Results 1,801-1,820 of 3,241 for speaker:Brian Ó Domhnaill

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with ICSA and IFA (15 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: On that unfair point-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion with ICSA and IFA (15 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I welcome the ICSA delegation. It is important to have these discussions before the budget. The committee had a good budget discussion yesterday with the Minister. It is vitally important to hear from the farming sector and the representative bodies. I will respond to some points made in the presentations by Mr. Gilmartin and Mr. Punch. The last point raised is an interesting one. It...

Seanad: Civil Defence Bill 2012: Second Stage (14 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chun an Bhille seo a phlé. The Civil Defence organisation is one of the most important organisations in the country. It was established in 1950 to provide a structure for giving a civil response on the potential hazards that might arise during a time of war. That obviously came just after the completion of the Second World War. Civil Defence is made up...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (14 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I acknowledge what has been said and agree with Senators Wilson and Walsh regarding the welcome statement from the Minister for Education and Skills last night. It must be followed by the Minister contacting all colleges and universities in the State and asking them not to put any pressure on any student, with regard to services in colleges or exams, until this fiasco is resolved. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (6 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I welcome the officials from the section of the Department that deals with fisheries. I am pleased that we have been given an update on the ongoing review of the Common Fisheries Policy. I generally agree with what the Secretary General said in his presentation. The whole area of discards is a feature of the global fishing environment. According to the UN Food and Agriculture...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Harvest 2020: Discussion with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (6 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The Food Harvest 2020 strategy is crucial to the agri-food industry in general and to increasing our exports. The targets contained in it are achievable. The Minister is on record as saying at this committee and in the Seanad that they are not only achievable but surpassable, and I agree with that view. Deputy Ó Cuív referred to this point but I would go further and ask why there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Harvest 2020: Discussion with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (6 Nov 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I welcome the officials here as it is an opportune time to discuss the CAP reform proposals. At a European level, it is critically important that there is a tie-down, as quickly as possible, on the availability of funds for the programme. There are many excellent proposals coming from the Commission which must be supported. In particular, I welcome the proposals for young farmers. What...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Expenditure Allocation 2013: Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Will the Minister reflect on what was said at the committee last Tuesday by representatives of Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation? They clearly outlined that the suckler cow welfare scheme is critical to meeting Food Harvest 2020 targets and to bringing the beef sector up to the same standard as the dairy sector. For this, if for no other reason, the scheme should be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Expenditure Allocation 2013: Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (25 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Subhead A11 is the horse and greyhound racing fund at more than €56 million, which has been largely untouched. Let us see what bang we are getting for that buck. We should examine that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Review of Irish Coast Guard Service: Discussion (24 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: What about the recommendation to the Minister? The firm will play a major role in the decision.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Review of Irish Coast Guard Service: Discussion (24 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Listening to what has been said, the one thing I often hear from the public sector is the fact that reports are written, conclusions are derived from those reports and, obviously, there is a cost associated with that. A sum of €50,000 is not a small sum of money, rather it is a very substantial sum in the current climate. There are many officials employed within the public sector,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Review of Irish Coast Guard Service: Discussion (24 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Why then have Oil Spill Response Limited of the United Kingdom and London Offshore Consultants Limited been drafted in to do work the Marine Survey Office could do? What fee are the aforementioned companies being paid to do that work?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Review of Irish Coast Guard Service: Discussion (24 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Is the report wrong where it states, on page 21, that alternative or similar resources are available here locally? The report suggests the Marine Survey Office could provide similar services to those provided by both the aforementioned organisations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Review of Irish Coast Guard Service: Discussion (24 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: It is a shame we are having this discussion again four years after a decision was taken. It is outrageous that at a time of economic difficulties in the country, money is being spent on reports to make decisions that people would appear to want. I have a number of questions, some of which follow on from Senator Daly's questions. Regarding the reports undertaken by the Department and given...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Management IT Systems: Discussion (23 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The ICBF is funded by the Department and farmers. Are resources an issue in the current economic climate for the coming five years when we are trying to achieve the Food Harvest 2020 targets? What about the work of the ICBF in that regard? I am delighted to see co-operation. When a company such as the ICBF carries out the work, the efficiencies and economies of scale cannot be compared...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Management IT Systems: Discussion (23 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I thank the representatives from Teagasc and the ICBF for coming here and giving two excellent and informative presentations. The biggest challenge we face is to support what we have and try to build on the Food Harvest 2020 objectives. While targets are important, the evaluation of those targets is equally important. The resource outlined is helpful from a farming point of view in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Third Level Grants (11 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: It is very clear from the response that the Government has taken an initial decision. In making reference to the setting up of the group, the Minister of State's response uses the phrase, "Following agreement in principle". The group would not have been set up had the Government not been of the opinion that it wanted to target capital assets. The capital assets will inevitably include...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Third Level Grants (11 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The issue I wish to raise is that of third level grants and the decision of the Minister for Education and Skills in the context of budget 2012 to reassess the evaluation process for such grants in order that, in addition to income, the value of certain capital assets will be taken into account. This is a cause of huge concern to self-employed persons, self-employed families and, in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Third Level Grants (11 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The Minister made an announcement on this matter in the context of budget 2012. I have in my possession a letter from him which confirms this.

Seanad: Primary Care Centres: Motion (10 Oct 2012)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Take him back.