Results 1,761-1,780 of 7,789 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Future of the Tillage Sector in Ireland: Discussion (17 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. Professor Doohan spoke on energy crops and so on that are successful in other countries. A lot of maize is imported into Ireland. The witnesses are considering crops that may be able to be grown in Ireland to replace that dependence. How far advanced is that work? It would be great if we could reduce the imports of products such as maize. ...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Future of the Tillage Sector in Ireland: Discussion (17 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: With regard to grass in different parts of the country, there is grass seed that one can adapt to different types of land and it is fairly successful. We do not seem to have attained success in the tillage sector to the same extent as in the grass sector. Why is that and are we moving to resolve that? I agree with Professor Ferguson about the great progress made in the genomic aspect of...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Future of the Tillage Sector in Ireland: Discussion (17 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. In a year that Minch Malt does not get the protein that was mentioned, does it hold its Origin Green status? In the line of price, the witnesses mentioned meeting the IFA. Do the brewers and distillers and everyone come together then? At the end of the day, Minch Malt is meeting one party that it is buying something from. The farmer is a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Future of the Tillage Sector in Ireland: Discussion (17 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I will tell the witness. Farmers get €200 an acre to sow spruce trees on the land. The single farm payment is on top of that, and is guaranteed for 15 years. Does the witness not think it is an insult to farmers to have to survive on that?
- Water Services Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Obstacles are being put in front of Irish Water such as in Lough Talt in Sligo where it is willing to put in a new system to upgrade the water quality because of the danger of trihalomethanes, THMs. Water has been extracted here for 30 or 40 years by Sligo County Council but now, because of new regulations and even though the same water is coming out today, the council will not give Irish...
- Correcting Pension Inequities: Motion [Private Members] (18 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I support it fully. I commend Age Action Ireland, the ICA and each individual who picked up the telephone to contact Deputies in recent years to highlight this grave injustice. Many women were forced to give up work, as everybody knows, and stay at home. They reared the next generation. In fact, some of those present are of the...
- Housing: Motion [Private Members] (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. Everyone knows that there is a housing crisis, especially in the major cities. Approximately one year ago, I proposed a points system, which other countries have used, as it may attract people to move to other areas. They may not want to go to there long-term but they would get points that would give them priority on the housing list in an...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I would like to ask Mr. Cogan if Ireland, given our weather, is fit to produce sunflower oil. I also have a question for the witnesses from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine on the production of bioethanol. My understanding is that bioethanol can be produced from pulp for cattle and that it is possible to produce a biodegradable...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Is that a grant for a road to allow thinnings to be transported?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: It is money in the pockets of landowners.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Is it that it needs a proper tariff?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Can I just ask Mr. Brady one question? Does it make sense to import this biomass, burn it at 40% efficiency to produce electricity and pay the person to participate in the RHI because we are not providing an incentive to Irish farmers to produce something when it can be bought or produced cheaper abroad? We will never solve it if that is the road we go down.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: Can one say if it is Europe?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I think one can.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: If the Department is looking at this and incentivising people, it must compete with the fossil fuel side because it is much cheaper. Regardless of whether we like it, would Mr. Brady agree this will cost a lot of money? It is subsidisation.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: I will be very brief. If I have forestry or sequestration practices on my farm, who gets the carbon credits?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: If I plant forestry on my land, is Dr. Hendrick saying that the State is using the carbon credits even though it is my forestry?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: However, carbon credits are traded around the world and people own them. Is Dr. Hendrick saying we are different, that the State uses them and that the farmer does not own the carbon credits on his land?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: The witness is saying one cannot trade a carbon credit, even if one owns it, in Ireland.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Directive: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)
Michael Fitzmaurice: If I own a forestry can I go on the American market? The Department might be using it but can I use it if I own the forestry? There are places in America where one can trade credits. Can the individual do that?