I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Medicinal Products
I want to be clear I am no expert on Duchenne muscular dystrophy or DMD as it is commonly referred to. However, since a young boy from Tallaght was diagnosed with this condition, I have come to understand the immense challenges faced not only by the patients but by their families as well. From what I gather - and I am open to correction on this - treatment options in Ireland are limited to not much more than steroids and a wheelchair.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive neuromuscular disease that causes the weakening of muscles over time. It affects almost exclusively boys, with symptoms typically appearing between the ages of one and three. In Ireland today, around 110 people are known to be living with DMD. Most of them are under the age of 18. In the UK, approximately 100 boys are born with the condition each year. For a child living with DMD, issues, they say, can include struggling to walk, run or jump like their peers, difficulty standing up, delayed speech, needing help to climb stairs and sometimes facing behavioural or learning challenges. As the disease progresses, most children will need a wheelchair by the time they are 12. Some will develop scoliosis. By their mid-teens, many experience heart complications and, by their late teens or early 20s, breathing problems often emerge, making the condition life-threatening.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope in the form of a new drug called givinostat. It is marketed as Duvyzat and it offers a breakthrough. It has been shown to slow the progression of muscular degeneration in those with DMD. Clinical trials have met both primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating its effectiveness. In December 2024, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved givinostat for use in boys aged six and over. It is currently being provided through the expanded access programme at no cost to patients via local NHS trusts.
This drug, however, is not yet in Ireland. Givinostat should have its full EU licence by approximately the end of June. The next step would be that the manufacturer will make a submission for a higher technical assessment with the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE. In Scotland, which is not very far away, I have been told - and I am open to correction on this - that, as regards the decision-maker similar to the NCPE in Ireland, the turnaround time from submission to availability is about five months. I would like to push for a similar turnaround time given the impact time has on the eligibility of patients for this treatment. If you are looking at your child who has been diagnosed with this, you are looking at a clock. Givinostat does not cure DMD; it slows its progression. It cannot turn back the clock or undo the damage done but it can slow it down, giving these boys more time on their feet without the need of a wheelchair.
There is a race against time for these children. I read a press release a few days ago, on 25 April, confirming that the European Medicines Agency, EMA, has recommended a conditional marketing authorisation for Duvyzat across the EU. I would like to know the status on getting givinostat to our Irish patients.
I thank Senator Costello for raising this very important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. I thank the Senator for highlighting the case of a young boy from Tallaght. She is right that it is a race against time. I am conscious that my reply probably will not give her the answer that she needs and that the young boy deserves. I hope we can all work together to ensure we can progress the matter she has spoken about.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is, as the Senator said, a rare disease affecting fewer than 200 people in Ireland. The State acknowledges the importance of access to medicines and is aware of the plight of patients with DMD.
The State has made considerable investment in new medicines in recent years. In 2023, the State spent over €3.2 billion on medicines, which represents nearly €1 in every €8 of public funding being spent on health. This level of investment is unprecedented in supporting patients through the availability of new and innovative medicines. Senator Costello is right to highlight the challenges and the issues faced by people with DMD, and I thank her for doing so.
The budgets of 2021 to 2024 have included dedicated funding for new medicines of €128 million. This has enabled the HSE to approve reimbursement for 194 new medicines or new uses for existing medicines, including 74 for treating cancer and 49 for treating rare diseases. Last year's budget allocated €30 million of funding for new drugs to be generated by efficiencies to be identified by the HSE.
Givinostat, which is sold under the brand name Duzyvat for the treatment of DMD in patients aged six years or older, has recently undergone assessment by the European Medicines Agency. The EMA is a centralised agency of the European Union responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU. The EMA plays an integral role in the authorisation of medicines in the EU. The company marketing this treatment applied for marketing authorisation from the EMA and its evaluation concluded with a recommendation that it be granted conditional marketing authorisation. The European Commission will consider this recommendation from the EMA and make a final decision on granting marketing authorisation for the treatment. At this time, givinostat does not have marketing authorisation in the EU.
The Health Service Executive has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical items, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. In line with that Act, a company must submit an application to the HSE to have a new medicine added to the formal reimbursement list. Reimbursement is for licensed indications which have been granted marketing authorisation by the EMA or Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority. As givinostat has not been granted marketing authorisation by the Commission, an application for pricing and reimbursement cannot be made to the HSE. If marketing authorisation is granted and the company chooses to apply, the HSE will give fair consideration to the application, with consideration for the criteria detailed in the 2013 Act.
