Michael Fitzmaurice

The EPA. An Bord Pleanála was set up by the State. I got a message the other day from a guy I know in the west who employs 200 people. Howya Fitz? Eighteen months now and we are still waiting for planning. €3 million spent before that. €3 million to spend. Someone else called last week from An Bord Pleanála to have another walk around. Business doesn't wait, Fitz. We have worked in specialised ma…

The Taoiseach's new legislation - and I wish him well on it - has nothing to do with this. How are we going to get these people to do their jobs efficiently, properly and fairly for the people of this country?

As I said earlier, I welcome the legislation he is proposing but it talks about ABP judicial reviews - I agree that there are too many of them - and how it will be more difficult, to put it simply. There are different tweaks like that and the Taoiseach is talking about emergency legislation but I am talking about an ordinary person who is creating jobs in rural Ireland. In the west, 200 jobs to us…

I welcome what the Taoiseach is doing and I am not going against that but what I am saying is that the State agencies are not doing their jobs to help facilitate these businesses.

I spoke before on this. I hope this solves the housing thing, that is being honest. I do welcome the likes of the modular on it and different steps where we are going to go designing the same type of house and all of those things. These are things that should be have been done years ago but I welcome them. I cannot see a lot on rural housing. I believe that family members should be allowed build h…

First, I welcome the Bill and I support it. What we heard from the Government side is just the usual palaver. I remember Sinn Féin bringing a Bill forward on the Shannon, to have one body over it. It was kicked down the road for nine months and we never saw it to this day. That is the reality of what is going on here and I think the people out there should understand this. We are after listening t…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. People need to realise that about 165 million tonnes of goods are hauled around this country every year and 13.6 billion miles are done by hauliers. I have a truck licence and I drove trucks a lot of my life. Anyone who knows it will see the council go along and take two swipes of the road, but the third and fourth swipes are needed where ther…

-----the road. The facts are that two more swipes are catching the mirrors of the buses going to school, plus the trucks. That is the reality of it. The quality of roads is a problem. The reality for truck drivers at the moment is they buy a truck and pay €46,000 in VAT. They pay 23% VAT for every drop of diesel they have and 19 cent of every litre is carbon tax, which is another tax. If they nee…

I welcome the farming organisations. I welcome this motion. In the summer of 2024, when the political machines were flying around this country, the promises to all of the farming organisations, farmers and voters that Mercosur would be opposed were plenty. In November, it was said again. I was looking at the programme for Government again this evening. It stated that the Government would "work wit…

It is the Government, not the Department.

We need workers in this country from different countries. We need to simplify the process, under the enterprise system, for those coming through. A lot of businesses are looking for and need workers, including hospitals and hospitality. We need doctors, nurses, and nursing home workers. There is not one person in the country who disputes that. No one could condone what we witnessed the other nigh…

-----but I would ask the Minister of State to make sure this is fast forwarded very quickly.

I think everyone recognises that we need people coming into this country through the visa system. We need doctors, nurses, people in hospitality and all different types of workers. They are welcome in this country. However, from what we have read last night, we need to have a conversation about illegal immigration. Most politicians are afraid at the moment, as are ordinary people. When you go arou…

Here we go.

In the whole immigration process, the Government said it would process an applicant within six months. That has not happened. It is going on for four, five and six years. When will that be resolved? Our system is broken at the moment. The Government has admitted that we have an influx of youngsters and accommodation is very scarce. In Poland, Donald Tusk has decided, because the country has had an…

I have had a few conversations with the Minister for justice and I acknowledge that he is trying to make changes. The reality, however, is that it is neither good for the person looking for asylum or good for the State if something is dragging on for six years. Those are the facts of the matter. Two years ago, I chased up on the question of how somebody is identified and we were told by the Garda …

Under the farm to fork strategy, beef prices are good at the moment. Dairy might have slipped a bit but it is still not too bad. However, there is a major problem arising in the pig industry where prices have dropped 30 cent a kilogram. Has the Government engaged, or will it engage, with the farming sector to see how it can help a sector that is starting to struggle at the moment?

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. Whether people come from an area that engaged in tillage, it is awfully important. Whether people are in sucklers, sheep, dairy or whatever, the people who grow the tillage to get the straw are ferociously important. We have a decision to make. Let us look at the prices this year. What is being given under the protein aid scheme is a good subsidy, but in…

We have already gone five times.

The agriculture committee has gone a few times.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the budget. I welcome the increases for pensioners and people with disabilities. They probably need more, to be frank, but I have to at least acknowledge it. I welcome the increase in the carer's supports thresholds. The ideal scenario is that if someone packs up a job to mind another person, regardless of what their partner earns or has, it saves the State a …

And yet there is no extra money for farmers.

Where is the suckler scheme you promised?

What about tillage?

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I agree with the agreement. It is a step forward. Pharmacists are highly qualified people. Doctors around the country are under pressure. An awful lot of people, especially those who do not have medical cards, cannot get an appointment for weeks. If a person has a chest infection or something simple that can be diagnosed quickly, they still have to go to…