Results 1,621-1,640 of 7,985 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If new mechanisms are put in, such as the schemes Irish Water has initiated, there will always be better quality water. There is no doubt about that. The more money that is put into Irish Water and group water schemes throughout the country, the better. That is true of anywhere you go.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Postal Services (11 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 135. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will approve the increase for pensions and deferred pensions for members of the An Post superannuation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33883/23]

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The new agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, was welcomed by many farmers. There was to be a system of a scorecard and an app that the Department had put together, especially for those in the commonage areas, for marking the different types of flowers and so on. This app has not worked properly and it was 23 days late in transferring the different portions of land across. The...

Nature Restoration Law: Motion [Private Members] (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank all the different speakers who have spoken, regardless of whether it was giving us stick or supporting us. I thank those who came to the House to speak in this debate. A few points need to be addressed. Let us be honest with the people out there. A regulation has no flexibility. I heard references to various areas of biodiversity loss. I have looked into the hedgerow part of...

Nature Restoration Law: Motion [Private Members] (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — while preventing further decline in the current state of biodiversity is an essential element in ensuring the resilience of our planet and our food production systems, we recognise that certain steps must be taken to improve the state of biodiversity across the Europe Union (EU); — the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030...

Nature Restoration Law: Motion [Private Members] (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I had understood it was to be the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan.

Nature Restoration Law: Motion [Private Members] (5 Jul 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: At least the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, is well familiar with the area. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring this motion on the nature restoration law to the Dáil. At the outset I want to make it clear that those of us who signed this motion are not against nature. Every one of us lives in nature; we promote nature; we were brought up with nature. We come from the land...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I was looking at a map on which the whole of the country was red, meaning it needs additional measures. I was looking at some of the areas and there would be more cows in a corner of some counties than there would be in the whole of the county. What is the reasoning behind the EPA report on that? Second, if I am a farmer and I do not draw grants, it does not affect me, does it?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will ask a few questions and get it on record. Regarding the EPA, we saw a case last week where evidence was required from the EPA and it was not able to produce it. Let us say farming organisations had a body or scientist that wanted to look at all the information. Has all of this been checked? I am involved in a group water scheme where you keep samples of the water. Is there a...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: My first question is probably for Mr. Flynn. Do we know for sure whether the inorganic nitrogen output of soils is directly correlated with the end concentration in rivers? Turning to Mr. Callanan, there are farmers on derogation who have 500 to 700 cows. Was there any attempt to try to protect farmers with smaller herds, for example, 100 cows? We hear of farmers who have to go from 80...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Do we know?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is Mr. Flynn telling me some are monitoring every ten minutes while the EPA might be only sampling a thing once a year, once every six months or once every three years?

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?