Results 521-540 of 2,343 for speaker:Michael Colreavy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: My point is that we do not have the draft Bill and do not, therefore, have enough information to enable us to make a valuable contribution to the discussion. What we are looking at today is the intention behind different Parts of the Bill. I might be wrong and this may turn out to be a very useful discussion, but at this point in time I cannot see what value I, for one, can add to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: Was it the intention that the draft Bill would be circulated prior to the meeting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: As far as I am aware, I did not receive the draft Bill.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: It may have come in and I did not notice it. I would have had different comments had I been aware the draft Bill was made available. I have several points in regard to what has been presented today. I note that environmental matters and issues to do with petroleum and so on will be dealt with in separate legislation. That needs to be examined very closely because there are processes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I have a final question. It is one I asked in the Dáil previously but I did not get an answer to it. Will this legislation cover the rights of landowners and property owners or occupiers in respect of subterranean drilling under their land or properties?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I take it from the reply that the legal rights of landowners, property owners or property occupiers if there is to be horizontal drilling under their land or property are, at best, unclear or probably non-existent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: Yes, or drilling that can go from one patch of land to another.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: Yes, subterranean.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: It might not be a temporary activity. When the exploratory part is done they might say: "We like the stones we are getting from here and we want more of them, so we are going to continue to go there and take them out."

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: My initial question still stands. What legal rights or protections do land or property owners or property occupiers have in respect of subterranean drilling under the land or properties they own or occupy? It is very much a grey area. Will that be covered by the legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I take it from that that landowners and property occupies have no legal rights.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I am not arguing about this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I am simply trying to establish the legal position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: Does this apply whether for minerals or fracking?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I will make one suggestion. It needs to be clarified in the first line of any public statements that the Department makes on this legislation that this does not cover oil or gas because it will generate a lot of unnecessary concern otherwise. It should be made very clear every time in the first sentence, even if Mr. Breslin gets bored writing it, that this does not include oil or gas.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Minerals Development Bill 2014: Discussion (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I am talking more about statements on television.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Better Energy Homes Scheme Administration (31 Mar 2015)

Michael Colreavy: 685. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 1 October 2014, the start and end dates of the validation exercise to which he refers in his reply. [12722/15]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Tax Reliefs Availability (31 Mar 2015)

Michael Colreavy: 686. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans regarding rebates for persons or businesses selling electricity back to the grid using photovoltaic solar panels. [12848/15]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: RTE: Governance Issues (25 Mar 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I thank the delegates who are very welcome. I believed Ms Doherty was being a little defensive when she said it made little sense that RTE could or would perpetuate political bias in its output, as suggested by the invitation. I did not believe that there was any suggestion of perpetuation of political bias but I have to admit that when I hear some of the questions and comments that are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: RTE: Governance Issues (25 Mar 2015)

Michael Colreavy: I can recall the final point I want to make about participative democracy and broadcasting. If the platform had been available six, seven or eight years ago those who forewarned the economic crash probably would have been listened to an awful lot more. Those voices did exist but they were smothered by numbers, the media and broadcasting. That will be the value of audience discussions and...