On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 958 of 966 decisive votes (3 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| FF | Fianna Fáil | 1,734 | 2020-04-30 – 2026-09-24 |
Membership spells on record: FF 2011-02-25–2016-03-09 · FF 2016-03-10–2020-01-14 · FF 2020-02-08–2024-11-08 · FF 2024-11-29–present
Let us deal with facts. There was a massive backlog. Over the last two years, by addressing the backlog that was there waiting for us when we came in, we took it from a situation where back in August 2021 it had built up to 6,000 licences waiting more than 120 days to be decided. We now have that down to 1,983 waiting more than 120 days. It is coming down every week.
Let us also look at-----
Before Christmas we published the biggest forestry policy premiums ever in the history of the State.
Listen. The Deputies do not want to hear the facts.
There are 60% increases in premiums. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has done this. In the outgoing programmes there are premiums for only 15 years if one is a farmer or a non-farmer. We have increased it for farmers from 15 years to 20 years.
Farmers now will get a one third extra premium than a non-farmer and can claim their basic payment scheme entitlements under that land too, which a non-farmer cannot do. This is what we have run out. The annual premium per hectare for native trees is €1,137 under the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, and the Government's programme.
This is €1,137 for 20 years.
It is unprecedented.
Our message to the farmers across the country is that we want farmers to consider----
-----whether they can incorporate some forestry into their land and whether they can make income from that. Deputy Healy-Rae is shrewd and has a good eye for enterprise whenever he sees it. I hold out that whenever that forestry programme was announced the Deputy would have been looking at it in good detail to see if there was an opportunity in there with regard to where-----
Fair play that it was 25 years ago. If it made sense 25 years ago then I am sure that Deputy Healy-Rae knows better than anyone that it makes even more sense now and that it pays even better now. For every farmer that income will be tax free.
Our whole message to farmers is-----
Our whole message to farmers is that we are backing them and we are providing options. We are providing really good income. If a farmer has an acre or two, or a hectare or two, on the farm, what a farmer could bring in through forestry makes a hell of a lot of sense.
It is all about backing farmers. That forestry programme is the best that has been introduced in the State. It will really see a significant change. We have now moved out of the crisis situation and are now getting into an equilibrium. We are driving down that backlog. It is about driving that along and backing farmers to do it, while putting farmers at the centre. Coillte also has a strong role to play. That agency used to do a lot of afforestation, but has not been doing it since 2004. Coillte's ten-year strategi…
The third part of the motion is that we need to have good, strong licensing ambition in this current year of 2023 to back up the industry and-----
-----that is what we are doing. Last year we licensed twice as much felling as was harvested the year before. We are doing everything we can to back farmers to do forestry. We are backing the country to help meet its climate emissions plans through forestry-----
-----putting farmers very much at the centre of it and giving farmers the 20-year premiums versus the 15 years, which was there for others, giving them a one third advantage for premiums over anybody else, which had not been there before. I welcome the strong sentiment from many Deputies across the floor tonight in respect of trying to improve our afforestation in the years ahead. I look forward to working with them and hearing any ideas they have as to how we can try to do that further, not that I will hold my bre…
I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." As Deputies will be aware, the programme for Government included a commitment to ensure fairness, equity and transparency in the food chain by establishing a new authority to enforce the unfair trading practices directive. The commitment was also that the new office would have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland. I am pleased to present the legislation that delivers on that commitment. I thank the stakeholders who contribu…
Will the Deputy explain that a bit more? It would be great to hear more.
I ask the Deputy to explain it.