Results 641-660 of 766 for speaker:Pippa Hackett

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: The Deputy highlighted the work of Jo O'Hara, who has stayed on as a member of the project board, which oversees the work of the project woodland. Before questions in the Chamber today, I was on the European Forest Institute conference. There is a Europe-wide forestry strategy being created at the moment. The interaction between what we do here and across Europe is important, including...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputies. I agree that perhaps in the past there has been too much of an industry-led focus on this. Perhaps this is why we have ended up with the complications we now see with forestry and the acceptance in communities and acceptance among environmentalists also. My forestry policy group is made up of 25 people at the moment. I would categorise there being one third from...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I accept what both Deputies are saying and that this is tiny portion compared to what we have extracted over the decades for energy production and so forth. Those are the questions the working group has been charged with and I am hoping to get some answers from it on this. As I said, the group reports to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, but certainly it is directly affecting the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: It should be noted at the outset that my Department has no role in the regulation or control of peat extraction. However, I am very aware of the current dependence of the horticultural industry on the availability of peat moss. Following on from the publication of a report on the review of the use of peat moss in the horticulture industry by the Department of Housing, Local Government...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Horticulture Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: The Deputy's question relates to mushrooms and the wider horticulture sector. The decision by Bord na Móna to cease harvesting has directly affected the sector. The mushroom industry does not tend to acquire peat from Bord na Móna, so it has a slightly different problem, albeit we are going to reach a stage at some time in the future when nobody will be using peat for...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: Do I address all three Deputies? Deputy Browne has a specific question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I will not be able to respond to that in this time.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I have only five seconds left.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I do not think the situation has got worse. I agree that it is not a lot better, but it certainly has not got worse. Forestry and related issues, particularly the resolution of licensing issues, are a major priority for the Department and me. We recognise the importance of forestry to farmers, forest owners, forestry contractors, sawmills, nurseries, wood processors and the wider rural...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: The EU average of 7.5% was the agreed figure we worked off for the programme for Government. That is a significantly ambitious target. I appreciate it is not near the EU's target of 25%. However, the EU currently has an average land area of between 8% and 8.5% given over to organics. Even across the EU, to get from 8.5% to 25% by 2030 is also hugely ambitious. We will work closely with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: The scheme is not the only mechanism. Many operators can operate without the scheme. They may not need the financial assistance but they are still organic farming and are assessed by the organic certification bodies. The incentive is there to encourage people into it. Some people find they can operate perfectly and profitably without the assistance of the offer of the moneys through the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputy for his question. Driving the development of the Irish organic sector is a major priority for me and my Department. We have set the highest level of ambition ever for the sector in the programme for Government with an aim to reach the EU average of land farmed organically during the lifetime of this Government. We are also committed to the full implementation of the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: Last week, the wonderful Lough Boora Discovery Park, County Offaly, made the headlines albeit for rather unfortunate reasons. The outcome of a Bord na Móna tender for a bicycle hire business there saw the incumbent well-respected local business owner lose out with a consequent outpouring of community-wide disappointment and anger. In the wake of the decision, there were some ridiculous...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aquaculture Licences (30 Apr 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I take on board the comments made by Senator Lombard regarding transparency. It is important in any licensing process. I am usually talking about forestry licensing, so it is good to be here to substitute for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, to talk about aquaculture licensing. He sends his apologies that he cannot be here to respond to this matter in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aquaculture Licences (30 Apr 2021)

Pippa Hackett: As I started my opening speech, I will start this one by agreeing that transparency is important in this process so that people in the communities in which these licences are sought are aware of what is happening, and indeed the applicant him or herself. I can only speak to what has happened in the forestry sector in terms of licences. We have a forestry licence viewer, which is a new, more...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Apr 2021)

Pippa Hackett: Last Friday KBC decided to pull out of the Irish market. This follows the decisions of Ulster Bank to do the same and of Bank of Ireland to close 88 of its branches in our State later this year, causing much distress in many Irish towns. As it is clear that private banking is not serving us well, it is time to reconsider our options. Public banking has been a policy of the Green Party for...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: It has been a busy time for Government. Despite the ongoing issues in relation to Covid, the business of Government continues. Last week we saw the landmark Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 passed by Cabinet, and a new pollinator plan was launched before the weekend. Today, the Government will launch its new rural development policy, Our Rural Future. That...

Seanad: International Women's Day: Statements (8 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: It is great to be here on International Women's Day. The theme of this year's International Women's Day is choosing to challenge. That is something that can resonate with all of us, men or women. We must challenge the status quo, policy, gender balance, inequality, sexism and misogyny.Yet, as a woman, I do not want to focus on those gendered issues, and I do not want to be defined by my...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environment Fund (1 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank Senator Carrigy for raising this issue. I apologise that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, cannot be here to take the Commencement matter. Senator Carrigy highlighted many of the points in his address. Ireland's peatlands are part of Europe's oldest surviving near natural ecosystems. Due to their conservation value, more than 26,000 ha of raised bogs are protected under the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environment Fund (1 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Senator. He is right to raise this issue, whether it relates to Longford, Offaly, Kildare or any area with such a wealth of potential in their peatlands. We have to look at them all. I completely agree with the idea of encouraging schools and communities to visit such sites, not only for their cultural and historical significance but for their future biodiversity and ecosystem...