Results 1,181-1,200 of 3,519 for speaker:Michelle Mulherin

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources to the House to discuss how we are setting about achieving our renewable heating targets for 2020, which we are obliged to do. As the House will know, we are required to obtain 12% of heating for homes and businesses from renewable sources by 2020. There are two aspects to it. First, we have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit: Discussion with Mushroom Industry (27 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome everybody and thank Mr. Reilly for his presentation. A number of questions have been asked and I have additional ones. I am not clear about the producer organisation funding. Is this purely Government funding or is it co-funded by the EU? Why is there a delay with it? Mr. Codd spoke about the renewable heat incentive. Our EU heat and energy obligations guide the direction of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit: Discussion with Mushroom Industry (27 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I asked about the renewable heat incentive.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit: Discussion with Mushroom Industry (27 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (27 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: The common theme is that there are crises everywhere in agriculture and farming families are under pressure. The evidence is laid before us. The mushroom growers recently came before us. This puts pressure on the Minister for programmes and schemes to supplement farmers' incomes. Where I live, if farmers do not receive the single farm payment, or if the Minister does not introduce...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Rising Cost of Motor Insurance: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: The 2014 data for insurance company income and for personal injury, motor and liability claims provide the stark bigger picture. We can talk about fraudulent claims and so on, but the figures in question show that insurance company income on the motor and liability side was €1.4 billion in 2014. The court records show that €169 million was paid out in court awards and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Rising Cost of Motor Insurance: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: Okay. I will move on from that. I recall that the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board in 2003 was highly controversial with lawyers. It was heralded as a way to reduce insurance claims and costs in this country, but it has failed in that respect. Aside from some benefits that have been shown over a period of time, it is clear that it is going to fail on the basis of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Rising Cost of Motor Insurance: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I know Mr. O'Brien's contention is there is a better outcome for claimants, but in fairness, there has been over 90% involvement in cases by lawyers. One might argue that it is a contributing factor to the good outcomes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (13 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome Mr. Comer, my fellow countyman, to the meeting. It is critical the relative position of farmers in the food supply chain, which is very weak, is tackled, otherwise we will have the same conversation again and again. The witnesses spoke about unequal bargaining power with regard to factories and multiple retailers. The most sober part of this is that every time the farmers are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (13 Sep 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I also welcome the Macra delegation here. To add to what the previous speaker said, it would be fair to say, on the question of land mobility, in talking about land access that practically everyone who gets into farming is from a farming background or grew up on a farm, somebody either is inheriting or gets land from a family member. I accept that is not the case across the board but it...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Drainage Schemes (21 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I thank the Cathaoirleach and Leas-Chathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter for debate on what I expect is our last sitting day. I also thank the Minister of State for taking this matter and for all of his work to date regarding shorter and longer term flood relief measures in Crossmolina. He travelled there and met stakeholders this week, including the Government agencies...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Drainage Schemes (21 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome that a meeting is going to take place today. Ideally, this conversation with the Minister of State would happen after the meeting but the reality is nothing new will be discussed. The problem is that the upstream section is falling between two stools and no one is taking responsibility. My suggestion is a simple one. I am suggesting an extension pursuant to section 12 of the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Drainage Schemes (21 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: There was talk about the birds directive and that we cannot go in. It is very simple: we can go in.There is already a derogation under the birds directive where public health requires works to be carried out. Local authorities use this derogation all the time for hedge cutting and there is absolutely no reason work cannot be done by the OPW to get into the channel from the river downstream...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I rise to seek action on an ongoing issue. The provision of home care packages in counties Mayo, Roscommon and Galway has reached a critical point. Not only has this year's budget for those packages been spent but in addition there has been an overspend of €5 million. I spoke last night to a woman whose husband is in Mayo General Hospital and who has been told there is a freeze on...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: There have been reports today of an internal HSE audit into the awarding of contracts to a private company by the Saolta health group. It does not make for very good reading. It suggests a potential conflict of interest on the part of the former CEO, Mr. Bill Maher, who has now gone. At this juncture, the chairman at the Saolta group is operating on an acting basis. The Minister needs to...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister to the House. I would like to acknowledge the huge body of work that is the action plan for housing and homelessness and to compliment the Minister and all the stakeholders and individuals who have taken a keen interest in this. It is a critical issue. It is good to see that we have this document before us now. The challenge is to drive it on. I have no doubt that...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I call Senator Conway-Walsh, who has five minutes.

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: The Minister already has.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I wish to raise the matter of the newly formed boundary commission, which has been established in light of the recent census to look at the boundaries of the Dáil constituencies. I understand it is envisioned an additional Deputy will be required to match the increase in population. The commission was established by the Minister, Deputy Coveney.The method used for arriving at the...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I thank Senator Paddy Burke for sharing his time. I welcome the Minister to the House. Many fine points have been made on this issue and, for the most part, I agree with them. I commend Senator Ray Butler on bringing forward and spearheading this proposal at this juncture. This issue has been talked about for years. We have approximately 380,000 self-employed. When I meet sole traders...