Results 361-380 of 417 for speaker:Michael Comiskey

Seanad: Yeats 2015: Statements (9 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister to the Seanad this evening. I thank her for coming to the House to discuss Yeats Day. I also thank Senator O'Keeffe for the hard work she has put into all the celebrations that have taken place. I am very proud to be contributing to the debate as a Senator from Sligo-Leitrim. William Butler Yeats has contributed so much to our Irish rich literary history and culture....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Data and Genomics Programme: Discussion (16 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank Department officials for being present and I thank Mr. Gleeson for his presentation. The launch of this scheme has created much debate across the country and members have attended a number of meetings on it. With €300 million available for farmers under this scheme, or €52 million in each year of the scheme, it should have been a very positive story. The first mistake...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme Eligibility: Discussion (16 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I will be brief as many of the points I intended to raise have been covered. I thank the witnesses for their submissions and join my colleagues in congratulating Mr. Finan on his election as president of Macra na Feirme. I hope to work with him in the years ahead. I support the position taken by the witnesses. In recent years, members have received many telephone calls from this group...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Commissioner Phil Hogan (23 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Commissioner to the House this afternoon. I thank him for coming to address us on his work as the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. I congratulate him on his appointment as Commissioner, a very vital and prestigious role. Irish agriculture has gained a lot from membership of the European Union. It is important that we acknowledge the importance of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Sector: European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development (23 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Commissioner. Many of the issues have been covered here already and earlier in the Seanad. The issue of inspections is an important concern for farmers. Nobody knows better than I of this because I underwent an EU audit ten years or more ago. When a person sees 13 or 14 officials arriving from Brussels in suits it is no wonder he would be fearful he would lose his shirt....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Landing Obligation Update and Fishing Fleet Management: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (30 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister for his presentation. My question might be somewhat outside the scope of today's discussion. It relates to a person who operates a craft for leisure and tourism purposes and does not have any quota. This person would like to sell the fish caught by his vessel, which are mainly mackerel. Is there any means by which a quota might be granted to people who are fishing for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Landing Obligation Update and Fishing Fleet Management: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (30 Jun 2015)

Michael Comiskey: No problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development: Discussion (1 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. My expertise in fishing and aquaculture is not great but I have a considerable interest in it. I agree with my colleagues, who are all from along the western seaboard, that we should support anything we can to create jobs in the area. Aquaculture appears to have huge potential to create more local jobs, according to the documentation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Data and Genomics Programme: Discussion with Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (2 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the gentlemen for appearing before the joint committee to go through this with members and I apologise for arriving a little late. Senator O'Neill has outlined benefits of €20 per star, which certainly is welcome, and I note that 30,000 people are participating in the scheme at present. Many people are stating they might pull out, particularly the smaller farmers, which would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Data and Genomics Programme: Discussion with Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (2 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: Is it possible for a group of small farmers on commonages or, as Deputy Ó Cuív has said, on islands, to share a bull if they were unable to get AI?

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the news from our televisions and newspapers today of the turning of the sod in Connemara where €3 million will be spent on Pearse's cottage. A number of my colleagues were present for the event. I ask, as I have done in the House previously, that some more money be put into Seán Mac Diarmada's residence in County Leitrim. County Leitrim is allocated only...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Consultants Recruitment (8 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister for Health.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: He will not be here much longer.

Seanad: Seanad Public Consultation Committee Report on Farm Safety: Motion (15 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I would like to pay tribute to my colleagues, Senators O'Donovan and Conway, for the work they have done on this report. I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for taking the time to discuss this report. It is vitally important that great care is practised on farms. Farm safety is not an issue that should be taken lightly. I would like to extend my sympathies to the family of a...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I want to join with my colleagues when they talk about farm incomes and the price of milk. I welcome the EU Commission decision to intervene in the price of milk. The price of milk has dropped from 40 cent a litre to 28 cent a litre. Yesterday the Commission decided it would set a floor price for intervention. This floor price is currently 21 cent a litre. It is important that this is...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I join my colleagues in welcoming the Cabinet's visit to Lissadell in County Sligo on Wednesday. It will be an historic occasion. The members of Cabinet will be visiting the home of Countess Markievicz. I want to pay tribute to Deputy John Perry who was instrumental in arranging this visit and put a good deal of work into it along with the Walsh family. I visited Lissadell in recent weeks...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Special Protection Areas Designation: Irish Farmers with Designated Land (21 Jul 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. We have met them several times and know they are making a fair case. People who are restricted from doing anything they want to do on their land should be compensated. The fairest way to go about it might be through the GLAS scheme, with a top-up. There was a reference to planning permission. If people have planning permission for a site...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome everybody back after the summer recess. I join my colleagues in wishing well our colleague, Jimmy Harte, on his retirement. Jimmy has been a good friend to all of us in the Seanad. He has had a very difficult couple of years but I know he is making a good recovery. Like all my colleagues here, I wish him well. I welcome the announcement made in the past couple of days on rural...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (30 Sep 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister for his presentation. How many people are participating in GLAS this year? Does the Minister expect that payments will be made under the GLAS scheme by the end of the year? We discussed beef genomics earlier. I welcome the fact that approximately 30,000 farmers are in that scheme. The only downturn I see from my discussions with farmers is that when they have made...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sheep Sector: Irish Farmers Association (6 Oct 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank Mr. Downey and Mr. Lynskey for their presentations. I agree with almost everything they said. It is vitally important we help sheep producers. They mentioned the sheep grassland payment, which was absorbed into the single farm payment and which brings us closer to the maximum more quickly than it should. Something has to be done about that. The coupled payment would be a way out...