Results 641-660 of 7,265 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Education and Upskilling in the Agriculture Sector (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My general thinking would be that we have the converted who go into agricultural science and who go to the ploughing championships because they are from a farming background, generally. They are the youngsters who are mad to go on a bus from school to the championships but we need to get to the youngsters who are not doing agricultural science in school but are doing art or something else....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Education and Upskilling in the Agriculture Sector (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is not such a bad thing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for coming in. It has been 15 or 20 years since I met Mr. Silke to discuss bogs and designations. Mr. Broderick spoke about this committee and I will give him a few straight truths. There is no point in waffling and saying we are great people. The first thing is that the Shannon has not been drained in 100 years. As for the ground beside it, the Callows, to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: He should be de-ministered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Everyone sees it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Silke is right in what he is saying, but the law is an ass at the moment, to be frank about it. All that habitat is being lost but if people try to put a machine or dredger into it, the largest window they will have is 12 weeks. They have to go through paperwork. There is a place called the Four Courts which people love going to. In the European Court of Justice judgments,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We could either go there or does this come under the nature conservation law? I do not know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Ireland's MEPs voted for the nature restoration law, where that is going to cause flooding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I spoke there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will give Mr. Ryan a clear definition. Under the habitats directive, the definition of an emergency is that it has to be ongoing. Sorry for interrupting Deputy Nolan but Mr. Ryan just asked me what that was. The problem is that if there is a flood and the water levels go down, it is not an emergency, whereas if it is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Concerns for Sourcing Winter Animal Feed in Shannon Callows Area: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My apologies, Deputy Nolan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Education and Upskilling in the Agriculture Sector (8 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Staying on education, I looked at the numbers going back over the years and there were some years when there were low numbers. I think there were 1,700 or 1,800 doing the likes of the green certificate. What does that equate to down the road in farming? Are we holding our own? Dr. Butler mentioned the 50 years of EU membership. The numbers of farmers have gone backwards since we joined....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Investigations (7 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving us this time. Cattle do not go from 200 kg to 400 kg overnight. There is some reason for this. The cattle were pining away and then after a certain length of time they started thriving because a place was closed, to put it simply. You do not have to be a scientist or a vet to know that; it is weights on scales that will tell, and it is obvious when a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Investigations (7 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: In fairness UCD was not able to search for some stuff. The Minister should have a look at that and read it. It is there in black and white.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Investigations (7 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Look at the terms and conditions for what each one looked at.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Investigations (7 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Cadmium is the problem. If it cannot be investigated then there is a problem.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Environmental Investigations (7 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is not every day that someone from Monaghan and someone from Galway, which, in fairness to the Deputies here, are not near Dan Brennan's farm, come together. When Dan Brennan came in, I did not know him from Adam. The words of the song "Willie McBride", "torn, battered and stained", came to my head. He has gone through hell and back with his family. When you listen to his story, it is...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (7 Nov 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 728. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made on the review requested on behalf of a person (details supplied) who is in receipt of a State pension (contributory) and,, as a result of an error, has had their qualified adult allowance stopped; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47744/23]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (26 Oct 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 240. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the cost to his Department of outsourced ecology services for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47140/23]