Results 721-740 of 7,773 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (9 Apr 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1011. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 165 of 6 March 2024, if he will consider appointing his full cohort of three directors to the Board of Directors of the Irish Horse Board, including directors with international marketing expertise and governance expertise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14820/24]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (9 Apr 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1012. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to explain how a company with a stated objective within its constitution/rules to promote one studbooks above all others won a tender to promote all Department-approved studbooks (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14821/24]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (9 Apr 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1013. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 168 of 6 March 2024, the terms of such exit agreement to a named member of staff within a named organisation (details supplied); the costs to his Department of such agreement; if the named individual was named as part the management team/project team of a series of tenders submitted to his...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Racing Industry (9 Apr 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1014. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 167 of 6 March 2024, the number of engagements or interactions undertaken by his Department with industry stakeholders, including studbooks either face-to-face, event or by video platform during 2023 regarding the sport horse sector; if he will provide details of the various officials involved...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (9 Apr 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 1044. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the introduction of the BVD eradication programme in January 2013 appears to have failed in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15336/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank everyone for attending. I will shoot a few quickfire questions at a few of the witnesses, starting with LAWPRO. How many towns and villages have no sewerage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No. These are areas where there is no Uisce Éireann infrastructure. How many of the towns local authorities are in control of have no sewerage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The number around the country is in the hundreds. Sewage is going into streams. Turning to Uisce Éireann, how many towns under its programme need upgrades and new systems?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If the two organisations do not know the number, how can they know if they need to fix a problem? The dogs on the street know that sewage is going into rivers. The reports talk about phosphorous and a model is used. As a result of Uisce Éireann and the local authorities not knowing, the farmer has a red mark over him or her. A farmer in Leitrim was in derogation but is out of it now....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Okay, but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Will that investment process and all of this work be done by 2025?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, I am asking a straightforward question. Will it be done by 2025? The farmers of Ireland on the derogation are up to date on all the results of water quality as they relate to the derogation going forward. Is it fair to say that the answer to whether the work will be done is “No”?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Sure, I could start the job tomorrow and not have it done by 2025. Anyone who knows anything about this work knows that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Please do. My next question is for the Department. I am not a scientist, but am I right in saying that four criteria are used when assessing water quality?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Who came up with those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I apologise for my ignorance, but I just want to know about it. There are four criteria used and if farmers go down in one of the criteria, they are gone. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: At one time, when doing the leaving certificate examinations if students got three questions right and one wrong, they passed. They would get a B grade, or whatever. In this situation, by contrast, if farmers go down in one of the criteria, they are gone.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is it a very high threshold?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Are scientific people in Europe telling us what they want to get over the line? If the Department were setting it out, in fairness to it, some of those things would not be included. Would that be fair to say? Europe is trying to move the Department to a particular standard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Mar 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry for interrupting. Dr. Archbold said, "if the Commission is willing to listen". What is the hope of that? I do not want to be codding farmers. That is it. The guillotine may be coming today or tomorrow. Someone in the Commission is setting out criteria to the Department, which is getting a raft of criteria from Europe, and is telling the Department that the Commission can give...