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Independent Clinical Review of Maternity Services at Portiuncula University Hospital: Statements (Resumed) (13 Mar 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to contribute. As has been pointed out, Portiuncula Hospital was opened in 1945. We have to be mindful of the parents who, unfortunately, did not have a good experience in the hospital and who lost their babies. We have to remember those tonight while we are having this debate. On the other hand, two of my three children were born there and, thankfully, everything...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Feb 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this detailed document. It is easy to look back, but when David Cameron tried to renegotiate some elements of Britain's relationship with the EU, if agreement could have been reached at that stage, we would not have gone through what we have in recent years. The foresight, unfortunately, was not there at the time. I fear that in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Smart Community Initiative: Discussion (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I agree fully with the concept of people being able to work from a hub or from home. As the Minister of State is aware, Internet access is poor in many areas, although in fairness some towns have been brought up to specification on that. I will be fairly brief. The Minister of State spoke about libraries and different facilities. There are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Preservation of the Biodiversity and Ecosystems of Peatlands: Discussion (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My next question is for Dr. Farrell. Bord na Móna has been doing work on several bogs throughout the country. It speaks about preserving bogs. It is looking at Daingean where it has done a lot of work. In the midlands it has made an application for wind turbines near Mount Dillon. This will involve digging out a lot of bog and putting in roadways. How is this going on when Bord na...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Preservation of the Biodiversity and Ecosystems of Peatlands: Discussion (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...will bring about an Ireland in which, whether the Department wishes it or otherwise, it will not be good, that is, an Ireland where one will see a certain amount of land abandonment. Whether we like it or not, we come from a managed landscape. When they took the ewe or, as we saw in the Burren, the cow off the hill, it was detrimental to it. One must work with those communities to iron...

Local Government Bill 2018: From the Seanad (23 Jan 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Bill. Regardless of which side of the debate we are on, we should acknowledge that the Minister of State with responsibility for local government, Deputy Phelan, has met us several times to discuss the issue. This compares favourably with has been done by any other Minister and needs to be respected. The report on Galway was clear in stating...

Nurses and Midwives: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2019)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. As everyone knows, nursing is not a job, it is a vocation. Nurses' dedication, the hours they put in and the way they look after people day in and day out is a credit to them. Nurses on the front line have endured horrific working conditions in recent years and they have kept going, kept working and kept airing their views as to the...

Promoting Cycling: Motion [Private Members] (19 Dec 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the holding of this debate and compliment Deputy Troy. It is clear to anybody who drives into a city every morning that more and more people are using bicycles. This can be seen every single day, especially in the larger cities. Motorists always fear encountering a cyclist when turning left. We need to consider constructing something like a flyover. It is a death trap when...

Climate Change: Statements (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We need to put things into context. In the past seven or eight years, 400,000 more people are working in Ireland. If we put wings on them, we will have a bigger carbon footprint. We have to make sure whatever measures are introduced do not hit people the wrong way, especially those from the poorer sections of our community. Many things can be done to help income. Unfortunately the dairy...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2018: Committee Stage (5 Dec 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: In fairness to the Department, everyone agrees that there is a large financial shortfall in Galway. The first line of the report on Galway points out that it needs funding. Some moves are afoot and the Minister of State has had two meetings with us, for which we thank him, but this is not just a question of €500,000 or €1 million, it is a question of many millions of euro....

Local Government Bill 2018: Instruction to Committee (4 Dec 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: ...coming in dribs and drabs. I do not fully understand where the Minister of State is going when he talks about the powers that elected or unelected committees will have. What is he using? I would like to go back to Galway. As Deputies will be aware, the first thing that is written about Galway in the document is "show me the money". I do not see where we can keep going forward until...

Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (27 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill and thank Deputy Alan Kelly for accommodating me. I commend Deputy Stanley on bringing forward the Bill, which I intend to support. There is a great deal that could be achieved nationally through small-scale microgeneration. If the Minister went to Germany, he would see that many farms generate their own electricity. There is a facility there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Areas of Natural Constraint: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (27 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am just doing the maths. The €25 million works out at something like €260 or €270 to everyone in the last batch. When the new people are brought in, by what I am looking at, the increase across the board will be about €100. Is that correct?

Finance Bill 2018: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: There is something that has not been addressed yet, namely, the new tax rules for self-employed people. More people will be pushed into being subbies. As I have mentioned, doing the paperwork under the new rules will cost employers €450 per employee from next January. That will put a small business in trouble. I will tell the previous speaker something about the building sector....

Brexit: Motion (21 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. There is no quick-fix solution to this as we have seen, even over the past week, what has happened. While it would be easier to criticise him, I have seen the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, over the past few months, especially with some journalists in England who would put one to the pin of one's collar...

Local Government (Water Pollution) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (20 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: .... We, in rural areas, understand where he is coming from. We all see week in, week out, the problems that counties, especially in the west, incur. In considering the current regulation, to put it simply, I would say the law is an ass. If one has an old house in the west, especially in Leitrim, and one goes to do it up, and part of the planning permission relates to the septic tank....

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Acting Chairman. I will not hold the House too long. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I welcome the increase that will apply to pensioners and others in receipt of social welfare. There are some worries, however. As every Deputy is aware, there are people in the State who might have worked for a few years and put up a few stamps or they may not have put up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Sustaining Small Rural and Community Business: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I agree with much of what was said by Deputy Penrose. On shopping local, people may try to save a few cent by going to supermarkets but if they need something at night or at 7 a.m. in the morning they can phone their local shop to arrange to collect it. My mother has known Mr. Boland for many years. He is joined by Ms Lennon. Last Sunday...

Water Services: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Water and wastewater services are important to all parts of the country, be they urban or rural, and we need proper wastewater systems. Regarding the group water schemes in rural areas especially, we welcome the €230 subvention last year for schemes that have their own well and their own pump and the upgrade of moneys in that regard. That is badly needed because many of them were...

Finance Bill 2018: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2018)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Accountants are quoting fees of €450 per employee in respect of the extra work they will have to do. We must bear in mind that it is more paperwork for them. What is proposed will cripple small businesses. Some of them might already be paying accountants between €1,200 and €1,500. This will double or increase even further if a business has three or four employees. It...