Results 7,381-7,400 of 7,789 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: General Scheme of Road Traffic Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: On the age profile of the staff Bus Éireann is holding, is the company looking at the numbers who will retire? Is that how it is going to facilitate this change?

Mortgage Arrears and Repossessions: Motion [Private Members] (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this debate. I acknowledge Deputy Donnelly for proposing this motion. He understands finance and has worked in various fields in different countries. The one thing we should take from this debate is that the Government should listen to what Deputy Donnelly is proposing.

Mortgage Arrears and Repossessions: Motion [Private Members] (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Ironically, we listened to the spring statement today. Everyone welcomes good news and we do not want to be pessimistic, but as that debate was happening, I glanced at my telephone and saw that a family of six in Cork was sleeping in a car. This is the Ireland in which we live. We must ask ourselves where we are going as a nation. In recent months in particular, more people have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for the presentation. I agree with Deputy Kyne that it is a good thing the problem at Derrybrien and Roxborough has been solved. It is a sad day when farmers must get together to get justice for themselves, when common sense did not prevail until we headed for the steps of the court. I refer to the pictures. I am a fair while around looking at land. Is there any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am looking at the photograph which I showed earlier. With all due respect to Mr. Evans who stated he is not anyone's keeper, while I understand the amount of work the Department does, many assessments are straightforward. Guidelines are required as otherwise we will have many more cases such as the Derrybrien case. An inspector will visit a site and arrive at a conclusion that may differ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is there any joined-up thinking with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on all this? With all due respect to the witnesses, they do their job, and I understand that fully, but before they arrive, another crowd will have landed out at a farm and will have told the farmer to do X, Y and Z and that he cannot do X, Y and Z. He or she will have complied with that only for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: One example is Cloneen near Longford where there is an SAC raised bog. There is no management plan for that land and the problem relates to the raised bog. It has been developed into green land on which one can cut the meadow. Those involved are now being refused permission to clean a drain. The land is getting worse because of this problem, which is why I say one crowd is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes. It is an SAC raised bog, even though a person can cut silage on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, it was done years ago. The Department would have given grants-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have dealt with SACs and NHAs. We were told on numerous occasions that when adjustments had to made, clearance had to be obtained from the European Union. One is subject to the same notifiable actions on an NHA as on an SAC or an SPA. Why is there a differentiation, notwithstanding the fact that the people concerned being left with harsh conditions under which they are supposed to work?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: North-South Interconnector: County Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank Ms Marron and her team for the presentation and I welcome Councillors McElvaney and Keelan. Last week we found out that while this charade was going on of making people feel good that every option would be considered, the proposal for the pylons had been submitted to An Bord Pleanála. People were wondering were they going to get underground or overground connections but the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: North-South Interconnector: County Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is it is envisaged that Spain will be buying from France?

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (23 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 92. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will make the provision of comfort slat mats eligible for grant aid under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 when it opens for applications later in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16033/15]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Management (23 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 95. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the figures for the net discounted revenue and projected financial loss resulting from the reduction in forest productivity and premature clear felling at a location (details supplied) in County Roscommon, due to turbine base construction, road construction and reconstruction, mast construction and turbulence avoidance felling; and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (23 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 96. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the projected timber and financial losses resulting from wind blow, precipitated by tree felling, pursuant to the construction and ongoing maintenance of a location (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16088/15]

Self-Employed and the SME Sector: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (22 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I commend Deputy Calleary for bringing forward this motion. Most people in the private sector around the country are employed by small and medium-sized businesses - one, two, three and four-person operations. Entrepreneurs never got a hand or leg up and had to do things on their own. Many of them have employed people countrywide, fought their way through the recession and struggled on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: North-South Interconnector: EirGrid (21 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the delegates for their presentation. Mr. Slye indicated that expenditure on the project had reduced from an estimated €4.2 billion to €3.2 billion and, ultimately, to €2.7 billion. He talked about how the international panel had found in 2012 that undergrounding would cost three times as much as proceeding with the overground option. He suggested that he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: North-South Interconnector: EirGrid (21 Apr 2015)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Can Mr. Slye nail this for me please because we are going around in circles?