I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue, which I am dealing with on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary. The Government acknowledges the vital role that family carers play in our society and remains fully committed to supporting them in that role. This commitment is reflected in both the programme for Government and the recent budget. The Department of Social Protection provides a comprehensive range of income supports for family carers, including carer’s allowance, the non-means-te…

I thank Deputy Moynihan again for raising this matter. The Government recognises the complexity of caring roles and the reality that many carers continue to provide full-time care while navigating other life events, including maternity leave. As I said in my opening remarks, this Government has committed to improving support for carers and those they care for. The significant changes to the means test for carer's allowance announced in last week's budget clearly demonstrate that commitment. The programme for Govern…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Burke for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health. Varicella is a common and highly infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. This virus is associated with two distinct clinical syndromes, namely, varicella, commonly known as chickenpox, and herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles. Primary infection with the varicella zoster virus results in varicella, after which the virus becomes latent in the body’s nervous system. The virus ma…

I thank the Deputy once again for raising this important matter. Vaccination is recognised as one of the most impactful and cost-effective public health interventions that can be employed, promoting good health and saving many lives year on year. As has already been highlighted today, shingles can impact anyone who has been infected with chicken pox during their life, leaving a significant proportion of the general population vulnerable. Up to one in three people who have had chicken pox will go on to have shingles…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ward for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, who unfortunately could not be here this afternoon. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members of the House on his behalf. I understand that the Deputy's question relates to the proposal to create a continuous 22 km waterfront promenade and cycleway connecting Sutton to Sandycove. As he is aware, the Department of Transport has responsibility for the p…

I definitely hear the Deputy's frustration. I am delivering the script that was handed to me. I know that active travel and these greenways are very important for people's health and everything. In this context, I want to say that over €360 million of grant support for the active travel and greenways networks for next year was committed in the recent budget. This funding helps support projects like the Sutton to Sandycove, S2S, cycleway, which I recognise is very important to the local residents on the route as wel…

Gabhaim buíochas to Deputy Collins for raising this important issue. I know it is very important to the Deputy and his constituents. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran. To date, 56 flood relief schemes have been completed, which are providing protection to over 13,850 properties and an economic benefit to the State in damages and losses avoided estimated to be in the region of €2 billion. Through the national catchment flood risk asse…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The programme for Government 2020 contained a commitment regarding the prohibition of fur farming. As a result of this commitment, the Department enacted the Animal Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 in December 2022, amending the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. The new Act contained a statutory prohibition on the breeding, rearing or keeping of certain animals solely or primarily for the value of, or the manufacture of products from, their fur o…

I assure the Deputy and the House that the Minister of State and the Government are committed to proactively addressing, along with Cork County Council, the flood risk to homes, businesses and communities in County Cork. These measures are being funded through the Government's €1.3 billion allocation for flood relief measures under the national development plan. The Minister of State will continue to work with Cork County Council on the delivery of flood relief schemes and interim measures for the most at-risk comm…

My Department and the contracted assessor, EY, have made every effort to expedite applications and pay the determined compensation amounts in accordance with SI 650 of 2022 in a timely manner. SI 650 provides for an application procedure for compensation purposes. The compensation includes payments for income losses, non-income losses and costs incurred as a direct result of the ban. There has been recent developments at EU level regarding fur farming. Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/1422 of July 2025 provides for …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am dealing with on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The air we breathe is fundamental to our health, environment and the overall well-being of our communities. Nationally, from an ambient air-quality point of view, the main air pollutants of concern are fine particulate matter from solid fuel combustion and nitrogen dioxide from transport. However, wildfires or localised fire incidents, though infrequent, can impact air quality. Under the A…

I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this important issue and I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the challenges currently being experienced by tillage farmers throughout the country and to outline the Government’s response. I acknowledge the pressures facing the tillage sector. Coming on the back of two horrendously difficult years weather-wise, conditions for harvest 2025 were, thankfully, much more favourable. That has allowed fieldwork to be undertaken and completed in a timely fashion with generally …

I thank Deputy Murphy for his input this morning on this important issue. Although ambient air quality in Ireland is recognised as being among the best in Europe, there is no safe level of air pollution. There are policies and legislation in place to ensure that we continue to strive to minimise the impact of air pollution on our citizens and the environment. Local authorities are independent statutory bodies which are key in tackling gorse fires and air pollution more generally. They are supported by policy and le…

I know the Senator raised this with me this morning. We had a meeting in the Department recently regarding the tillage industry with the senior Minister, Deputy Martin Heydon. He mentioned that he spoke to the Senator about this and the concerns the Senator raised. I know that, in the area of the country the Senator comes from, there are a lot of tillage farmers who grow grain, corn and things like that. As he clearly stated, the price of renting land has gone up from €200 to nearly €400 and the price of manure and…

Deputy Tóibín gave a press conference.

I thank all of the Members who have spoken today. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, and I have listened carefully to what has been raised by the Opposition and those on the Government benches. For a few minutes I will speak about my role in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as Minister of State with responsibility for new markets, food promotion, research and development. It is crucial that I state how important agriculture is to the Irish economy. Over t…

I am delighted to hear that.

I hope the committee has visited Moorepark in Cork as well. I was very impressed by it. It has been said that the Government is not trying to support the tillage industry. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Heydon, on going to the meeting in the Killashee Hotel recently. Over 1,000 people attended that meeting. It was very important for the Minister to be there. It shows how seriously he takes this issue that he turned up at that meeting and spent over three hours there listening to farmers' concerns regarding tilla…

They have gone very quiet.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Health. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare disease affecting approximately 200 people in Ireland. Its symptoms can severely impact the lives of those living with the disease and their families. The State acknowledges the importance of access to medicines and is aware of the circumstances of patients with DMD. As the Senator will be aware, the Minister met with the families of children with DMD and their representative body, …