Results 121-140 of 17,665 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Seanad: Food Promotion. (16 Dec 2005)

Brendan Smith: I am responding to Senator Mooney on the Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I thank the Senator for raising this important matter because it has given me an opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Health and Children on it. Senator Mooney outlined succinctly and clearly the issues which arise...

Seanad: Community Employment Schemes. (16 Dec 2005)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Mansergh for raising this important matter and articulating so well his concerns about an issue that is of importance to many individuals and communities. The primary purpose of community employment as an active labour market programme is to reintegrate long-term unemployed persons into open labour market jobs. Community employment provides unemployed people with temporary...

Seanad: Community Employment Schemes. (16 Dec 2005)

Brendan Smith: My understanding is that this will not apply to all schemes, but I will check on the demarcation.

Seanad: Sugar Beet Industry. (16 Dec 2005)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Bradford for raising this important issue and for his considered contribution to the debate. This is the third time I have addressed the House on this issue in 2005. On the first occasion Senator Mansergh made an important contribution. This is a matter which has understandably exercised the minds of Oireachtas Members of all parties during the year. The recent agreement by...

Seanad: Sugar Beet Industry. (16 Dec 2005)

Brendan Smith: I assure Senator Bradford that I will bring his proposal to the Minister for Agriculture and Food early next week.

Sugar Beet Industry. (31 Jan 2006)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important issue. I wish to put on record that the Minister did not mislead anyone with regard to the levy. It will be a matter for beet growers and Irish Sugar Limited to make decisions about sugar beet growing in light of the reformed sugar regime on which political agreement was reached by the Council of Ministers in November 2005. The main features...

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy was running down partnership a few weeks ago.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: That is not true.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: What the Deputy said is nonsense.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: Scaremongering.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: That is untrue.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: He is the man who backed every cutback that the then Minister for Agriculture, Ivan Yates, introduced.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: This Government has unfailingly shown a total commitment to agriculture and the agri-food sector. It has always recognised the economic and social significance of our most important indigenous industry. I suggest the Opposition listen.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: I, Brendan Smith, wrote it.

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: The record of achievement of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, and her proactive approach since her appointment as Minister for Agriculture and Food, has been outstanding. There is no need for me to reiterate her achievements as they are on the record of the House. Opposition attempts to create the impression of a crisis crumbled in the face of the record spelled out last night in...

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: Time constraints prevented the Minister from detailing the exceptional progress made in implementing the recommendations of the food labelling group——

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: On the issue of complaints of mislabelling of foods, the Government has centralised the enforcement of all food labelling regulations in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. This not only streamlines the enforcement measures but also provides a one-stop shop for consumer complaints about labelling. We recognised consumer demand for information on the origin of beef used in restaurants and...

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy should listen and cut out the misrepresentation. The Minister realised at an early stage that slurry storage and the needs of the intensive dairy, pig and poultry sectors were issues. Following completion of a survey by Teagasc of storage levels on farms, the Minister has made proposals for major improvements to the farm waste management scheme in terms of grant rates and wider...

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: Fine Gael did away with that scheme in the mid-1990s. Funding of €43 million has been provided for the scheme in the Department's 2006 Estimates. Grant aid is also to be provided to support the demonstration of new technologies in the treatment of livestock manure. This will be of particular benefit to pig and poultry producers. The early negotiation of a derogation for farmers operating...

Future of Irish Farming: Motion (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Brendan Smith: It is snobbery.