Results 1-20 of 324 for speaker:Joe Cooney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank the Minister of State and his team for coming in. He is simply doing a fantastic job. He is hitting the ground running. He is going like the Kerry footballers. Kerry people had them written off a month ago. Now, they are saying they are going to win the All-Ireland final. Going back to the compensation package for forestry owners, the Minister of State went through all the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: When do they get the payment for clearing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: That payment is tax free.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The three payments are over how long?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: That is for the new approvals, those who have been approved now to take out the ash dieback timber.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Very good. Going back to the people from 2013, they are entitled to claim for €5,000 now as well. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Is that a one-off payment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Is it tax free?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: That is good. Going back to the private landowners, we are well aware they have a lot of ash trees on their land, especially along roadsides. This ash dieback is not their problem, meaning they are not responsible for it. They are, however, unfortunately left with the problem. Is there any way a special payment can be looked at to be put in place for farmers who have ash dieback to help...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I know that. I am asking a question and we should not be passing the buck. I am asking about the ash dieback trees only, where farmers are affected. That is what I am saying. I know the Minister of State is saying there is not, but could we look at putting something in place to help those farmers? They need support at this stage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Sorry now. Leave it. We would specifically say ash dieback only and not another tree. That needs to be made clear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: The most important thing is the Minister of State is listening. I hope he is taking it in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: Some of these farmers have serious concerns, without a doubt. Some of the trees along the roadsides might topple onto the roads. The farmers have serious concerns. They are worried about storms and different things. The ash dieback was not their doing but it is a problem now for them. What is the update as regards forestry around power lines? We all know what happened in the storm a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: It is good to know that work is ongoing, and it is good to know the landowners are being compensated as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: We never want to see the likes of what we saw in the last storm again in our lifetime. The risk associated with large-scale monoculture crops, such as single-species forestry plantations, is plain to see with the ash dieback. It leaves owners in the State horribly exposed to the introduction of diseases and the costs of cleaning up afterwards. We are all well aware of what is happening...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Ash Dieback and Other Forestry Issues: Discussion (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank the Minister of State. It is welcome news that this is being done.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: 113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if, following the recent newspaper editorial (details supplied) that claimed "almost all primary schools, for example, had to employ unqualified individuals without teaching qualifications as substitutes in the past year", her Department will recognise early childhood care and education graduates as being a viable workforce for the junior...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service (16 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: 272. To ask the Minister for Health for a breakdown of the number of WTEs in the National Ambulance Service (NAS), per grade codes, by HSE region, from 2020 to 2025; and to provide the level of activity year-on-year delivered by the NAS for the same period, by HSE region, in tabular form. [39994/25]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs: Planning Challenges in Offshore Renewable Energy: Discussion (15 Jul 2025)

Joe Cooney: I thank all the delegates for attending and for their presentations. The west coast of Ireland has the potential to generate up to 70 GW of electricity from floating offshore wind energy. We have repeatedly heard about proposed offshore wind energy projects in Clare. The lack of certainty around planning and consents has proved to be a huge stumbling block for investors, unfortunately....