Results 1,941-1,960 of 7,978 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (22 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I met Mr. Fleming at a few meetings around the country, in fairness to him. In Sligo he would have seen the lack of confidence, as Mr. Rushe said, that is there now. That is going to take an awful lot of rebuilding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Policy and Strategy (Resumed): Discussion (22 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The witnesses were coming in here in the afternoon.

Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If it is being abused in any way by the veterinary sector, will the Department be able to look at that in six months or a year?

Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the crew from Mountbellew and Gerry Connellan from Elphin. We have discussed this Bill at committee and had the different farming organisations in. The Minister is aware of the different views in the line of fertiliser. Last year many people could not afford to spread fertiliser but I hope some of the monopolies in the context of inflated prices might be sorted out in the second...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My fear is that, if we set a period of five years and the regulator wanted to nail something from earlier than that, we could be in danger of not tackling a full case or of letting something go. Would the Minister be open to applying a timeline if the regulator wrote to him about cases being X amount of years?

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 206. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number and the profiles of Ukrainian and IPP arrivals to County Roscommon, in tabular form, for the years 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6224/23]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 207. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number and the profiles of Ukrainian and IPP arrivals to the Ballaghaderreen area of County Roscommon, in tabular form, for the years 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6225/23]

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Minister and his officials for attending. I have a couple of questions on the TB budget that was laid out. My understanding is there is not yet an agreement with the farmer organisations regarding the new testing regimes. Will that budget change?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will address the beef and sheep part of it. In light of the sheep sector having had what was probably one of its toughest winters, and it appears that since many hoggets will stay on before they are out of the system spring lamb may not be as attractive, is there a possibility that some extra sectoral budget for sheep will be brought in? There was a scheme previously for the slaughter of...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, grant rising to €90,000? Is that the limit?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If a person is putting up a shed, are the solar panels separate? If a young farmer is putting up a shed and drawing 40% or 60% of the €90,000 and then decides to go solar, is that a different thing? Is it included in that €90,000?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is what I wondered.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is good. On the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, which the Minister outlined, is there a budget left for the 46,000 or 48,000 people? Am I correct in saying we had 46,000, 48,000 or 50,000 people at one stage in the previous scheme and they are all out of the scheme now? It is not that we are not used to having the guts of at least 50,000 people on the scheme. I welcome...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes, I know that.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: With regard to the figure of 46,000 people, we used to always be roughly around 50,000, give or take a few thousand, in schemes such as the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, energy efficiency obligation scheme, EEOS, or whatever. Where the Minister was looking for 30,000 or 60,000 more people, will he be allowing 20,000 in the next round? What way will that be done? If...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I presume the Minister agrees we are going to spend damn all money this year on forestry. By the time we get the go ahead, first of all, an application has to be put in. There is a headline figure of €1.3 billion. We have to make an application for state aid, which will not be for another month and then it could take between two and eight months. Let us say it takes four or five...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: People cannot apply today.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes, but not for a new person who wants to apply. When does the Minister envisage the lime coming and at how much per tonne will it be put out? Access to finance is very important. My understanding, and the Minister might be able to explain this to me, is that generally these access to finance schemes are for six years. If a farmer wants to buy a bit of land, I believe he or she is not...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (8 Feb 2023)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Can it be used at the moment?