I thank the Minister of State for his response. As a former Minister of State at the Department of Justice, I can see where this is coming from. I agree with everything the Minister of State has said. The only thing that is missing is a date for starting the recruitment, which the Minister of State has not addressed although it was the main point I made. One issue I recognise in the Minister of State's response is the pathway to full membership. The reserve strategy acknowledges this when it states that the Garda R…

That is my understanding as well.

I agree with what was said about Glanmire. Turning to the issue of clubs and organisations establishing and building major or minor sporting facilities, one of the issues that arises is the availability of land and sites for these projects. We are hoping to build many houses. As a former Minister of State in the Department of Justice and Equality, I am concerned about antisocial behaviour if we build more and more houses but no sporting facilities and infrastructure as part of this endeavour. Will the Minister of S…

I heard the Minister of State's previous response regarding this issue of the national swimming strategy. Will he agree that every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and that it is extremely important for physical and mental health? Where is the strategy? What is the Minister of State's vision for the strategy? What instructions has he given to the committee in respect of the parameters on this? I refer to the committee that has been established. When does the Minister of State expect to get its rep…

I congratulate the Minister of State on finally getting this off the ground because it has been promised for quite a number of years. Maybe the Minister of State could tell the House what his ambition for and vision of this strategy are. I am sure the Minister of State is aware that schools are finding it difficult to provide swimming which is part of the curriculum, especially if they have to travel fairly long distances to get to a swimming pool and if there is a cost involved in that which they find it difficult…

I come from one of the fastest growing towns in the country, Midleton in east Cork. Recently, there was a feasibility study carried out on the need for a swimming pool in the area. Part of the problem is trying to find a site. Part of the problem is to get the local authority to buy-in to it. The population growth is projected to be significant. There is a local group established to put this forward but it is running into all kinds of obstacles. Can the Minister of State offer them any assistance, guidance or advic…

There is great teamwork in our constituency. It is great to be able to work with a colleague like that. I want to bring the Minister of State back to the question of sites. We have enthusiastic clubs and whether they are building sports fields or getting a lawn mower, the grant can make a big difference to them. I say well done to the Minister, the Minister of State and the officials. The issue now seems to be how we can give money and not how we cannot give it. The philosophy and vision have turned around in a big…

Facilities.

In the programme for Government, the Government has committed to holding constitutional referendums on at least three matters: extending the franchise in the presidential elections to Irish citizens outside the State, housing and Article 41.2.1° with regard to women in the home. I am also interested in a referendum on the Unified Patent Court which is urgent. Will the Tánaiste tell me whether there is a plan to hold any of these referendums in the coming six months or year?

Flood relief schemes are hugely important. I welcome the fact that the Government has made a large amount of money available for such schemes in recent times. How much has been made available in recent years? What is the current situation? Are there plans to increase funding?

I would be concerned about delays in drawdown and maybe money being lost or taken back by the OPW. The Minister of State might tell me what the situation is with that. Does the OPW keep tabs on the local authorities to put pressure on them to do the work in a timely fashion? Obviously, these works would not be approved unless they were needed. If they are not done in a timely fashion then people are going to suffer. I am sure the Minister of State will be interested in my next question about sea-level rise himself.…

Would the Minister of State agree that his last point on sea level rises is something that we really need to get our act together on? If reports are true, we face a very serious impact on property and housing, farmland, railway lines and so on across the country. I get the feeling we are not treating this with the urgency that we should as a Government, as a State or as a nation but it is coming if all the scientists are correct. Would the Minister of State agree that perhaps the local authorities do not have the c…

IBEC has stated that the establishment of an Irish local division of the Unified Patent Court would lead to job creation, benefit SMEs and boost Ireland's innovative performance, and could also contribute between €450 million and €1.66 billion to GDP growth. We need to pass legislation to allow for a referendum before this can happen. The general scheme of the Bill was approved in 2014. When will the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment request approval to proceed with the Bill?

Is the Taoiseach aware that some companies which need to carry out investigations to develop offshore wind have been waiting for more than two years for decisions to be made on foreshore licences? Can these be expedited? It is causing a crisis of confidence.

This question concerns the mental health of farmers. It flows from some recent reports that found that almost one in four farmers was considered to be at risk of suicide, 50% experienced moderate to extreme depression and 40% experienced moderate to extreme stress and severe anxiety. I know the Minister of State is very concerned about this issue. I would like to know what he is doing about it and what supports he needs to address the problem.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I give credit to him for his huge interest in this very important area. Does the Minister of State agree with me that loneliness is a huge issue at the moment among the farming community? Farmers are on their own much of the time during the day. They are under much stress, and many changes in policies are also happening. Much bureaucracy and red tape is coming at farmers with many forms to be filled out and so on. If they get it wrong, then they do not get payments. T…

I agree with everything the Minister of State said in respect of engagement and help and support. Has he engaged with HSE counselling services where farmers are concerned? This is bearing in mind that he said farmers very often work long hours. They come in very late at night when their families have maybe gone to bed. They might see nobody from one end of the day to the next. I would really urge the Minister of State to take as much action as he can. I am sure colleagues here will support him in this work, which i…

This question concerns the impact of the Russian war in Ukraine on the Irish agriculture sector. We were concerned about this when the war broke out. What has been the impact on energy, grain availability, food prices, fertiliser availability and so on and what is being done to support the sector?

I am substituting for Deputy Richmond in putting this question. I am sure the Minister will agree the figures he has outlined are quite stark. There was an effort made at the start of the year to encourage more grain growing. What has happened in that regard? Has it worked, how many more hectares of grain have been produced as a result and what has been the impact of that? Is the Minister concerned about the availability of fertiliser next year? Many farmers buy ahead, which means they may be okay this year. What i…

Will the Minister outline the supports he is putting in place in respect of energy costs? I am particularly interested in the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, and the condition that energy cannot be paid for if it is exported onto the grid. Any progress made in that area would be a huge help. The number of TAMS grants this year is down. I contend this is because of the possibility of participants not being paid if they export to the grid.