Results 361-380 of 4,556 for speaker:Victor Boyhan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: There is some room for drawing down money after that date.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: There is flexibility, however.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Will Mr. Conroy tell us where that flexibility is? Give me three examples.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: BIM is one such example. That is enough. What other agencies or authorities are we talking about?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Okay. That is somewhat different from my initial misreading of this here. BIM is one of them. This funding is sent over to BIM, but it may still be with that organisation for three months, and into next year. This is possible. I do not want to get into any specifics, I just want to get an idea of how this works. I ask this because it is not a clear cut-off date. The axe does not come...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Okay, but this is the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and I am talking about an issue that the witnesses raised in the statement submitted to us. It is, therefore, within their competence. They have come here and presented this document and I am now asking them questions on this material. I want clarity from them as to what was meant by what was stated. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: That is grand. I am asking the questions and I just want to fully understand. I will be asking my own questions of the representatives from BIM tomorrow, independent of anything from here. There is, therefore, this limited flexibility. There is a situation, which we have learned about at this meeting, where there is limited flexibility. The Department is anxious to get all the projects...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: This is where we do our business and where we elicit information from, and I look forward to hearing from the Department. Would it be possible to make this happen pretty quickly, given we are within one month of the end of the year? We will certainly have other opportunities through parliamentary questions and commencement matters to flush this issue out with the Minister. I will also make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: That is great and I appreciate it. The witnesses have a job to do and I have a job to do. I thank them. Moving on, I thank Ms Fay, who facilitated us and was with us during our visit to the mushroom facilities in County Monaghan. It was very interesting and informative, and I thank her for that. Those of us who were on that visit very much value having had her present with us on that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: They will be paid and this will end the scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Ms Fay referred to peat replacement. Can she share with us what that initiative was all about?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: In terms of assessing and monitoring the value derived in this regard, what is the plan? I refer to the BAR funding in this context. Clearly, there was a substantial amount of money involved and the mushroom sector welcomed this funding. Does the Department, though, do an appraisal of this spending? Who files reports on all this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Generally, would this intervention be seen as a good and successful one? Would the BAR intervention be viewed as having been welcome, supportive and having achieved good outcomes? Would that be Ms Fay's general comment on it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: I thank Ms Fay very much for that information. Turning to the potato sector, which is critically important, we import many potatoes. I refer to the challenges in this area, particularly concerning the supply of seed potatoes, in the context of Brexit etc. This situation is evolving and changing, as Ms Fay well knows. Does she have anything to say about this context?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: In terms of challenges in this area, clearly some are ongoing in relation to seed potatoes. What would Ms Fay consider the major challenges that will be coming forward in the next 12 months? It is clearly still a concern. We need to build up our seed potato stock. Have the officials any concerns about that they wish to express?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: I am grand. Ms Fay need not go to any more trouble. However, there are ongoing concerns. Does Ms Fay suggest that we need to be vigilant and we need to monitor that area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: Thank you very much. I genuinely thank the officials for their engagement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Victor Boyhan: The witnesses do realise this is a public meeting.