Results 7,381-7,400 of 8,026 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: On dredging, when grass and drains are blocked up and are blocking water and they are cleaned out, the water gets discoloured and dirty. Once they clean out, however, it is perfectly clear water. Are the witnesses saying that cleaning drains is a bad thing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: When it is being taken up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Generally, when a small drain is being cleaned, you bring a bale of straw to put in to make sure that everything is soaked and it purifies in a way that will not damage the waters downstream. Would that be fair to say?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have another question relating to something the witnesses would have been involved in. At present, we are hearing about Ireland needing to meet targets such as planting another 500,000 ha of trees. That is written in every document I read. It will cause chaos on our water quality if it is the case that forestry is the third biggest contributor to nitrates. It is one thing pushing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: To be honest about it, though, and not being smart, there will be a drain or a river near any bit of forest planted.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I come from a farming background. No matter where you go now in Ireland, there is nowhere that planting trees will not result in run-off down to some drain or river. When people planted forestry one time, they did the mounding and there was a system where it took out all the material. It is delusional to think we are going to sow 500,000 ha of trees and still get better water quality. In...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What length is a stretch?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The water framework directive was mentioned. In Europe, we are on the higher scale for having good quality water compared with some countries. Is this correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The EPA has been a while on the go looking up water. A directive is a directive, but you can dream a dream and then you can have realism. Will we ever get to 100%? Being realistic, will this ever happen, be it in Ireland or in any other country in Europe? Have we brought in a directive that, to be honest, if 2027 is basically the date that people are on about for Europe, I am not saying...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Has the threshold not risen?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The threshold has never risen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Fair enough. I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Are there other models?

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Forms (9 Jul 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 215. To ask the Minister for Finance when the current issues being experienced when submitting form 11 will be resolved, that has been ongoing from 16 June 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29830/24]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (9 Sep 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 86.To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide a copy of the findings of the interim review of H1 2023 of the IFFPG renewal of approved body status, as per the opening statement of an official of the Department to the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the collection and recycling of farm plastic, which was published on 29 June 2021.[34116/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (9 Sep 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 570.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 52 of 17 April 2024, if the Teaching Council has considered whether it can make any further amendment to the registration regulations to again put in place the provision to enable overseas qualified applicants to complete induction in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34605/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1960.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the income that is assessed in the case of an applicant who may apply for SUSI grant funding whose parents are deceased and who is in the care of a guardian; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[33990/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (9 Sep 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1972.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the age category was changed from 16 to 18 years for the intake of students who had enrolled on the pre-apprenticeship programmes at Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34571/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (9 Sep 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1973.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the age category was changed from 16 to 18 years for the intake of students who had enrolled on the barbering programme at Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34572/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (9 Sep 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1974.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the age category was changed from 16 to 18 years for the intake of students at Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34573/24]