Results 981-1,000 of 10,843 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: 1512. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports that will be put in place for marts as a result of the move to level 5 Covid-19 restrictions; if provision will be made for bidders to attend marts in person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32649/20]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: 1526. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for the implementation of the criteria set out by the European Council decision of 21 October 2021 that 20% of Pillar 1 funds should be ringfenced for eco-schemes; if participation in eco-schemes will be mandatory for every farmer here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33121/20]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Medicinal Products (3 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: 1527. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department had issued approval for the use of a product (details supplied), the date of approval; the procedures employed prior to approval; the reason for recall of the product; the dates that concerns were raised; the date that the decision was made; the procedures for notification of the recall; and if he will make a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe go léir. I thank Mr. O'Brien for that and thank Mr. McAuley for his opening statement. They will not find much argument in this room that forestry policy is a mess in this State. We have had several conversations about it. It takes a special type of incompetence of the highest order to have a policy that pleases absolutely nobody. From the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Fair play to the Chairman but I am saying the Ministers clearly identified the backlog in appeals as being the core issue at play while ignoring their own culpability in the fact that we are currently facing a crisis.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: It is very important that this committee hears all of the arguments in respect of this because, as we have said on a number of occasions, we need to get forestry policy right for many different areas. There is much in what we have heard today, both in terms of the forestry industry but also regarding the alternative position. I thank Mr. Gowran for his contribution. On his position with...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: We could bamboozle people with reference to the Committee on Procedures and standards and committees and all of this type of thing. Essentially, the procedures and Standing Orders which are in place state the Committee of Public Accounts cannot discuss a pertinent, ongoing, current situation without the approval of Government. That undermines exactly what the Committee of Public Accounts...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: To clarify, what we did in respect of the Department of Education is what we are now agreeing to do. We wrote to the Department asking it to attend. I do not know what the mechanism was, but through that process the committee received a letter from the Ceann Comhairle informing us in blunt terms that we were not to discuss the issues in respect of which we had invited the Department. We...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Did we write to him first?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: Would we be obliged to do so if we followed the Comptroller and Auditor General's proposal?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: This item arises from previous correspondence the committee received with respect to the Department's accounts. The Department spent something in the region of €33,000 on media monitoring services. I had submitted parliamentary questions on this matter to other Departments, as had Deputy Catherine Murphy. Several Departments employ external media monitoring services. Can the...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: I am just seeking an analysis in the first instance. It may then be something into which we could look further because it appears that a lot of money is being spent in this regard.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: If I recall the correspondence we sent to the Department correctly, we asked why there was such a small number recruited to Irish language posts. In the response we received, it was clarified that the situation was even worse than had been suggested in the original correspondence. I propose that we bring this matter to the attention of the Joint Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: It is interesting to see what is defined as a disability in the correspondence.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: No, not on that issue. I want come in on No. 175.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: On that, I just had a quick glance over this. Essentially, this is in regard to procurement. We had asked for a briefing and they sent us a comprehensive response - comprehensive in that it is lengthy. However, it essentially just repeats the information, and its core aspect is that it repeats the lack of appropriate ICT capacity and integration, saying again that this is the key...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: This was in response to that, I understand. Their answer is just to say they know what the problem is.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: I agree with everything Deputy Murphy has said. I find the answer concerning. It talks again about the difficulties with ICT and states that while the university is engaging with the vendors to develop a solution for this, it is not clear that a viable software solution will be found. This is a university saying it cannot find a software system that allows people to get paid for their...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (4 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: It is just to seek an update in January or February of next year.

Finance Bill 2020: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Matt Carthy: This is the Finance Bill which followed on from the budget. We will recall the budget announcement when we heard one Government spokesman person after another cry out that this was the largest budget in the history of the State. We were all deafened by the assertions of that statement and yet it is ironic that that statement has been met by the numbers of people who have told us in the days...