Results 341-360 of 417 for speaker:Michael Comiskey

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Mar 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I join my colleague, Senator Paul Coghlan, in welcoming the significant food conference that is taking place over these couple of days in the convention centre. I congratulate Bord Bia, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney and the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, on this initiative. This means we will have 100 food companies from Ireland displaying their...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I join with my colleagues in welcoming the announcement that 250 new gardaí will be recruited. It is good news for the young people involved, as they will now get good jobs in An Garda Síochána. It will also mean a lot for the security and policing of our State at difficult times. In addition, it will bring the force up to that magical figure of 13,000. I also welcome the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (14 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the IFA and the agricultural consultants. I agree with them and it is very important that the problem be resolved. It is a matter of weeks before applications must be submitted and we are all receiving many queries about it. Today's newspaper highlighted it further and we will receive more correspondence. We all must try to resolve it once and for all. The problem began when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (14 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association. My questions are mainly the same as those asked earlier. There are major problems; we all agree with that. I was closely involved with the commonage hill sheep farmers prior to joining the Seanad. I know there has been a major problem, going back as far as 1996 or 1997 when...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Second Stage (15 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, to the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I will speak about a tourism issue as well. Easter has just passed and we are heading into the 2016 commemorations. I have mentioned on more than one occasion that we have a gem in north Leitrim in the form of Seán Mac Diarmada's house. I acknowledge that €150,000 was provided for a car park at the house by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and €30,000...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the visit of Prince Charles and Camilla to Sligo that is planned for the coming month or so. It is a great opportunity. He will visit Mullaghmore and Lissadell during his visit. I call now, if we could, to get him to celebrate Yeats when he is in north Sligo and to visit his grave. He could also visit Leitrim, off the Wild Atlantic Way, and visit the Isle of Innisfree and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme and GLAS: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. At least we now have a guide which will clarify the situation to some degree. We have all been dealing with queries since payments were made last year when people were penalised and many had questions. I am very concerned about burning, a point which was raised earlier. In 2011, there were major fires across the country. In many cases it...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the decision by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, to clarify the position on land eligible for payment. This posed a great problem. We have all been representing farmers who were disqualified or who lost a substantial part of their payment in the past year because their land was deemed ineligible. The problem was that the decision was up to...

Seanad: Ash Dieback Disease: Statements (29 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad this afternoon and thank him for coming to discuss this most important issue. Ash dieback disease is a relatively recently described fungal disease of ash, which was first named back as far as 2006, although ash dieback symptoms had been noticed in Poland back as far as the early 1990s. The harmful reproductive stage of the fungus, a new...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Apr 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I support the words of my colleague, Senator Quinn, about the closure of shops in small towns and villages. I have raised this matter in the House on several occasions. The issue of rates is one of the many problems being encountered by small businesses. I have made that point previously here. We need to look at all of the ideas that have been proposed. When we walk through towns and...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the good news of another positive announcement for the agriculture sector made this morning by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, of the beef genomics scheme. This will put €52 million annually into the pockets of Irish farmers and will make payments to 35,000 different beef farmers. It is an important announcement of a scheme that will improve the breeding of livestock, as well...

Seanad: Spring Economic Statement: Statements (6 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I am sorry, but it was the order of the House to conclude at 9 p.m. When is it proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Sport Ireland Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (7 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister of State for bringing this Bill before the House. The importance of sports to Irish life cannot be underestimated. We see the role that sports play in every rural town, village and school in this country. The Bill will provide for the administration of sports in this State by establishing the Sport Ireland body through the dissolution and merger of the Irish Sports...

Seanad: Sport Ireland Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (7 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I acknowledge the Minister of State's efforts in getting an allocation of €40 million for sports organisations this year.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I support Senator Mooney on the issue of cardiac services in Sligo hospital. I was at the briefing on Friday too. It was frightening to hear that it is the only area in the country where if one had a cardiac arrest one could not be treated within 90 minutes. To be treated within 90 minutes is vital to recovery. That is only possible if there is a helicopter available, but that is not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Report on Developments in EU: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (12 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I congratulate Mr. O'Driscoll on his appointment and we look forward to working with him. Many of the issues I want to raise have already been covered. We have much work to do. The genomics scheme has given us greatest pain in recent days, particularly since the forms came out. Having to sign up for six years is a serious problem and the star system is another. Who will draw up the...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I join colleagues in welcoming the launch of the farm safety report. I congratulate Senators O'Donovan and Conway and the staff of the House on compiling such a good report.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 May 2015)

Michael Comiskey: The report contains many good proposals and we look forward to their being implemented. For far too long there have been too many deaths on Irish farms. For example, there were more than 30 fatalities in 2014, and there have already been quite a number of very sad incidents to date this year. What we want to see happen is the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015: Second Stage (9 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?