I will respond to the Deputy. ACRES is a hugely important agri-environment scheme and we have seen a massive amount of ambition from Irish farmers in this, with 46,000 of them signing up for it. It was a big undertaking for us in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to make sure we could facilitate that oversubscription because originally there were only 30,000 places available. We made it clear at that time that timelines are tight to make sure we get people paid. I take the Deputy's point of view on…

I agree with Deputy Cathal Crowe, who outlined that we have robust animal welfare legislation in this country. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, funds a number of animal welfare charities with grant aid to assist with and defray some of their costs. We work closely with our local authority system and the veterinary staff in local authorities on the enforcement of such animal welfare legislation. I would appreciate if the Deputy could share any specific det…

Deputies referred to import figures for beef. On a point of information, the CSO recently corrected its trade data for beef imports in 2022 and 2023. The correct figures are that we imported almost 37,000 tonnes of beef in 2022, compared with Irish exports of 492,000 tonnes of beef last year. To the end of April this year, we imported 11,000 tonnes of beef, compared with exports of 154,000 tonnes in the same period. When discussing imports, we should always bear in mind that Ireland is an export-focused economy wit…

It is the reason it is smart to be bringing forward that point. I will get to the Deputy's point.

The Deputy is very worried about what I am saying here. It is good to know he is paying attention and I thank him for that. This also means focusing on our environmental and climate credentials and facilitating the sector to contribute to our national ambitions on climate in a fair and balanced way. That is a road the sector is already travelling and I have seen first hand the steps many farmers are taking to improve their farms and reduce their carbon footprint and their environmental impact. I recently attended a…

These measures will be optional. It is my firm believe the best results come from bringing people with you and not by imposing obligations on them. That approach is reflected in the Food Vision dairy and beef reports. These reports were prepared through a process of collaboration and co-operation and represent a broad consensus with some reservations on the key actions required. Contrary to the narrative that is being pushed from one side of this House for a long time, Government does not want to take cows off farm…

It is called context, Deputy.

Your stomach sounds like a charade.

I am sharing time with Deputy English. I thank the Minister for her leadership, energy and enthusiasm, which are evident in her 15-minute statement. As a Deputy who was first elected to this House in 2011, the greatest charge against me from the Opposition benches, as a rural-based Government backbencher from 2011 to 2016, was that we were seeing the death of rural Ireland. Nobody is saying that any more. The change can be directly traced back to the establishment of the Minister's Department and the significant fo…

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important matter. Regarding his initial comments, I look forward to attending Bloom this afternoon with my ministerial colleagues. It is a great opportunity and great credit is due to Bord Bia, an organisation that we support extensively through our Department. It comes directly under my remit in the Department. Great credit is due to Bord Bia for what is a fantastic event. More than 100,000 people will visit Bloom in the coming days and get to see the best of our horticultur…

Senator Boyhan is absolutely right. The major strength of the strategy is that it is more than the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with the Department talking to NGOs, coming up with a strategy and talking to those with the lived experience, to those who work in the voluntary sector and to other Government Departments. This goes beyond housing. It deals with health and many different areas, such as employment opportunities, etc. On the SHY pilot, an in-person consultation event with other key …

I would like to start by thanking Senator Keogan for raising what is a very important issue. It is important we discuss this in advance of any potential action. The provision of a fire service in its functional area, as the Senator will be aware, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts 1981 and 2003. The Department of Housing, Local …

The Senator might not have heard my initial response and taken all of it fully on board. The key element is that SIPTU has confirmed it will adhere to the 1992 Act. We have a responsibility not to scaremonger. Public safety will be safeguarded by staff and management at all times. The Senator referenced Blanchardstown. If I were a member of the public looking at this debate, I would think no member of the fire service is going to go to a fire incident like that. It has made it quite clear-----

SIPTU has committed to that, in line with the 1992 Act, and we should not stand up in this House and allude to people that if there is a fire emergency, the fire service will not attend. I will get to my point about the retained fire service. I deal with the retained fire service in Kildare and know how it needs to be treated better. However, let us not scaremonger in the House and try to tell people that if there is a serious fire incident, the good men and women of the fire service will not respond because, throu…

I thank Senator Lombard. I know this is an issue that is particularly close to his heart which I have heard him raise and articulate on a number of occasions, particularly how much it impacts the Cork and Kerry area, the region he is from. It is timely that we get to discuss this here today and shine a light on it. The programme for government commits to improving all aspects of CAMHS in line with Sharing the Vision, Connecting for Life and the annual HSE service plans. The total allocation for mental health servic…

The Senator is dead right. It is as serious as it gets. What the Senator outlined is not acceptable in terms of the progress, which is why a number of initiatives across our multifaceted approach are being set up, including the ADHD team I mentioned, which will hopefully take 120 off the waiting list in a six-month period, as well as a number of different initiatives. I appreciate how frustrating an experience it is for families whose children are waiting to receive a service. I assure the House the Government rema…

I thank Senator Chambers for raising this important issue relating to women's health and for her ongoing work in respect of it. The Minister for Health sends his apologies that he cannot be here. Other important initiatives include the development of six specialist menopause clinics to treat complex symptoms of menopause. Five of the six planned clinics are currently open and operational at hospital sites around Ireland. There are three clinics in Dublin, one in Galway and one in Tipperary. The sixth clinic, locate…

The point the Senator makes about the six-month dispensing not happening is practical. That matter is not referenced in the response I have from the Minister for Health. I will bring it back to the officials and Minister to highlight it to them. It is all well and good to talk about the DPS but for those getting it monthly and not passing the €80 limit, it will not have the benefit it can have. The State wants that benefit to be there. The response I was given clearly states that it is not the plan to have this fre…

Before I make my closing points, I acknowledge the confusion here. There is confusion for a very obvious reason, that is, there are currently two proposals in Europe. One of them is with the Council of the European Union, which represents national governments, and the other is with the European Parliament, which the MEPs discuss. They are very different. The Parliament proposal talks about a higher level of very strict interpretation that would be much more stringent, compared with the Council proposal, which is mo…

There are different proposals here.