Results 561-580 of 4,010 for speaker:Jennifer Whitmore

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: 453. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the expected date on which farmers awaiting payment under the ACRES co-operation scheme will be paid, in view that previously confirmed payments due to commence in February 2024 have now been changed to interim payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7574/24]

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: In 2018, the BusConnects plan was launched. We knew it would take time to get that into place. Unfortunately, we have not seen the speed of implementation we should see. In my constituency of Wicklow, 58,000 people travel to work every year; only 2,500 of those travel by bus. There is huge potential to get people out of private cars and into buses, if the bus service was there. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank our guests for their submissions this morning. It is really interesting. I could spend all day talking about this issue. Professor Whelan said we should look on this on a catchment level, and I think that is important. If one is dealing with any aquatic issue, catchment level is the best way to look at it. I have a question for IFI. When IFI identified the 257 barriers to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: It is not just a matter of looking at the catchment holistically but also at the various agencies and the other work under way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: Last year, more than €600 million was allocated to the upgrading of roads. I believe it was the Minister, Deputy Ryan, under his transport portfolio who allocated it. That funding was also meant to remediate or upgrade bridges. Did IFI have any engagement on that? If a bridge’s apron or a culvert is problematic for whatever reason, did IFI work with those agencies and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: That is an important point. May I ask another question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: That is fair. We will keep talking until the Chair stops me. I will turn now to the Rivers Trust. I am a director of the East Wicklow Rivers Trust, which is working on a remediation project in Ballinglen with IFI, Wicklow County Council and the local authority waters programme, LAWPRO. The issue of partnership is important because this is about getting and using the resources that are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: It sounds like there is an awful lot of work in that and that it will take a long time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: How long has the Slaney River Trust been working on this particular weir?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: On the project in total, are we talking about ten years or something?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: Which is an incredible amount of work. Think about the length of time spent trying to remediate something everyone says needs to be remediated and it is still not done. It is left to volunteers to try to manage and drive forward.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: Yes, I will on that point because the concept of a stronghold is really important. It is about protecting what you have and making sure there can be no degradation of that resource, whether it be a forest or river. That is what we should be looking at. My question to IFI is whether it is something it is looking at and monitoring. Has IFI identified those stronghold rivers and worked with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: My next question is about the IFI's resources. Mr. O'Donnell mentioned that the IFI is looking at a 50 to 60 year programme for the national barrier programme. However, if we are talking about crisis management, we need to ask whether we should be expediting that. It is great that IFI is getting 36 new staff, but should it be getting more? This is clearly a really important area. We are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: Are the initial 12 jobs that will grow to 36 contract positions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: IFI has no commitment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: I will ask one more question. IFI has identified 257 barriers. Under the biodiversity plan the ambition is for 300 km of waterways to be freed up. I imagine the 257 barriers is more ambitious than the 300 km.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: Ideally, what you would want in that team, is people who not only have the skills to do the work, but also have the skills to teach and train because we need to have them going out to the local authorities and all the different agencies so that engineers who are doing work there will be up to date with what is needed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fish Migration and Barriers to Migration: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: It is also important to ensure the rivers trusts are funded properly so that project management staff can be funded within them to drive these projects so it is not all left to volunteers.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: 156. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment how the Government plans to support the raising of funds for construction of community electricity generation projects; if the Government plans to create green financing packages that will allow such projects to access funds to ensure they are financially viable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6125/24]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (13 Feb 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: 157. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the specific Government targets and timelines for community electricity generation projects; the amount of energy that community electricity generation projects currently generate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6126/24]