Results 4,041-4,060 of 7,789 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (3 Feb 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 777. To ask the Minister for Health if agency healthcare workers will receive the Covid-19 vaccine with HSE healthcare workers; if not, when they can expect to receive the vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5570/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: The Impact of Brexit on the Agriculture Industry: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Feb 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Minister and his officials for their attendance. I have a couple of questions and ask him to note them. At present, factories or operators that make meal bins export them but they are having serious problems acquiring the materials from the UK. The farming community buys an awful lot of machinery from auctioneers such as Cambridge Machinery Sales but as many as one in three...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: The Impact of Brexit on the Agriculture Industry: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Feb 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: There is a serious problem looming for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and maybe another Department. Farmers pay a levy when they buy plastic bale wrap. Such plastic is stacked up everywhere because it is not being sent to the UK at the moment. As this appears to be a total mess at present, we must do something in this country to address the problem such as using it to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I can hear Deputy Carthy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses. I will ask quick-fire questions. They might give me short, sharp answers because I have a good few questions. I will start with questions for Mr. Dunne. How long on average does it take to process applications for forestry, planting or road licences?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, I am asking what the average time is since November, whether it is three months, nine months or a year? If I send in an application to the Department, for planting, felling or a road licence, how long on average is it taking the Department?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, I am asking how long would it take were I to put in an application right now. How long, on average, has it taken over the past three months? If I had put in an application three months ago, would I be through the gate by now? Forget about appeals, I am not talking about that, just the Department. How long has it taken to process an application? It is a simple question. The second...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Lovely, that is grand. It was brought to my attention and that of the committee that the forestry inspectorate branch of Fórsa sent letters on 17 October 2019, 17 December 2019, 9 January 2020 and 24 July 2020. Mr. Dunne's name was on one letter I have seen. Is Mr. Dunne aware of the concerns expressed in these letters that they were not in a position to be doing this work?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Dunne received the letters, he is aware of them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Lovely, I thank Mr. Dunne. Is the head ecologist in the Department in charge of all environmental issues? Has he or she the final word?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Therefore they have the final say on ecology but they have not the final say on anything else, is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Must the head of environment in the Department be an ecologist or is that person an ecologist?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Dunne mentioned earlier a not planting figure of about 60%. I totted the figures up quickly. For the Department to hit 8,000 ha per year, it would need to be hitting 14,000 ha in terms of applications. Does the Department realistically believe that will happen?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank Mr. Dunne. I will deal with Mr. Hayes now in terms of my questions. Mr. Dunne stated that he was aware of the Fórsa letters that were sent to the Department and its HR section. Mr. Hayes is assistant Secretary General. He said at the previous meeting that he was not aware of anything like that happening.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I asked Mr. Hayes-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Hold on now. We can go back on his answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I asked Mr. Hayes if he was aware that forestry inspectors had issues in that they did not want to carry out the works and that they had made the Department aware of that "in your Department". Those were the exact words I used. Mr. Hayes said he was not aware of it. Is he aware of what Mr. Dunne said he was aware of?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: When he was before the committee in November, Mr. Hayes referred to 1,900 applications and he looked at me as if I had not added up the figures right. In fact, I was short. There were 4,500 applications. How could Mr. Hayes come before the committee and be that amount short in terms of the figures?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Department of Agriculture and the Marine (29 Jan 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes.