I thank the Deputy. This is a matter on which I have been engaging with the inshore fishery sector. Christopher O'Sullivan TD, who has just left the Chamber, has been discussing the pressures in the sector with me over the past week or two. There has definitely been a real challenge in respect of the market. I met all the inshore fisher representative organisations yesterday and had a thorough discussion with them. I am fully assessing the situation. I am aware of the challenges inshore fishermen are facing. The in…

I thank the Deputy. As he knows, this is an issue on which I have been working for a significant period. The derogation is massively important to our dairy sector and is particularly important to many Cork farmers, given the strength of the dairy sector there. The Taoiseach and I invited the Commissioner to come to Ireland to fully assess the great work that farmers are doing. He came last Thursday and met all the key farming stakeholders. He was once again clear, as he has been since my meeting with him in early S…

I thank the Deputy. I will take up with Coillte the fact that he has raised this matter as an issue on the back of the comments he has made. It is a matter for Coillte to engage with its contractual obligations. I will certainly engage with its representatives and discuss the matter.

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2023, copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 18th October, 2023. I thank the House for facilitating the taking of this motion today. Ensuring that the horse and greyhound racing sectors and industries achieve their maximum potential, and in doing so contribute to economic and social development over a wide geographic distribution in our country, is an important aspect of Gov…

I thank all Members for their contributions. As I said in my opening statement, this funding is very important to the thoroughbred horse racing sector and to the greyhound sector throughout the country. They are two strong industries. The horse racing industry in particular is world leading and a massive part of our economy, with some 30,000 people employed. The greyhound sector is somewhat smaller, which is again reflected in the fact it only has a one fifth share of the funding. However, the funding is important …

I see the coalition negotiations with Mr. Murphy here and the Social Democrats are getting more challenging by the day should the numbers cook up after the next election. It will be very difficult. The horse racing and greyhound sectors can be assured that this Government very much values both sectors and is committed to their funding. I want to see both sectors grow and prosper in the years ahead. We are committed to keep doing that, and I thank everyone for their contributions and their time today. Deputy Lowry m…

I move: THAT Section 125A of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 (No. 31 of 1999) be amended to provide for the specified rate of stamp duty in respect of an insured person in respect of relevant contracts renewed or entered into on or after 1 January, 2024 and on or before 31 March, 2024 and on or after 1 April, 2024 in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution.

This is a key priority for the Government and something on which the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has led out very strongly. It has been great to see the very strong uptake and interest in organics following the fivefold increase the Government has allocated under this CAP to support organic farming. Payments for existing organic farmers will start on Thursday, 7 December and continue from then on. The closing date for new applicants will be on the following day, Friday, 8 December.

I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2023, copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 18th October, 2023, be referred to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in accordance with Standing Order 95(5), which, not later than 29th November, 2023, shall send a message to the Dáil in the manner prescribed in Standing Order 101, and Standing Order 100(2) shall accordingly apply.

I thank Deputy Doherty. As he knows, a stable tax system has been absolutely essential to the growth of our economy and the progress of Ireland over the past number of decades. We have seen the benefits of that for our population and in the transformation of our economy. This is something the Government takes very seriously. We want to make sure that we maintain that. The Deputy has raised a court judgment in regard to the Apple tax case. It is an opinion that was delivered this morning by the Advocate General. It …

I will not get involved in a particular opinion. I know Deputy Doherty and his party opposed us in defending the case as a State. Going forward, in terms of maintaining a stable business and personal tax regime in this country, our objective is to continue to work with international partners and to have consistency across international borders in relation to how laws operate and to ensure that we are working with those. By doing so and by engaging in that way, we give continued confidence to businesses in many part…

The Government will continue to engage appropriately in relation to this judgment, in particular to make sure we maintain confidence in terms of investment in Ireland and the tax situation.

Delivering more homes and preventing homelessness is the number one issue for this Government. It was the number one reason my party decided to go into government and sought the housing portfolio. When we look at the investment that this Government has put in place, and the three parties working together, it shows the commitment we have to ramping up as fast as we possibly can the delivery of new homes, enabling people to have a house that they can call home and, in particular, enabling them to own that home. Every…

I do not agree with Deputy Bacik's accusation but do agree with her on the absolute importance of ensuring the properties do not go void. Once an outgoing tenant or family vacates a social property, it should be immediately brought back into circulation and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, working with the local authority, should ensure it provides the funding to achieve this. That is something we are doing every single year. At national level this year, €31 million in funding has been allo…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. On the basis of his request, I reassure everyone that our beef is absolutely safe and that there is no safety issue related to this atypical case of BSE. It is very different from classic cases of BSE, which were an issue ten or 20 years ago and were related to feed. BSE is something that happens sporadically and randomly in bovines, and it always will. One in every few million contracts it every so often. We had a similar atypical case in 2020 and another in 201…

The Chinese market is an important one for us to develop and build on. Our meat companies are doing really strong work in it to build up customers. China, with its 1.4 billion people and its growth in GDP and economic well-being, has a lot of potential for the future. Currently, however, the Chinese market represents a small proportion of beef exports overall. To date this year, the value of our beef exports to China is €16 million. The total value of our beef exports this year will be €2.5 billion, so the value of…

I thank Deputy Mattie McGrath for raising this. As everyone in the House knows, we have come through a decade or 15 years which have been quite dramatic for people's personal finances. Many people across this country faced difficulties in their personal lives or their businesses. They accumulated mortgages and debts in good faith but as a result of the economy and the financial crash in 2007 and 2008, they found themselves in very precarious situations. Many people have the scars on their back which reflect that pe…

I will get the Deputy an up-to-date note ** Deputy McGrath - a note ** on the specific of the transposition of that directive. As I mentioned previously, the objective of the Government is to work to provide strong support to those who find themselves in financial arrangements relating to a mortgage for a property or a business. There are now strong provisions in place, including the consumer protection code and the code of conduct on mortgage arrears. At Government level the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Mc…

I thought, when Deputy Boyd Barrett was starting his contribution, that he was referring to the budget surplus this year, which has been significantly contributed to by corporation tax revenue. As I mentioned to Deputy Doherty earlier, the tax code we have had in this country and the pro-business approach has been central to transforming this economy, to making Ireland what it is today and to making sure that, unlike many of our European counterparts, we have been able to step in, by virtue of having a good economi…

It is subject to judicial review at the moment.