Results 9,781-9,800 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Between us, and in terms of the public dialogue, it would force all of society to face up to the facts and to get away from the wizzy-woo figures that tend to get tossed around the place which, in my view, do not serve either the Oireachtas, the Government or the country well. We have to change our structures. We have to involve more Oireachtas Members in a holistic way, not in this...

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Bring it back.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Some €200 million was underspent last year.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If they had spent the €200 million, there would be no problem.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There is no property tax in the four year plan.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is a site value tax.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: A great deal has been said in the past two days and it has proved a useful debate. I certainly welcome the offer from the Minister of State, Deputy Shane McEntee, for a monthly debate on agriculture. I remind him, however, that it is the Government which orders the business of the House. There are many important decisions to be made in the coming weeks and months. The first point to...

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy criticised us when he was in opposition. We heard about the development of Kerry Co-operative. Anyone who believes the company started negotiations on this development after March 2011 was never involved in the development of industry.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Yes, the company had the confidence to start the negotiations when my party was in government. If the Deputy asks Kerry Co-operative when it started the negotiations, he will find the negotiations did not start on this Government's watch.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Minister referred to the Animal Health and Welfare Bill but did not have the good grace to admit significant work was being done on that legislation before he entered the Department. While I welcome the payment of the single farm payment today, I received telephone calls from farmers earlier asking why they had not yet received their disadvantaged areas scheme payments. The reason for...

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Allow me to finish.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I would be the first to admit that we should never have privatised Greencore. Does the Government realise that what it is proposing to do with the forest crop will eventually result in the same sorry tale? If Deputies believe the Greencore decision was wrong, they should ensure the decision to sell the forestry industry, about which I know a great deal, is reversed.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It was made by Greencore.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The decision was taken by Greencore, although the seeds were sown when we privatised the company.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I put it to the Minister that if his Government sells the forest crop, the same problem will arise.

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The 2010 budget for rural environment protection scheme payments was €329 million and the entire sum was spent. In 2011, the Government was left €337 million by its predecessor but spent only €276 million of it, leaving €61 million unspent. The budget for REPS this year is €243 million. Next year, it will be €165 million, a reduction of €172...

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I also noted in all the discussions on the Common Agricultural Policy that the only one of the Commissioner's proposals the Minister never refers to is the recommendation that special assistance be given to areas of natural constraint. We hear much euphemistic talk about productive farmers, the implication being that the farmers in receipt of large payments are responsible for all the...

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In addition, 90% of farmers receive a single payment of less than €25,000 per annum. This group also includes many productive farmers. Payments of less than €50,000 per annum are made to 98% of farmers. Does the Minister believe this group includes a large number of unproductive farmers?

Agriculture: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (10 Oct 2012)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Two percent of farmers receive a payment of more than €50,000 per annum. The efforts of the Minister appear to be to protect the 2% at the expense of the 98%. There is a sleight of hand taking place in favour of the 2% at the top. We will fight him on that issue.