Results 1-20 of 9,341 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: There is a major wind farm just above my hometown in Buncrana. Recently, I drove up the hill and observed that half of the turbines were actually turned off. When I made inquiries as to why that was the case, apparently the electricity infrastructure just is not there to take the power from them. It is absolutely extraordinary. These wind turbines are there a very long time. I just have...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We are talking about a person who presents himself as independent.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It is a totally different matter. It is a matter of an analyst presenting as independent while playing for your team.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In three successive elections Fianna Fáil engaged and paid for media coaching services provided by broadcaster Ivan Yates. He coached six Fianna Fáil Ministers, including the Taoiseach, yet you failed to disclose this relationship even though there was a clear conflict of interest. You knew Ivan Yates was playing for your team, contributing to Fianna Fáil election strategy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank everyone for their presentations. Thankfully now we have a focus on fisheries and seafood every week but in a previous committee we only really had a focus on fisheries three or four times a year as part of the agriculture committee. Even within that we had a dedicated session or two, which were eye-opening in terms of aquaculture. I am pretty sure the statistics are still the same...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The presentation refers to a 20-year licence. People in the industry have explained to me that when they talk about a 20-year licence they also know there need to be improved regulatory and monitoring systems in place. If one is trying to build a market and one needs to show a pipeline, what would that look like in terms of increased regulation and monitoring? Speaking personally, I think...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I ask that we have a dedicated session in the new year looking at the issue of licensing. I ask that we invite the people here today - BIM, IFA Aquaculture, the Department of the marine, the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board and the Marine Institute - for a dedicated session looking at licensing and how we can resolve this. I want to hear their ideas. I also would like to see a comparison...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The licensing is fairly urgent.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Legislative can wait for another few months. I wish Ms Bocquel well in her new role. I had to check - Fáilte Ireland chief executive is a huge role. I wish her the best of luck. On the points made about the Faroe Islands, I accept the coasts are different and the challenges will be different but it does not explain the huge gap in targets, for example. As I understand it, our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: To clarify, we had a target of 81,000 tonnes. What is our current tonnage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: How much of that 81,000 tonnes was attributable to the bottom mussel industry?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is 54,000 tonnes so we are substantially below our targets. Those were targets set with eyes wide open to all the challenges we face with licensing and so on. So we are underperforming.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Aquaculture Innovation and Development: Discussion (4 Nov 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Finally, in fairness to Bord Iascaigh Mhara, a lot of the challenges our seafood sector faces are out of BIM's control. It can only work with what it has. I just want to say to Ms Bocquel as an outgoing chief executive that, in terms of quota, there is the current issue with mackerel and the overfishing that has happened in terms of aquaculture licensing, and there is the need for...

Fisheries: Statements (22 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: There is a story online on theskipper.ie. It is the Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, annual fisheries report and it has caused outrage in the fishing industry because, essentially, the report says it is all fine. It is good; it is all fine. It is data from 2023. This has to stop. We have to stop denying what is happening. My party conducted a survey late last year of hundreds of fishers and...

Irish Unity: Motion [Private Members] (21 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: This motion is utterly sensible. It is asking the Government to prepare now for Irish unity - to have the citizens' assemblies, a dedicated Minister for Irish unity and an Oireachtas committee to pursue these issues. It is about being responsible. It is an exciting challenge. What type of health service will we have? What type of education system will we have? How do we protect...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: There are a number of barristers in this Dáil. One of them, our Minister for justice, has expressed his concerns about the attempts to undermine our justice system. It is important that we deal with that this week. There should be statements with questions to defend that system. Of course, the Minister for justice himself was attacked politically in this regard and he knows what it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Capital and Infrastructure Issues: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank the witnesses for coming here today. I echo Deputy Ward's comments about the RNLI. We are very proud of our RNLI teams. As a Donegal TD, I am very familiar with its work over many years. I am very proud of the volunteers and everything they do. It is a tremendous organisation, but it needs to have more than congratulations from the committee members today; we need to deal with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Capital and Infrastructure Issues: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank Ms Egan. Turning to Mr. Lynch, I have been down to Dunmore East as part of my role as spokesperson for my party on this issue. I saw plans when I was down there for what needs to be done. How come this was not done as part of the Brexit reserve fund investment in harbours? I absolutely agree with what was said. To me, that plan and that infrastructure should be implemented...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Capital and Infrastructure Issues: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Capital and Infrastructure Issues: Discussion (21 Oct 2025)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Is it Mr. Halligan's assessment - I am pretty confident what the answer is going to be - that there needs to be a significant increase in investment in the infrastructure that the RNLI operates out of?