Results 441-460 of 6,944 for speaker:Michael McNamara

Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I move amendment No. 19: In page 17, to delete lines 31 to 35, and in page 18, to delete lines 1 to 19. Amendment No. 19 essentially proposes the removal the office of príomh chomhairleoir. I alluded to this on Committee Stage and earlier tonight. For the life of me, I cannot understand, given we were promised to have a new mayor who was going to have specific powers, how we will...

Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: Yes. If Limerick were to win a fifth all-Ireland, and if the manager of Limerick was not to be the directly elected mayor by the time that happens, it may be the case that the directly elected mayor might want to nominate-----

Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I have had an interest in Limerick for all my life. I have never felt the need to hide that, but obviously I do like to see Limerick defeated when they play Clare in hurling matches. Above and beyond that, I am quite a supporter of Limerick. To go back to more serious points, why should the directly elected mayor, with all the powers he or she will have, not be able to nominate somebody for...

Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I was going to say that I too wish to speak in favour of amendment No. 9, but I am not quite clear whether Deputy Leddin has spoken in favour of the amendment or against it. In any event, I believe it is an important amendment. Unlike Deputies Leddin and Quinlivan, I do not live in Limerick and did not vote in the Limerick plebiscite, but I have an interest in Limerick. I grew up 20 miles...

Digital Services Bill 2023: Second Stage (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I certainly will not utilise that. If Deputy Wynne needs additional time, I am happy to share.

Digital Services Bill 2023: Second Stage (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I have reservations about some aspects of the Bill. How Covid played out in the media was an enlightening and salutary experience for me. It was a strange thing to see what happened to medical doctors and people who head research centres in universities. I am thinking in particular of Professor Carl Heneghan, a British academic. Some of what he said was being flagged on Facebook as...

Increased Fossil Fuel Divestment: Motion [Private Members] (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I thank my colleague Deputy Pringle for bringing forward this motion which I support, but with certain caveats or clarifications which I might seek. I very much support the spirit of the motion. There has been a lot of talk in Ireland about developing renewables. There has been a lot less action from the Government in actually developing renewables. We see that there has been an increase...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: The Minister of State outlined the reasons for the delay, including the fact that it is not scored like the previous measures. However, it was the Department that determined there would be scoring in this. The Department set all the parameters of the scheme. Farmers had a simple choice to make, take it or leave it. They took it because they believed they had nothing to lose. In fact,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: Yes, I am out of time. However, the Minister is arguably out of order by not being here. That is all fine with the Ceann Comhairle's office.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: It is a pity the Minister does not take some of his speaking time.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Schemes (13 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, for coming in this morning. I note that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is not here. I very much appreciate the Minister of State who has come in here although it is not for her Department. I know the Minister was at COP but he is back; he was around the House last night. We were told that in the event the Minister was not here and...

Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023: Instruction to Committee (12 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I would be loath to call a vote on a motion to recommit something to committee but I have two reservations I want to outline to the Minister of State and to the House. The first concerns the subject matter of the proposed amendments for which the Bill is being recommitted. Do I understand correctly that those amendments have almost nothing to do with the mayor of Limerick? Did somebody do...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: Will we have time to debate the powers of devolution?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: Will the debate on the mayor of Limerick Bill be guillotined?

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: I thank the Taoiseach.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: The Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Bill 2023 is on the agenda this week. In 2019 the people of Limerick voted to have a directly elected mayor. It may not be the only one in the country, but it will certainly be the first. They were told he or she would have executive powers, notwithstanding that many of the powers of the CEO are not being transferred over. Many of the powers of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (12 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: 619. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Clare who has received the 2023 single farm payment is not allowed by the Department’s computer system to apply for ACRES tier 2 scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54928/23]

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: Exactly. What we do not want is a scenario like the one in "My Cousin Vinny" where there are very high-powered legal teams on one side but not on the other because the costs that can be obtained are so low. We have never had an inequality of arms in Ireland.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: The Minister can come back in at the end. I have very limited time.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Michael McNamara: Yes, Vinny won the case but that was Hollywood. There are many Vinnys who do not win. The Innocence Project in America works with lots of people who claim they were badly represented. Indeed, there are people in jails in Ireland who would claim they were badly represented. What we want to make sure is that people are not deterred on the basis of fees and that fees are not intentionally...