Results 101-120 of 312 for speaker:William Aird

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (21 May 2025)

William Aird: 197. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on the Town Centre First Policy; to provide a breakdown and the amount awarded and drawn down per town in County Laois; when he expects phase two; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26243/25]

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (21 May 2025)

William Aird: 198. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of each individual project approved under the town and village renewal scheme in County Laois in 2024, the grant approved for each project, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26244/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (22 May 2025)

William Aird: 47. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the third level fee supports that exist for graduate medical students who have attended third level college in Ireland; if none are in place, his future plans for this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25997/25]

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 May 2025)

William Aird: Graduate medical students are under huge pressure from fees, accommodation, travel expenses and the cost of living. They receive no SUSI grant, no Government supports and no access to loans. Their options are to drop out, to work 12-hour weekend shifts or to rely on parents for financial support. This is unfair, especially to students from rural communities where we urgently need to see...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: That covers that. It covers everything.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: That includes all farming when you break down the headings.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: It covers all types of farming.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: Chair, you gave an extra two minutes, so you should give everyone else extra time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: Everyone else was given two minutes extra. You have to be fair, Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: Can we fix the clock?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: That is grand.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: I am delighted to speak here today. I welcome the Minister. He came in at such short notice. Fair play to him. He is doing a very good job. I welcome the officials. As a farmer, I have seen huge changes down through the years. Whatever scheme is coming out, will the Minister please make it easy for us to fill up the forms? It has been detrimental and the Department has been very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: No, I am not paraphrasing. I hope we have it taped. Go back. That is exactly what he said. The Minister did say it and I will quote him for the next-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: The Minister did say it. The Minister said there would be no fines. I attended the meeting in Athlone. There are all different views out there. Farmers were coming out of that meeting terrified of what was going to happen. Traditionally in farming, we all knew the land like the back of our hands. We knew what was the wet field and what day of the year we could go out. Farmers had to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: Is the €32 million to be paid to the tillage sector as part of the budget this year, which is €40 per hectare, going to be ring-fenced for the next five years? The crop diversification rules appear to be having a negative impact on tillage. This is one for the officials that came up with this. Many farmers are reducing their crop areas. We can see that every day. They...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: The Cathaoirleach was being flexible earlier on. I will be as quick as I can. Someone else says I have two minutes. TB is the most pressing thing in the mind of every one of my farming colleagues at the moment. Every farmer out there is terrified of a TB test. I went years and years and we never had that at home. One would be afraid of it, but it was more the nuisance of having to get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: No. More importantly for the Minister, I have here the form for a bullock that went down. The Minister is a farmer. There is the result: €3,685, which was what the valuer had put in for the bullock. The bullock was brought to the factory and it was at 810 kg live weight. The value the Department negotiated was €5.32 per kilo. That animal showed no lesions whatsoever, they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: No, I will finish on this one. If the Minister had been selling that animal out of his farm, he would have got €8 per kilo that day. That was the price. It came to €3,752. Look at the value. In fairness to the man who valued it, he was only €70 out. I put it to the Minister that there is the problem. The Minister owes the man named on that form €785. I want...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: That man-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

William Aird: No, this is important. That man got a back saying "Please find enclosed check for €3,000 for your animal". The man lifted the phone, rang the Department and said, "I am owed €785"-----