribe fees, and we can be absolutely certain that once they are introduced, they will go up every year and will not become meaningless, so I welcome the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Earlier we raised the issue of burdens being placed on properties. The Minister of State was clear that it was only where an unlawful and illegal felling had taken place that a burden would be placed on the property. I wonder whether that is entirely clear from section 25, but wondering is far as I would push it.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Self-praise is no praise.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: We are repealing the 1946 Act and not really making substantial changes. Anything relating to felling licences could be done by way of amendment to the 1946 Act and the protections in place for individual trees could have been retained. Why were individual trees worthy of protection in 1946 and suddenly no longer worthy of protection in 2014?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: That is one possibility; I am sure the Minister of State will come up with another.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Why were trees so worthy of protection in 1946, and now they are worthless and a danger to the public? Obviously there are more cars on the road now, but the vast majority of car accidents do not involve trees. The real legislation we should be changing is the 1988 Act to establish Coillte, which is untouched and Coillte remains dominant. The Minister has huge powers to change or refuse...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: I wish that, as the Title suggests, the Bill promoted forestry. However, I see no evidence that this is the case. I would like there to be much greater promotion of forestry. All I see here are provisions that are at best neutral to forestry, which on the other hand make forestry owners compete for the firewood market with any farmer who wants to cut down trees. I have no problem with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (11 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: 122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a response to an application for incremental credit for teaching service in HSI Limerick Business School; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11651/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations: Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (11 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: I wish to raise a question on an issue that Deputy Ferris flagged - that of access to a court. This statutory instrument is applying EU law and any measure that applies EU law must be compatible with the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Under the justice provisions of the charter, anyone whose rights and freedom are violated has a right to an effective remedy - that is, a fair and public...

Gateway Scheme: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (12 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: Unlike Deputy Maloney, I will not go back far in history. I will not go back beyond the last election, save to say that I am proud to be a member of a party that engages with the duty of government once in a while, rather than throwing stones from the Opposition side. Our party engages with ideas and seeks to move them forward just as, I am happy to acknowledge, Sinn Féin is doing in...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: EU Solidarity Fund (12 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: 15. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason Ireland is not applying to the EU Solidarity Fund under Article 2 of the regulation which provides that, under exceptional circumstances, even when the quantitative criteria laid down in the first subparagraph, of damage estimated at more than 0.6% of gross national income, are not met, a region could also...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: EU Solidarity Fund (12 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: 31. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the EU solidarity fund has been explored as a source of moneys to fund repairs to special areas of conservation as the aim of the fund is to complement the efforts of the State and to cover a share of the public expenditure in carrying out essential emergency operations, including immediate securing of preventative...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (12 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: 173. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the 25% of the agri-environment options scheme payment will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12380/14]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sports Capital Programme Applications (25 Mar 2014)

Michael McNamara: 1223. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide permission to Kilrush Town Council to proceed with Kilrush sports and development astro turf facility which is currently awaiting departmental permission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13645/14]