Results 21-40 of 417 for speaker:Michael Comiskey

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Dairy Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank Mr. Collins for the interesting presentation. A lot of the points have been covered. We all will be aware that 2015 has been a difficult year for farmers, especially those who made significant investments. They were all coming to us then during the serious crisis that they experienced - we agree it was a terrible problem for them - to see what we could do to help them out. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Dairy Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the witnesses for the presentations which were positive. Ornua has dealt with the dairy industry. Dairy farmers have had their own difficulties. It is important that the bank does not apply too much pressure until the market starts to recover and give the people who have made huge investments a chance to come back into the system again. Questions we are often asked is whether...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Performing Arts (19 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: The Minister of State is welcome to the House. Amateur groups are currently rehearsing for performances in spring 2016, and recent changes in access to performing rights - the fact that the application process for performing rights for certain plays is no longer under the Drama League of Ireland but has transferred to an agency in London - are causing difficulty for new agencies, which do...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Performing Arts (19 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister for his reply. It is a difficult issue and I know it is the Arts Council that has responsibility for it.I will take the Minister of State's advice on board and relay it to those who raised the issue with me. I welcome the news that more funding will be made available. It is important for local communities, towns, villages and small parish halls that they continue...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2015: Motion (18 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I, too, will be brief. I thank the Minister for attending. I welcome this important Bill. In the west, from where I come, we are not that big into racing but there is a racetrack in Sligo which attracts crowds of people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2015: Motion (18 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: It is a hugely important industry in the context of job creation, tourism promotion and so on. I agree with my colleagues that the case made by the Irish Harness Racing Association is compelling and worthy of consideration. A number of harness racers are racing on roadways. Some provision, in terms of a track, should be made for them, such that they no longer have to race on the roadways,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2015: Motion (18 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I apologise but I must leave at this point for a vote in the Seanad.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Data Genomics Programme: Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (17 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I will make a short comment because I have to go to the Seanad. I thank the witnesses for the presentation. The more information we convey to farmers, the better. There was a lot of fear when farmers joined the scheme, but as information became available it became more acceptable to them. I know one farmer who was very concerned and was going to withdraw from the scheme. He brought his...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Sector: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (17 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Department for its presentation, which contained very useful information. I agree with Deputy Fitzmaurice that in the west of Ireland, particularly along the western coast, a lot of mountain and hill land is not fertilised. I have always said that a lot of lamb and other produce coming from such areas would be organic. Some farmers may give one or two doses to a lamb and would...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I join colleagues who have raised the issue of farm payments. We have all received calls over recent weeks from farmers who are waiting patiently for this payment. It would appear that the problems are the same as those we had last year. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine should move to resolve those problems finally and not be holding up the payments. The problem could be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EID Tagging: Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (10 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the witnesses for their presentation, which is very interesting. There has not been too much talk until now about the electronic tagging of cattle. It seems a very good idea but it is important we thrash out all of the nitty-gritty and get as much information from the witnesses as we can. This is a time when we can all get a lot of information, even on our phones, and we can go...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: We all welcomed the good news in the budget that road tax for trucks would be reduced to €900 from 1 January, but in recent days an issue has come to my notice with regard to hauliers who want to tax their trucks and whose tax expired on 31 October. A truck can be taxed for only three months, and one would imagine it could be taxed at the old rate for November and December with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Dairy Industry: Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association and Macra na Feirme (3 Nov 2015)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the members of the two groups for their presentations, which were very interesting. Mr. Kent spoke earlier about the drop in milk prices and so on. We all have great sympathy for people who have lost income and have made a huge investment in the milk sector, but their income is possibly higher than those of the farmers in sheep and beef. I come from a sheep and beef background. ...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

Michael Comiskey: Before we commence, I remind Members that a Senator may speak only once on Report Stage, except the proposer of an amendment who may reply to the discussion on the amendment. Also on Report Stage, each amendment must be seconded. I welcome the Minister. Amendment No. 1 is a Government amendment and it is also in the name of Senator van Turnhout. This amendment arises out of Committee...

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

Michael Comiskey: Is any other speaker offering?

Seanad: Children First Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (21 Oct 2015)

Michael Comiskey: Okay.

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...

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

Michael Comiskey: Where I come from is not a huge dairy part of the country. I saw when the quotas went up in springtime last year, the huge investment people made and it is vitally important the banks do not put pressure on farmers. When things look good, the bankers are out there willing to throw out their money but when some little thing happens, they put the pressure on and want to call that money back...

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...

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...