Results 1,421-1,440 of 7,773 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality: Discussion (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: To me, that is no system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality: Discussion (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I spoke about group water schemes supplying water 20 years ago and supplying it now. With regard to testing, is it at a higher standard now? I know that when water is supplied to people, it is a completely different ball game. It is chalk and cheese compared with 20, ten or even five years ago. The standard keeps going up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality: Discussion (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is that the same so that if we had the same standard as we had ten years ago, we would still be in trouble and classed as bold boys?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality: Discussion (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is all I wanted to know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Annex I is for a designated area and people could not plant in that area last year or the year before. What is the question about that? That was there before. The EIA was there last year and the year before. All of these things that Mr. Dunne has rhymed off were there before. How could it be questioned again when people could not plant on it before this, or are they to go planting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Annex I came in back in 1999. I know a bit about it because it concerned bogs. Let no one say that for the last 23 years we did not know about it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Let us cut to the chase. Is it 50 cm and 30 cm that are the different options in the debate at the moment? Is that right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Am I correct in saying that the Commission is looking for no more than a depth of 30 cm and the Department is talking about 50 cm? Is that right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: This is what Senator Boyhan is asking. What are the main issues?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What is the solution to that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Let us look at the 50 cm and the 30 cm. What is the solution to this debate? What has the Department written back to the Commission? Is it that we are sticking with 50 cm or going back to 30 cm? What has the Department said? That is all we are looking for - what the Department said back to the Commission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Department have to do backup on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Department have to do hydrology, ecology and all of that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If they are planted on 50 cm, which the Department was looking for, is that okay as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Why was the Department’s position 50 cm if it is doing that and if 30 cm was working?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Hold on. I am aware of what has happened in the last two years because I watch it. The negotiations in the past six months are what we are on about. Where do the witnesses stand on peat depth? If we start going down to 30 cm and watching every place where there is a hen harrier and watching all the things witnesses have mentioned, people will have to head for the Cathaoirleach’s...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The Minister needs to come in, as Senator Boyhan said. We also deserve a list. We are after hearing that 30 cm is all right, and 50 cm, but our stand was 50 cm. We need to know what is going on. Mr. Dunne stated there was 1,700 ha for the de minimisscheme. What is done? What is planted?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: They have been planted this year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It will end up the worst year ever for forestry planting. With due respect to the witnesses, we require and I propose that the Minister come in with the witnesses and everything is detailed and we get all the correspondence over and back to Brussels regarding the problems. We are working in a black hole. I propose we suspend this meeting and if everyone is ready next week to rock up or the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on Ireland's Forestry Strategy: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My understanding is Poland was being slowed down by EU officials and basically told them to go where the sun does not shine and drove on. Will the witnesses check out what Poland did to drive on while we are still looking?