The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver on the goal of building stronger, safer communities. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has consistently asked gardaí what more she can do to provide supports for them as they do their job. Being a garda is difficult. I do not, nor should any of us, take for granted their efforts or underestimate the risks to which they are exposed every day on our behalf. I am certain most of us are related to somebody who…

Today, the decision has been made by Government, through the interdepartmental group involving the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Housing, Local Government and Heritage to extend the slurry-spreading season for an extra week to 15 October. That international departmental group makes its decisions based on science, based on grass growth-----

-----based on soil and based on rain fall. We know the pressure the farmers are under but we also know that very good weather is coming this weekend and that most farmers were working on the basis of 1 October. This extra time was needed because of the bad weather in September and 15 October is the latest we can extend it to.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a really important issue here. Tillage farmers have had an unprecedented year because they suffered high input costs at the start of the year when sowing and growing crops, they had really poor weather conditions throughout the year and now they are faced with a declining price for their product as well as poor yields. In many respects, it is a perfect storm. The crisis reserve that the Deputy referred to from yesterday was the best we could do within what was available to us …

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and pass on the apologies of the Minister for Health, who could not be here to take this Commencement matter. The response I have been given focused on the title, which was around breastfeeding facilities specifically, but I take on board the Senator's point on the importance of ensuring we have those facilities for men or women who are feeding children, baby changing facilities, and the rest. Encouraging mothers to breastfeed is a priority for both the Departmen…

I again thank the Senator. He articulated the impediment and the societal challenges really well. I take his points of view on board and will bring them back to the Minister. We know the importance of ensuring breastfeeding mothers can breastfeed freely and comfortably in the workplace and the wider community. Research indicates breastfeeding gives a child an optimum start in life. Increasing our breastfeeding rates will contribute to the improvement in child and maternal health and also contribute to the reduction…

I thank Senator Conway for raising this important issue. I know the impact and the importance of this type of critical investment in wastewater treatment for the very reasons he has outlined that are important to his communities in Clare relating to the future sustainable development and growth of towns and villages. I am responding on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who unfortunately is not able to be here today. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage builds its water services str…

I again thank Senator Conway. To allay the concern he raises that the expert panel could perhaps say that nowhere needs the scheme, we all know of places all over Ireland - I have them in my constituency of Kildare - that need this level of investment. I take heart from the line in the original response which talks about taking a demonstration project model approach. I do not think there is any risk of the expert panel not making a recommendation on areas. It will be about prioritisation based on set criteria but u…

I thank Senator Crowe for raising what I know is a huge issue not just for Galway but for the west of Ireland. I know the Acting Chair has a great interest in rugby, and we all share that interest, particularly in these months. From that perspective, this is a very important project. It gets to the heart of the Government's approach of supporting balanced regional development, and is a great example of that approach. The national sports policy was published in 2018 and provided for the establishment of a new large-…

I thank the Senator again for raising this matter. It gets to the heart of these large-scale sports infrastructure projects, of which 33 were allocated funding under the previous Government. Obviously, things changed dramatically after January 2020. The 33 projects in question all increased massively in cost because they were delayed due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, increases in costs for all building infrastructure projects meant that many projects changed. I know this from experience in Kil…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and to pass on the apologies of the Minister, who is in Brussels and, unfortunately, cannot be here. As he will be aware, the Garda Commissioner determines the divisional structures throughout the State. The Minister does not have a role nor can she seek to direct the Commissioner regarding such matters. This is for good reason. We in this House have a policy role. Just as it is the Deputy's right to raise the points he just raised, there is a clear separation bet…

I thank the Deputy for that supplementary response. I take on board the points. It is hard to stand up here and highlight negative facts about his constituency but he does that to highlight his concern. I appreciate that. I accept it and believe it is done in good faith. I also counter that by saying that surely the people who are making the key decisions about the new districts are the ones who understand those challenges better. These are the gardaí who deal with these areas. This decision is not being made in is…

I start by thanking Deputy Cahill not only for raising this point in the House but also for his ongoing work as Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and that of his committee members, in advocating on behalf of those farmers impacted. I concur with him on the impact it has on the broader forestry sector. I offer the apologies of the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, who could not be here and asked me to deliver this response …

I thank Deputy Cahill for those points, which I will relay to the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. I completely concur that, when confidence is low in a sector like the forestry sector, the running sores have to be addressed and fixed. This is one such item. In fairness to the Minister of State, that is what she is attempting to do with this review. We look forward to its publication very soon. We now have a new forestry programme. Despite lengthy delays in getting approval from Brussels, we have finally got it …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this matter. I apologise for the response being as Béarla. I apologise on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who could not be here to take this matter here this evening. The Irish-language learners scheme unit in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has assessed 76% of the payment claims the Department has received from recognised Irish colleges in relation to summer courses for 2023 …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta arís. I will ensure that the points that he has raised are highlighted directly with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. As I said at the outset, 76% of the payment claims the Department has received for 2023 have now been processed and the Department is working on processing the remaining 15% of the payments.

There are still some outstanding-----

I will inform the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, of the Deputy's query. I will ask him to ensure that he or his officials respond directly to the Deputy on this point to clarify it for him. There are still some applications outstanding. As I was saying, 15% of the payment claims have been received and the Department is also awaiting completed paperwork from 9% of the Irish-language colleges. Upon receipt of that paperwork, these will be processed properly. Part of the challenge is that in 9% of the claims, pa…

I will and, with the Chair's indulgence, I will not need them. I start by thanking Deputies Ó Ríordáin, Nash and Sherlock for bringing forward this Private Member's Bill, which the Government is not opposing on Second Stage. The Government recognises the importance of tackling human rights issues, including human trafficking, exploitation and child labour, and considers that combating these issues is an important and fundamental part of the business and human rights agenda. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and E…

I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this important issue. My Department and I condemn the cruelty we witnessed in the programme last night. I share the Deputy’s sentiments on that. We in the Department take any such breaches of our strict animal welfare guidelines very seriously and wish people who have any information around them to share it with us. We have requested from RTÉ the videos and will pursue those matters. It is incumbent on all of us. I agree with the Deputy that this is not common practice. Farmers an…