Results 301-320 of 755 for speaker:Pippa Hackett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: The law is as it is and we should encourage everyone to comply with the law. Nobody should encourage anyone to not comply with the law. The law is there and people can become compliant if they engage. That is what we are always asking, that is, that they engage with the process. We want to help them engage with the process. The Government wants to help people to engage with the process....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: The future is alternatives and the sector appreciates that. The Deputy can shake his head all he likes but the sector appreciates that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: We are in this transitional phase. My Department is doing everything it can within its remit to address what we can do. We have done that really well and in fact have probably gone beyond our remit in terms of the working paper and recruiting experts to help in this field.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: I am basing that on the feedback directly from the sector. They are not coming to us saying there will be a drop. They have existing stocks even if we may not know what the existing stocks are. They are relying on existing stocks and, certainly, importation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: The Senator has highlighted this collective approach across Government and with the relevant Ministers and I agree that we need it. Nobody wants to go around in circles and I accept she has that opinion of the situation but it is an unfair categorisation because we have moved on. It is unfair to say we have ignored recommendations. The principal remit of the very first Prasad working group...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: Just to say there is a legal process in place. Peat extraction has not been banned. There is no need to change the legislation if people-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: Most of the extractors have not engaged with the process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: They are not engaging with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: I understand the difficulties and I do not want to wash my hands of this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: Listen. We are continuing to engage. We are fully aware-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: You will have to ask the Minister with responsibility for housing and planning.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: There are nine licences so nine people have become compliant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: Sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: I am not responsible for turf harvests going-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: We are continually engaging on these issues. We had to engage in order to agreed to publish the reports. I accept they have arrived late in the day for the committee. We can absolutely spend time on them afterwards. My colleagues in the relevant Departments in Government are fully aware-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: I speak to the senior Minister on this issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: There are conversations. Our officials meet from time to time also I am sure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: We discussed it at the Cabinet sub-committee recently. This came up. It was one of the agenda items. I do not know whether I can say that but it was and we discussed it then. That was on this specific issue. That was two weeks' ago.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: It is not for me to speak for the agriculture committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Nov 2022)

Pippa Hackett: I do not think it is responsibility of Deputy Noonan. I think it is the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, with regard to planning. Deputy Noonan has another responsibility for other cutaway bogs. We engage quite frequently and conversationally on this. My officials engage with other officials on this. As I said, we engaged most recently on agreement to publish these...