Results 101-120 of 417 for speaker:Michael Comiskey

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Sporting Organisations (16 Dec 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister of State for giving a very comprehensive report on the greyhound industry and I look forward to the measures mentioned being implemented. As the Minister of State rightly said, it is a very good industry and we look forward to it being run very effectively into the future.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Sporting Organisations (16 Dec 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Will he outline the action that is being taken to prevent the use of performance enhancing drugs in greyhound racing? What measures will be put in place to implement regulatory controls in that regard? The recent Indecon report highlighted many problems with governance and financial issues in the Irish Greyhound Board, IGB. However, the...

Seanad: Sustainable Agriculture and Dairy Price Outlook: Statements (10 Dec 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister and thank him for taking the time to come to the House to discuss sustainable agriculture and the dairy price outlook. First, however, I congratulate the Minister on the announcement today of a grant award of over €20 million for agri-food and forestry research. This will go towards 58 scientist posts and 53 postgraduate students in specialised training places....

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine that €20 million will be spent on the agri-food research and forestry industries. This is very important. Up to 300,000 people are employed at the moment in the agri-food industry and this will create more jobs, especially for young people who are coming out of third-level education to go into research....

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I echo the welcome of my colleague, Senator Naughton, on the announcement made by the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, about funding for the Fleadh Cheoil and festivals around the country. I welcome the announcement of €90,000 for Sligo Fleadh Cheoil, which made a great difference to the town and brought people from all over the world. It ran for almost two weeks and was a great boost...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I agree with my colleague, Senator Denis O'Donovan, on the worrying report by Teagasc on the dairy industry. We must take action and call on the Minister to do all in his power to alleviate any hardship that could be caused to farmers. I also call on the new Commissioner, Mr. Hogan, to ensure at EU level that the base price of milk is brought in line with the cost of production, which is...

Seanad: Participation in Sport: Motion (26 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Participation in Sport: Motion (26 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: When is it proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage (26 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch.

Seanad: Participation in Sport: Motion (26 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I thank the Minister for all that good news. Senator Craughwell would like to make a few points.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I join with my colleagues in congratulating Noirín O'Sullivan on her appointment as Garda Commissioner. I ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, to ensure that the rural development plan in Brussels is agreed by the end of the year so that the maximum possible number of farmers can be included in the GLAS scheme. We need to do that in early...

Seanad: Water Sector Reforms: Statements (25 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister of State for this important debate on the water charges. County Sligo has been mentioned and what has happened there can be replicated across the country. Sligo County Council has made a huge investment in water services in recent years, as has Leitrim County Council. Between 1998 and 2010, Sligo County Council invested €110 million in the construction of new...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I call on the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, who has responsibility for the Consumer Protection Commission, to ask the commission to examine the alleged price fixing among factories in the price of beef. This issue was referred to by Commissioner Hogan in Brussels last week and it is vitally important now that we have come to a parked resolution on the beef issue between...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I second Senator Coghlan's proposal on the minute's silence in memory of all the women who lost their-----

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the announcement by Irish Water. I hope this means the water problem has been sorted out once and for all. It will only cost €1 per week for a person living alone and €3 where two or more people are in a household. This is a very good deal and the people must accept it and at long last put it to bed. We must remember those in rural Ireland have been paying for...

Seanad: Report of Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas: Statements (19 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I congratulate her on her new position in rural development. The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, is a voluntary body that was established in November 2012 by the Ministers for the Environment, Community and Local Government and Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The objective of the commission is to develop a...

Seanad: Commemoration Planning: Statements (13 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister. I was pleased to be present in the General Post Office last evening for the launch of the 2016 celebrations. As I stated on the Order of Business, I look forward to the inclusion of Seán Mac Diarmada's house in Kiltyclogher as part of the celebrations or commemorations that will take place in 2016. I thank the Office of Public Works for the investment it has...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I am delighted to have attended the launch yesterday evening of the 2016 commemorations in the GPO. I look forward to Seán Mac Diarmada's birthplace in Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim, and the cottage becoming a major tourism attraction. It is in really good condition as, I suppose, Seán Mac Diarmada left it in early 1912 or 1913. I look forward to the cottage in Kiltyclogher playing...

Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for giving his time to discuss this most important matter of fisheries. Ireland's fisheries are a vital part of our economy. As an island nation, Ireland has always recognised the importance of fishing, both economically and socially. In the past and still today, fisheries have provided necessary employment for those living along the...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Nov 2014)

Michael Comiskey: I was disappointed to hear the news this morning in regard to Sligo County Council. I received a number of phone calls earlier and I understand there was a meeting last night. I was not invited to that meeting, but I believe there was a legitimate reason for my not being invited. I understand there was a mistake.