I thank the Minister, Ministers of State and their staff for their work so far and their responses.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I again thank his departmental staff. He mentioned Killarney last week and I know people who were there. Friends of mine got their citizenship and were very proud to do so. Again, I ask him pass on my thanks to all the staff. It is important the Department continues to plan ahead as application numbers change. In that context, does he foresee an increase in naturalisation applications next year? Has the Department put in place the necessary planning to avoid any risk …

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. With the ongoing modernisation of the immigration system, many applicants are keen to see how these changes are working. Will the Minister of State update the House on how the recent digitalisation measures have affected processing times so far, and whether further reforms or improvements are planned for 2026?

I thank the Minister for his response. While I appreciate the great work of the Department in supporting rural communities and the great work that both the Minister and the Minister of State are doing, vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages remains a real concern. I appreciate that the Department of housing is the main Department tasked with tackling this problem but it is important for Departments to continue to engage directly with each other on vacancy and dereliction in order to properly address it, …

I thank the Minister for the rural regeneration and development funding for Fermoy. It was very welcome and I thank both the Minister and the Minister of State for their support on that. While several factors contribute to rural vacancy and dereliction, one important issue is the lack of community facilities which may discourage people from moving to a particular area. In this context, what work is the Department doing to encourage the establishment of rural community halls or facilities in existing vacant or derel…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. We all agree that the health and well-being of our farmers are of vital importance. That is why I am pleased that the Minister of State and his Department are taking farm safety seriously. Nobody wants to hear of accidents or, heaven forbid, fatalities at work. Our farmers do an important job, sometimes in very dangerous circumstances. I, therefore, welcome the measures outlined by the Minister of State. I acknowledge that the farm safety capital investment scheme mea…

I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State and the Government on farm safety. I note that the Department has looked for proposals that focus on farm safety, health and well-being, and enhancing farmers' awareness, and that studies are being conducted. I also appreciate that a physical and mental health awareness programme is being funded, together with the Department of Health and the HSE, and that a media campaign focused on farmer fatigue has been run in partnership with the Health and Safety Authority. Thes…

I acknowledge the important work of Defence Forces personnel. I have seen it at first hand with family members directly involved. I firmly believe that Defence Forces infrastructure and equipment must be of a modern standard to meet their operational capabilities and defence responsibilities. I therefore welcome the revised national development plan allocation to upgrade and modernise Defence Forces infrastructure and the fact that planning is being undertaken. I believe a modern progressive Defence Forces with ass…

I thank the Minister for his very positive response. I welcome the news about Haulbowline and Collins Barracks. It is very positive news. Could the Tánaiste give me an update on the Department's development of a national maritime security strategy? Approval has also been given for Defence Forces participating in the EU's common information sharing environment. Could the Tánaiste provide further insight into what information is being shared as part of this agreement?

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate the efforts that are being made by his Department to progress the south coast DMAP options. I welcome the fact that the first offshore wind option for Tonn Nua areas is expected to begin shortly, with the contracts to be awarded before the end of the year. This is significant progress since the south coast DMAP was first approved last October but it is important that we continue this progress with the development of the other areas of Lí Ban, Manannán and…

Will the Minister of State provide further information on the exact board of the implementation programme body, IPB? I understand that the IPB is set up to oversee the south coast DMAP but what is the exact make-up of the group and how often have they met to date? I believe the IPB is supported in its work by a marine ecosystems group and other working groups, which will develop an implementation plan and recommend the scope of regional land surveys. Has the membership of this group been decided yet, and if so, has…

I appreciate that.

I appreciate that this issue has very much been in the media over the past month, but I wish to raise the very serious matter of the recent pollution incident on the River Blackwater. It passes through the town of Fermoy, which I live in and represent. As the Tánaiste will be aware, the Blackwater is one of the largest rivers in Ireland. It covers a major part of County Cork and five mountain ranges. The River Blackwater is a designated special area of conservation under the EU habitats directive and for such a rec…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. I appreciate efforts are being made to establish the exact details of this incident. However, I ask that all Government agencies and stakeholders he referred to work to the very best of their ability to ensure a full investigation is conducted. Appropriate action to remediate the current issues and measures to prevent further instances of pollution from occurring must be put in place. I also ask that a full review of the effects of the pollution on the wildlife and habitat on …

Will the Minister provide an update on flood protection measures currently being undertaken at Rathcormac, Mogeely, Killeagh, Castlemartyr and Midleton in east Cork?

I thank the Minister of State. At this time of year, we tend to see less rain, however, this does not stop those in Cork East whose property was damaged by flood water from worrying. I acknowledge considerable flood prevention works have been undertaken across Cork East but concerns will always remain until full flood protection measures are introduced. Lack of insurance cover further increases these fears. I thank the Minister of State for visiting Midleton in April and for his commitment to calling to other areas…

I must also acknowledge that. I thank the Minister of the State and the Minister, Deputy Chambers, for their support. With reference to Rathcormack, Mogeely, Killeagh and Castlemartyr, they have been in tranche II the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme for a long period. I welcome the Minister of State's response in that regard. For these villages, flooding is a regular occurrence and residents are afraid tranche II of the CFRAM is not progressing fast enough, which the Minister of Sta…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is clear that the volume of applications has greatly increased over the last five years while processing times continue to fall year on year. This is very encouraging. The work of the Minister and his Department must be acknowledged in this regard. I appreciate that the Minister of State may not have the figures at hand. Does he have an indication of the likely number of applications in 2025? Is the number received in the first half of this year higher than the num…

We recently saw over 7,500 people conferred with Irish citizenship at ceremonies in Killarney. While this is a joyous step on their journey of becoming an Irish citizen, we have seen instances where certificates of naturalisation have taken considerable time to arrive following the ceremony. Unfortunately, this can cause undue problems for the applicants when applying for a passport or seeking to pay third level fees ahead of an upcoming academic year. Can the Minister of State advise on the current waiting time to…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. Post offices are vital social links in urban and rural communities. They support local economies by providing essential Government services. However, they need further support, as the Minister of State said. Recent increases in inflation and the minimum wage have unfortunately occurred at the same time as a decline in transaction-based income for postmasters. As such, the post office network seeks to stabilise the existing network and prevent post office closures, in …