Results 161-180 of 266 for long speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Heritage Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...are cut. We should be honest about it. Most of these trees are stuck abroad on the side of the road and they are causing problems. The proof is in the amount of wires that have been pulled down belonging to the ESB. The ESB has had to put up approximately 700 km of cable. Telephone wires have been taken out as well. In some remote areas, it has taken longer than weeks to replace...

Heritage Bill 2016 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. It is a long time coming to our turn on it. I welcome much of what is contained in the Bill. It is a pity that it is just a pilot scheme. It should be introduced for a longer term, but in fairness to the Minister, she has made an effort in introducing the pilot scheme. I do not think it is a good idea to personally attack a Minister. I...

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (8 Nov 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...afraid they may lose their allowance. We need to address that. It is the same for those who are unemployed, especially in parts of rural Ireland, who might go to work for someone but it takes so long to get back on benefits if it does not work out, it is not enticing enough. We need to bring in a new system to ensure that we accommodate such persons, especially those with disabilities...

Water Services Bill 2017: Report Stage (7 Nov 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...must be put in place for that. Ultimately, however, there is the issue of pipes, especially in Dublin. I worked on this in Dublin. There are pipes around Dublin that have been in place for a long time and they will have to be replaced. There must be district flow meters, loggers and meters to find out where the problems are. The one thing required for all of that is money.

Finance Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...down to the end of Cork and drive up to the top of Donegal and the Irish people do not receive a red cent from it. They haul fish and bring backloads in with them. They are doing a lot of Irish work out of business. It needs to be addressed and is something I spoke about a long time ago. When we go into England, we must pay £10 to travel on their road and if one does, there is a...

Housing: Motion [Private Members] (24 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...in the major cities. Approximately one year ago, I proposed a points system, which other countries have used, as it may attract people to move to other areas. They may not want to go to there long-term but they would get points that would give them priority on the housing list in an area they wanted when a house became available. We should examine that as an option. We can speak...

Correcting Pension Inequities: Motion [Private Members] (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...and leaving them there. Many people rang me today and asked whether the matter will be dealt with when the vote goes through. The answer is that it will not. I have not been a Deputy for that long but I have seen many motions on subjects that have featured for months but in respect of which nothing happened. This is because a motion is not legislation or a budget. People need to be...

Water Services Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...can occur, but people can telephone straightaway when they have no water supply. In fairness, Irish Water brought supplies to areas that were fairly difficult to get to during the years. We have come a long way from the day when youngsters waited for the milk can to be delivered from the creamery in order to go to the well to bring water home. Many years ago great people got together...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Stamp Duties (10 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have one final note. I will not take long. When the Minister spoke earlier, he outlined that there were exemptions for young farmers. A young farmer is a farmer under 40 years of age. That is the definition of a young farmer. He also, quite rightly, outlined that there would be exemptions for transfers from parents, aunts and uncles. That is correct. I am solely speaking about a...

Vacant Housing Refurbishment Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (4 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: .... I have seen the exact opposite of this proposal where the owners of a house wanted to turn into a small restaurant. They had to go to hell and back with the council to sort it out and it took a long time. That type of thing puts people off. We have an opportunity here and it is welcome that the Minister is not objecting to the Bill and, from what I hear, there seems to be...

Animal Welfare: Motion [Private Members] (3 Oct 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...to understand the issues surrounding foxes, deer, etc., in different areas. Rural parts of Ireland are managed landscapes. If foxes are not controlled, we will end up with the old fox waggling along a road with the hair nearly gone off him. That is the reality. People might not like to hear it but that is what happens. Do we want to see him killed with a car or dying a slow death? If...

Flooding in County Donegal: Motion [Private Members] (26 Sep 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...with it. One does not have to go to Trinity for years to know about water and what it will do. The councils will not be able to deal with every county overnight, but we could put in place a budget along the lines of the Suck drainage scheme in my area. That is gone. Some of the money is being used on diggers now, in fairness, but the available fund is not enough to catch up, because...

UK Withdrawal from the EU: Statements (26 Sep 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...on Ireland because of the Good Friday Agreement, which is important, the trade between the UK and Ireland and how we have become intertwined down the years. We might have fought the UK for a long time, but we still export a great deal to it. That is especially the case for rural Ireland, be it in terms of milk, beef, sheep, poultry, pigs or whatever. We are intertwined in terms of our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Preserving Ireland's Natural Heritage: Discussion (5 Jul 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: .... It should be acknowledged that people with many letters after their names contributed to destroying the Burren. I ask Mr. Starrett to clarify those two matters.. Mr. Lumley and I go back a long way. I would like him to correct a few matters for the record. One is that no turf is cut within Glenveagh National Park. I got such a report a few years ago and got another such report...

Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Prohibition of Onshore Hydraulic Fracturing) Bill 2016: Report Stage (24 May 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...we are going. It is similar to tolls being put on new roads that we build. We think we will pay for them in 20 years. There are roads in my area for 100 years, so why do we not look to the long term and seek to pay for infrastructure over 50 or 100 years, which would make undergrounding, for example, economical and would bring communities on board. That would allow electricity to be...

Proposed Sale of AIB Shares: Motion [Private Members] (9 May 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...during the years. It would give the Government a dividend and reaslise a value. There is no point in putting X amount of money in and then getting back half or three quarters of it. One may have to wait for a long time, but in the end one will receive a dividend, plus more. The one thing the Government needs to do is to put the matter to a vote in the Dáil to see whether it would...

Inland Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 May 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...has been taken out by Sligo County Council for forty years. A submission has been made which means that the water may have to stop coming out of it. That is not good and it does not bring people along. The Bill talks about increasing fines. Working with people is how problems are solved. This State seems to think that if we continue to fine people more, they will stop doing this,...

Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Apr 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ..., is requiring people who have been on the rural social scheme, RSS, for ten or 12 years to reapply. This was never the case previously. Why would someone who has been on the RSS for that long need to reapply? As long as they met the criteria, they used to just sign their names every year. That is understandable.

National Children's Hospital: Motion [Private Members] (29 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...in a desperate state and has to wait 35 minutes for an ambulance will put her child in the back of her car and drive like hell. In fairness, she will reach the M50 quickly enough but it takes as long to go from Glenamaddy in Galway to the M50 as it takes to go from the M50 to the St. James's site on any given day. These are the things that need to be looked at. This is the anxiety felt...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2017)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...times. I worry about Ms Murphy's call for tractors to be banned. It is fine if people want to ban them but what should be done with 75 year old people who drive their cars at 30 mph and cause long tailbacks? This would drive a person mad at times but does Ms Murphy want to ban them from driving as well? Such people are allowed to drive their cars on motorways.