That will be important. It is not just a matter of dealing with the issue, which is important; it is also a significant issue of health and safety. We have to remember that. It is about confidence in the sector. A farmer or landowner thinking about how those affected by ash dieback have been treated would not be very confident or seek to engage or enter forestry. Therefore, it is important that the Minister of State consider allowing those affected to access the same grants and premiums as new entrants. If we want …

I want to acknowledge the Minister's commitment to finding a solution for the cohort known as the forgotten farmers. The scheme the Minister is looking at and what he will propose for this cohort of young farmers have been awaited for quite some time. Can the Minister provide us with an update on the proposal he is looking at?

I thank the Minister for his response. We have been hearing for some time, particularly towards the end of last year, that the package was coming and that detailed information was coming, and that commitment has been made several times. We were to get further detail in the first quarter of this year and that time has come and gone. Can the Minister give these farmers any commitment on a timeframe for this, given how long they have waited already and given that in the media the proposals the Minister is looking at h…

Can the Minister give us a little bit more information on the work that is under way by the Department at the Minister's request? Is there a proposal from the Department on the table which outlines what this scheme might look like? The Minister has mentioned eligibility, and it is critically important that we get that element of it right. Is there engagement with farm organisations or others on what the scheme might look like before it will be entirely rolled out? Is that something the Minister is looking at? On cl…

My question almost follows on from some of the comments the Minister of State made already. It is to seek an update concerning the new forestry programme.

Given that the submission was not made until the middle of April and the former forestry programme had been extended, is it not fair to say that the submission should have been prepared and ready to go earlier in the year, rather than in the middle of April? We are now towards the end of May. As someone put it to me the other day, we are in the middle of a major climate crisis and we cannot plant trees. I find that extraordinary. The Minister of State said the new programme is ambitious. It sounds good. That is gre…

Other countries in the EU managed to get around this in terms of what was announced and the wait for state aid approval. I am not sure about the argument the Minister of State has made. At the end of the day, we are nearly into June and do not have a forestry programme. Planting season will be almost finished before we have a programme. People are still waiting. This is leading to a worsening of confidence in the sector, a sector which was already bad enough to begin with. Does the Minister State envisage that the …

The Tánaiste is aware of the case of Robert Pether, which I have raised in this Chamber many times. He has spent more than two years in a Baghdad prison cell following a dispute between his employer and the Iraqi Government. He has literally been collateral damage. He is an Australian citizen, which limits what the Government can do, and I understand that, but his wife and three children, who miss him dearly, live in my constituency and they are Irish citizens. We have had a report from the UN last March and it con…

On behalf of Sinn Féin, I extend our sympathies to all of Noel's family, to his wife Mary, to his children and to his grandchildren. Looking up at you all here today I have no doubt that his grandchildren were the apple of his eye. A grandad plays a really important role in our lives and especially when we are young. Although he is not here I have no doubt that he will never be too far away from you as you grow up, and no doubt you will go on to make him very proud as a grandfather. Noel was born in Ballinasloe, a …

I move amendment No. 18: In page 12, line 22, after “law” to insert “and anti-competitive actions in the agrifood supply chain”. This amendment is now even more important, given the debate in recent weeks around food prices. We have seen a lack of transparency, particularly regarding the gap between when produce leaves the farm gate and when it appears on supermarket shelves. When we saw the beef protests outside factories, the big issues at that time concerned cartel-like behaviour and competition. That was the be…

Whether the scope of the amendment is one line or ten lines, it still gives the regulator the powers we want to it to have. Those powers relate to anti-competitive practices. If these anti-competitive practices exist and the Minister believes they exist and the law to deal with them is already in place, why is nothing being done about them? If there is significant law in place and the CCPC has those powers, it has not done anything about it and clearly does not intend to do anything about it because we are still at…

We are just going around in circles. I asked whether the Minister was satisfied that anti-competitiveness practices are not ongoing. I again make the point, and it is not one he responded to, that if the laws are there and if the powers exist in legislation, my question remains. Why has every farming organisation and stakeholder involved in this legislation sought that this regulator would have these powers? It does not make any sense. If the powers are already there and are so effective, why are the farming organi…

I move amendment No. 19: In page 14, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(4) The regulator shall report to the Minister within 12 months of its establishment date as to its ability to acquire data under section 12(3)(d) , and make any appropriate recommendation so as to ensure the regulator is empowered to access or seize such data it requires to meet its obligations.”.

I thank the Minister for taking on board our amendments in this amendment and the previous one. I am happy to withdraw our amendment and agree to the amendment the Minister has proposed.

I move amendment No. 23: In page 24, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(2) Prior to an appointment under section 33(1) , a proposed candidate for Chief Executive shall attend the relevant Oireachtas sectoral committee to discuss his or her strategic priorities for the role.”. This is an amendment that was brought forward and discussed on Committee Stage. I understand the Minister may have had time to reflect on it between then and now. Again this is about transparency and accountability in what wil…

I am happy to withdraw the amendment.

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this debate. I listened to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, earlier on. He spoke about the accommodation providers facing threats. We have all seen the protests and everything that has gone on to date. Most of it, if not all, is absolutely unacceptable, particularly the protests we have seen in Dublin. However, we must also look at the other side of that, namely, the communities that have welcomed refugees and what they have seen from Government in support of that. I refer…

Okay. I want to make the point again that where rural communities are opening their arms and refugees have come in, the Government needs to support those communities. I have spoken to the Minister of State about the town of Ballaghaderreen, which is a prime example. From 2017, the Syrian refugees began arriving, and from that point to this, additional resources and services have not been put into the town. That is not fair. It is part of the reason we are here today and why so many rural communities are now up in a…

I move: That Dáil Éireann shall take note of the Report of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine entitled "Issues impacting Dog Welfare in Ireland", copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 13th October, 2022. I am happy to move this motion on the report completed by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In 2021, the joint committee examined canine welfare issues and the existing related legislation. The issues examined at the time in relation to this matter included can…

The Chairman of the joint committee, Deputy Cahill, left me with this job. He will not be impressed. Over the six days, the committee was grateful to hear from a range of stakeholders, including Dogs Trust Ireland, the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Veterinary Council of Ireland and officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials and Rural and Community Development. In the absence of the Deputy Cahill, I thank everyone who came before the committee to share…