Results 101-120 of 753 for speaker:Pippa Hackett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Nov 2020)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputy for his nice comments. I am not quite a forester yet. I am still a farmer with some trees but one never knows. The commitments in the programme for Government, and I invite the committee to review them, are ambitious for forestry. We have a forestry model that really is not working for everyone in this country. Currently, it is not working for anyone but it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges for the Forestry Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Nov 2020)

Pippa Hackett: I will try to be succinct but detailed enough. I thank Senator Paul Daly for his contribution. Yes, we need to find the solutions, and that comes through engagement with those across the sector. Again, it is not just about the industry. We are in this problem because of the way the licensing process was working and the challenges it has faced in that environmental legislation has us where...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I wish everyone here a happy St. Brigid's Day. Brigid was originally a pagan goddess associated with spring and new beginnings. It is great to see our Government colleagues in the Fine Gael Party backing the long-time call from the Green Party to make this day a public holiday. Unfortunately, it has not been very springlike of late. Over the weekend, we saw pictures of the DART line at...

Seanad: Ábhair Ghnó an tSeanaid – Matters on the Business of the Seanad (22 Feb 2021)

Pippa Hackett: It is great to be back in the Seanad Chamber for a little while. As The Hollies sang in 1974, "All I need is the air that I breathe". Last week the Government announced a consultation on solid fuel regulations because it wants to reduce deaths from air pollution and ensure a better quality of life for those with breathing difficulties.Last week, the Government announced a consultation on...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (26 Feb 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank Senator Murphy for the welcome and for raising this matter. Ash dieback has had a devastating effect on ash plantations throughout the country and I am well aware of its impact on landowners and farmers. As the Senator highlighted, the effects on native trees across the countryside, whether they are in hedges or standing alone, will be apparent very soon. When the disease first...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (26 Feb 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Senator. The scheme is quite new. It has only been running for six or eight months so I suggest that we give it time and there is no reason we cannot look at things further down the line. The other day I saw the television programme on bamboo now being used to make hurleys and the Senator raised important points about the importation of wood, trees or, indeed, other plants into...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environment Fund (1 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank Senator Carrigy for raising this issue. I apologise that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, cannot be here to take the Commencement matter. Senator Carrigy highlighted many of the points in his address. Ireland's peatlands are part of Europe's oldest surviving near natural ecosystems. Due to their conservation value, more than 26,000 ha of raised bogs are protected under the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environment Fund (1 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Senator. He is right to raise this issue, whether it relates to Longford, Offaly, Kildare or any area with such a wealth of potential in their peatlands. We have to look at them all. I completely agree with the idea of encouraging schools and communities to visit such sites, not only for their cultural and historical significance but for their future biodiversity and ecosystem...

Seanad: International Women's Day: Statements (8 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: It is great to be here on International Women's Day. The theme of this year's International Women's Day is choosing to challenge. That is something that can resonate with all of us, men or women. We must challenge the status quo, policy, gender balance, inequality, sexism and misogyny.Yet, as a woman, I do not want to focus on those gendered issues, and I do not want to be defined by my...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2021)

Pippa Hackett: It has been a busy time for Government. Despite the ongoing issues in relation to Covid, the business of Government continues. Last week we saw the landmark Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 passed by Cabinet, and a new pollinator plan was launched before the weekend. Today, the Government will launch its new rural development policy, Our Rural Future. That...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Apr 2021)

Pippa Hackett: Last Friday KBC decided to pull out of the Irish market. This follows the decisions of Ulster Bank to do the same and of Bank of Ireland to close 88 of its branches in our State later this year, causing much distress in many Irish towns. As it is clear that private banking is not serving us well, it is time to reconsider our options. Public banking has been a policy of the Green Party for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aquaculture Licences (30 Apr 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I take on board the comments made by Senator Lombard regarding transparency. It is important in any licensing process. I am usually talking about forestry licensing, so it is good to be here to substitute for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, to talk about aquaculture licensing. He sends his apologies that he cannot be here to respond to this matter in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Aquaculture Licences (30 Apr 2021)

Pippa Hackett: As I started my opening speech, I will start this one by agreeing that transparency is important in this process so that people in the communities in which these licences are sought are aware of what is happening, and indeed the applicant him or herself. I can only speak to what has happened in the forestry sector in terms of licences. We have a forestry licence viewer, which is a new, more...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: Last week, the wonderful Lough Boora Discovery Park, County Offaly, made the headlines albeit for rather unfortunate reasons. The outcome of a Bord na Móna tender for a bicycle hire business there saw the incumbent well-respected local business owner lose out with a consequent outpouring of community-wide disappointment and anger. In the wake of the decision, there were some ridiculous...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputy for his question. Driving the development of the Irish organic sector is a major priority for me and my Department. We have set the highest level of ambition ever for the sector in the programme for Government with an aim to reach the EU average of land farmed organically during the lifetime of this Government. We are also committed to the full implementation of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: The EU average of 7.5% was the agreed figure we worked off for the programme for Government. That is a significantly ambitious target. I appreciate it is not near the EU's target of 25%. However, the EU currently has an average land area of between 8% and 8.5% given over to organics. Even across the EU, to get from 8.5% to 25% by 2030 is also hugely ambitious. We will work closely with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: The scheme is not the only mechanism. Many operators can operate without the scheme. They may not need the financial assistance but they are still organic farming and are assessed by the organic certification bodies. The incentive is there to encourage people into it. Some people find they can operate perfectly and profitably without the assistance of the offer of the moneys through the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I do not think the situation has got worse. I agree that it is not a lot better, but it certainly has not got worse. Forestry and related issues, particularly the resolution of licensing issues, are a major priority for the Department and me. We recognise the importance of forestry to farmers, forest owners, forestry contractors, sawmills, nurseries, wood processors and the wider rural...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: Do I address all three Deputies? Deputy Browne has a specific question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Pippa Hackett: I will not be able to respond to that in this time.