Results 6,001-6,020 of 6,295 for speaker:Michael D'Arcy
- Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (3 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 111: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the countries he will make visits to during the next six months; the purposes of these visits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43892/08]
- Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 413: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his attention has been drawn to the cases of people who have incurred expense in lodging proceedings with their solicitors for applications under the early retirement scheme from farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43811/08]
- Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 414: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of people about to apply or who currently have leases prepared for the early retirement scheme from farming; the cost to his Department of such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43812/08]
- Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 415: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the cost of the early retirement scheme from farming to the State over the past five years; the breakdown for each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43813/08]
- Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: I am disappointed with the representation of Members on the other side of the House. I would like to know where are all the Members opposite. Are they hiding or cowering somewhere rather than facing the music? This is practically the only parliamentary instrument available to the Opposition to apply pressure on the Government. Contrary to the view of some Government backbenchers, people...
- Agriculture: Motion (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: How much money will it save â â¬8 million? The farming sector has been the last refuge of construction for months. Every penny being paid out in grant aid was being matched by the farming sector. The cost to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of employing staff in this area is â¬75,000. When will we see genuine reform rather than protectionism within that Department? I...
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 75: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has new plans to extend a grant or incentive to improve the energy efficiency of existing properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44088/08]
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: On a point of information, the map distributed by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources shows that no broadband is available in the part of north County Wexford in which I live. For the Minister's information, there is only dial-up.
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: It was a point of order.
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Following on from the pilot programme, the 2009 allocation of â¬20 million shows a decided lack of ambition. This is sad because I believe the Minister and his colleague from the Green Party, the Minister, Deputy Gormley, are eager to try to implement such measures. However, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has not shown strength of character by standing up to fight for additional funds. Were...
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Is there scope to try to expand the fund of â¬20 million, especially as, apart from the warmer homes scheme to which the Minister referred, he also finished off the greener homes scheme. Consequently, no real additional funding is available, which is disappointing from someone who espouses views that he intends to improve the energy efficiency of properties.
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: The Minister's lack of ambition can only be described as startling. A grant of â¬2,000 for a house â any of those older houses â is not even a carrot on the stick; it is just a stick with the string and no carrot. Frankly, anybody who has an old property to be converted for energy efficiency will tell him that.
- Housing Grants. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: The question is coming. Can I pursue the matter of the Minister's discussions with the banks? How did he get on with the banks? Were they favourably disposed towards this when he was only offering â¬2,000 â I am using the Minister's figure, not my own? As I stated earlier, â¬2,000 is of no real benefit.
- Alternative Energy Projects. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: The planting of bio-fuels on good land is a crime against humanity and nothing will ever convince me otherwise. The products to which the Minister referred do not amount to anything but bio-methane could be hugely beneficial given the issues that have arisen in regard to the present numbers of bovine stock. We should be trying to turn negatives into positives. A number of bio-methane units...
- Alternative Energy Projects. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: It is coming.
- Alternative Energy Projects. (2 Dec 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: This country's bovine stock numbers run to millions. Will the Minister consider making funds available to determine the size at which a herd can become a viable bio-methane unit?
- Written Answers — Building Energy Rating: Building Energy Rating (27 Nov 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 14: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of people qualified to conduct energy efficiency surveys of lived in dwellings as part of the building energy rating programme; if he will use January 2009 as a start date for BER ratings of used dwellings for sale and rent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43135/08]
- Written Answers — Care of the Elderly: Care of the Elderly (25 Nov 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: Question 111: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she plans to allow a full debate on the legislation for the proposed fair deal scheme for funding nursing home care; when it is planned to do same; when the scheme will be implemented in view of the fact that the uncertainty surrounding the scheme is causing anxiety to elderly people; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Gangland Crime: Motion: (Resumed) (19 Nov 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: I wish to share time with Deputies Dan Neville and Charles Flanagan.
- Gangland Crime: Motion: (Resumed) (19 Nov 2008)
Michael D'Arcy: I wish to touch on an issue that has not been raised earlier in respect of the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB. I refer to what I should describe as a chestnut of mine, namely, a regional version of CAB. For too long, CAB has focused exclusively on the major players. While I can understand the logic behind this, it also would be logical to establish a regional version of CAB that would be able...