Results 5,381-5,400 of 10,791 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: For clarification on points 6 and 7 of Head 10, am I correct in understanding that a year after the board is established, and every year after that, one of the members will have to resign? I can understand it is good practice that somebody would step back when a body is place so that there is renewal. I am sorry, are we after missing a vote?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: The Government did not lose. I apologise for that, I did not even see it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: The Minister mentioned earlier - and I think he has committed to this - that farm organisations will be represented on the board. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: Are we leaving for a vote?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am togging out now. I hope we do not have to make that trek too often tonight. Regarding the board and reappointments annually or the removal of members, if two members of the board are primary producers, will their replacements automatically be primary producers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: I will move to heads 8 and 9 if nobody else has anything on that point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: The Minister mentioned earlier that the Public Appointments Service will be used. Is that in the heads of the Bill?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: I wish to address that one.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: On head 38-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: You were flying.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: I am sorry for breaking your stride.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: Head 38(1) concerns the office's ability to initiate and conduct investigations on its own initiative or on the basis of a complaint. I will take the first part first and the reference to the office's "own initiative". This also goes back to the earlier point. What capacity and power does the office have to conduct have to conduct investigations on its own initiative? Is the Minister...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: How many times have those powers been used to date?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: Those are precisely the same powers that will be conferred on the new body.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: On the basis of a complaint then and from some of the submissions we received, there are concerns is respect of head 38(3)(b). It states, "Other organisations that have a legitimate interest in representing suppliers shall have the right to submit complaints". Does that exclude individuals, for example, an individual farmer, from making a complaint under that article? It appears it will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: The Minister is saying that also relates to individuals, under head 38(3).

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: Yes. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, and the IFA have made submissions and drawn attention to confidentiality being particularly important. Is that a shortcoming, in the Minister's view? This is in respect of head 38(4).

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: I move to head 38(5)(a) that provides the office can decide not to investigate complaints it considers frivolous or vexatious. Going back to my earlier question, if I contacted the office and said I think a cartel is operating in the meat factories, would the Minister consider that to be vexatious or a legitimate complaint? I refer to the new office rather than the Minister personally.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: I accept that. The definition is important.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Matt Carthy: The submissions requested that it be strengthened rather than undermined, so the default position would be that the complainant's identity would not be publicised-----