I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I acknowledge is causing a lot of concern at the moment. We should not lose sight of the objective. The objective is to increase dramatically the amount of trees on our island and the amount of our land that is under forestry. We want an increase from about 11% of our land being forestry to something more like 18%, and that means planting millions of trees. We need trees for all sorts of different reasons. We need trees for timber, which includes spruce and…

As I mentioned, this arrangement will account for roughly 1.5% of new forests developed between now and 2050. The mainstay of the forestry programme is going to be Irish farmers and we are encouraging them to plant at least some of their land. The new forestry programme has been designed to incentivise farmers to the greatest extent possible, as I mentioned earlier. Under the new programme, farmers will receive 20 years of premium payments compared with 15 years for non-farmers. They will receive 33% more premium p…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht a chuid ceisteanna. Ar dtús ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil lenár bhfoireann sláinte go léir as ucht an cúram atá á sholáthar acu inár n-ospidéil agus sa phobal le linn tréimhse an-ghnóthach. Sin é an fáth go bhfuil líon na leapacha ospidéil á mhéadú againn; tá an buiséid sláinte is mó riamh againn; agus tá níos mó dochtúirí, altraí agus foireann cabhrach ag obair inár n-ospidéil in iarthar na Gaillimhe agus i ngach cuid den tír. I agree with the Deputy on one important p…

Almost all regions of the country would say they are underfunded or under-resourced when it comes to healthcare. The Deputy has made the case very strongly today for the west. I have heard Deputy Shanahan, who is sitting beside him, make the same case for the south east on many occasions and many of my colleagues have made the same case to me in respect of the mid west only a few weeks ago. Where the truth lies and where the balance of resources and funding is located is quite opaque. That is one of the reasons we …

I thank the Deputy. I will have to consult the Whip on this but we will certainly be happy to provide time to discuss the issue. The response to Ukraine and the migrant crisis we are dealing with across Europe, including Ireland, is co-ordinated by a Cabinet subcommittee led by the Department of the Taoiseach. It involves many different agencies, not just the Department responsible for integration. The Departments responsible for housing, social protection and community development are also involved. I will be happ…

Was it the question about the advertisements?

I am afraid I do not know.

We do not have the exact figures in yet for 2022, but we will have them in the next few weeks. They will show that we met, and in fact exceeded, our overall housing target for last year, with more new homes being built in Ireland since probably 2010 or 2011. In relation to social housing, we have not built perhaps as many as we would have liked or as many as we had intended, but we will have built and provided more new social housing last year than any year in decades, and perhaps even since the foundation of the S…

As the Deputy knows, state aid rules are a European matter, but we are examining the state aid rules to see what can and cannot be done. It is 20 years since the particular court judgment was handed down. The State is, and will be, planting trees on public land for all sorts of purposes. We need trees for timber to build all those houses we need. We also need trees to act as a carbon sink, for biodiversity and leisure. We need different types of trees for different purposes. The mainstay of our forestry programme w…

I only became aware of that matter in the last couple of days whenever the story appeared online. I do not know if it is fully accurate. I would not necessarily assume that it is and I do not want to comment on it further. I do not know Michael Stone but I met him once or twice in the context of his chairmanship of the north-east city project. I must say that the vast majority of people I met, especially in the north-east inner city, felt that he was very dedicated to the work he did and that he did very good job. …

I am deeply saddened and was quite shocked to hear about what happened to Mr. Healy only a few days ago. My heart and my thoughts go out to his family and friends and to his community. It is particularly sad that this happened to him only a few weeks after he buried his own wife. Sadly, as we all know, assaults can happen anywhere. Hospitals should be safe places, however, and we should do everything we can to minimise the number of assaults that happen in our hospitals. We will certainly give the idea of a securit…

I am sorry to hear about that closure and the loss of jobs in Carrick-on-Suir. The Deputy’s colleague, Senator Ahearn, has been on to me about this too. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to engage with the company to see what can be done perhaps to save the jobs, to make sure a package is put in place for the staff if possible and if an alternative use can be found for the site.

I am sorry to hear about that case. Without knowing the details, I cannot comment on it much further but if the Deputy sends the details to my office, we will look into it on her behalf.

It was a very useful meeting and I was glad to be able to attend for at least an hour of it. I hope to visit the hospital soon. I do not have the exact answers to all the Deputy’s questions. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to come back to him directly but I understand the 96-bed block is under construction and might be open sometime next year. I will double-check that. We accept another bed block is required and will try to progress that. There is no date for the surgical hub yet, unfortunately. W…

I will let the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, know that the Deputy raised Midoc and out-of-hours services in the midlands. Out-of-hours GP services, which are really important, have evolved on an ad hoc basis. Back in the day when my dad was a GP, GPs did their own calls and were out every night. Nobody would expect anyone to do that anymore. When I was a GP, the co-ops started being set up but it is ad hoc . Sometimes they are run by GPs, sometimes by the HSE and sometimes by private companies. That means an i…

We support community energy projects. There have not been all that many in Ireland and I would like to see a lot more happen. I do not know the situation with the particular directive or with European law, but I will get my office to liaise with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan’s, office and come back to the Deputy once we have an answer.

I thank Deputy Farrell for raising this important question, which I know is of great concern to his constituents and indeed to constituents not too far from my own place, where there was a well-attended public meeting recently. I am advised the DAA holds statutory responsibility for the airport. Noise mitigation at Dublin Airport is subject to substantial regulation and oversight as well as best practice mitigation measures. Following the opening of the north runway in August, an issue regarding the runway’s depart…

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of home care. It is so important, as we all know. It keeps people out of hospital, gets people out of hospital more quickly, keeps people out of nursing homes and makes sure they are safe. We have dramatically increased the budget for home care in recent years. The problem is no longer a matter of money but of finding staff who are available to be home carers. To help deal with that, we have relaxed the work permit rules so that up to 1,000 people can come in from …

Our objective is to go from a situation whereby only approximately 10% of the country is under forest to get up to 18%, which will almost double the amount of the country that is afforested. That will require the State, through Coillte, to plant more forests, particularly on public land. It will require farmers to plant more trees. It will require private investment, which can of course come from anywhere, including from domestic Irish investment funds. That said, the people who can make the biggest difference here…

On Deputy Nolan’s question, I saw the footage the other day. It was very upsetting to think anyone would treat an innocent animal such as a donkey in that way and then take pleasure in videoing it and putting it online. It was appalling. I agree we need to step up enforcement when it comes to dogs and dangerous dog laws as well as the wider issue of animal welfare, which the Deputy raised. I will certainly take that up with my colleagues. In response to Deputy McNamara’s question, I have not seen the outcome of tha…