I agree completely with Senator Costello that the process must be expedited. We cannot have this going on forever. There are people like the young boy the Senator mentioned and other families who need help and support. I thank Senator Costello for her advocacy and for raising this matter. She right to say that the clock is ticking. People are racing against the clock and I hope we can all see this matter expedited.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate his acknowledgement of the urgency of this matter. When the marketing authorisation is granted, I would really appreciate it if we could work together to ensure that this product gets onto the Irish market quickly. I would like to see it fast-tracked by whatever means necessary. I personally cannot look at a video of a child who is able to walk now and watch the time pass by. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to make this medication available in the most urgent fashion and I would really appreciate that commitment from the Government.
I thank the Senator and agree that it is urgent. She is right that we all need to work together, including the European Commission, the authorities here and the company in question. As a former Chairman of the health committee and someone who was involved in the passage of the 2013 Act, I assure the Senator that I genuinely appreciate the importance of ensuring that patients with DMD have access to the latest drugs. We are, as a country, very much open to that avenue of new drugs being made available. I assure the Senator that once the drug is granted marketing authorisation, the Department, along with the HSE, will strongly encourage all pharmaceutical companies to apply for reimbursement here. The pharmaceutical company has a critical role to play in that regard.
There have been significant investments to enhance the HSE's pricing and reimbursement process for medicines. A total of 34 new staff were hired across the pricing and reimbursement system last year and will support faster access to new and innovative medicines for patients. To support transparency in this process an application tracker has also been developed and launched. I assure the Senator that the Department of Health will continue to engage with all involved to ensure that all patients have access to new and innovative treatments.
Health Services
I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. A few weeks ago, during a discussion on women's health in this Chamber, I spoke about women not being believed in the healthcare system. Following that, I received hundreds of messages from women speaking about their own experiences of medical gaslighting. Reading those experiences that women chose to openly share on social media was particularly difficult, as I know the scale of those impacted by medical gaslighting is in fact much higher.
I am requesting an update on the implementation of the women's healthcare action plan, particularly as it relates to the recognition of structural inequality and health outcomes for women, and the need to address what is increasingly recognised as medical gaslighting. I acknowledge that the Department has publicly committed to listening to women as per the action plan, but the failure to believe women's symptoms and pain continues to be endemic in our healthcare system.
Medical gaslighting often strips women of the control they should have over their healthcare choices. Too often, women are not consulted about essential medical decisions until it is far too late to intervene. This is particularly prevalent in maternity care, where many women do not realise they have the power to question medical advice and seek alternative treatment before it is too late.
Women's experiences are invalidated. It is leaving them to question their reality and to shoulder unjust blame for what has happened to them, rather than questioning the shortcomings in their care. I have heard stories from women about being forced to travel overseas for endometriosis care, women being told that their excruciating physical pain is simply anxiety and women crying through IUD insertions without any painkillers or pain relief. Women in Ireland continue to report being told their pain is normal, in their heads or anxiety related. These brush-offs are not just anecdotal; they are supported by international and national studies which show that women wait longer for diagnoses, particularly for conditions such as endometriosis, different autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease and even cancers. In addition, gaslighting disproportionately affects women from marginalised backgrounds and those who might have chronic or invisible illnesses.
The radical listening report, commissioned by the Department and delivered by the National Women's Council and Community Work Ireland, lays bare the daily experiences of women when it comes to equitable treatment within the healthcare system. This is particularly true for marginalised women such as Travellers, Roma, disabled women, migrant women and women who are surviving different forms of trauma. They repeatedly describe not being believed, not being heard and being subject to dismissive, harmful or even prejudiced medical treatment.
I reinforce the point that these are not isolated incidents. These are systematic continuous failures. Women report being given sedatives rather than mental health care, being told their pain is imagined or being dismissed because they have a pre-existing disability. This is medical gaslighting, where a person's symptoms are concerned, minimised, misattributed or denied outright. It is not historical; it is happening today. It is happening now and has happened to me. I am sure it has happened to many other women in this Chamber.
Despite the radical listening report's clear findings from 2021, and the health system performance assessment platform now being operational, there is still no systematic collection of disaggregated data on the health outcomes for marginalised women. I would like to know how we can fix something when we are not even measuring the issue.
The Women's Health Action Plan 2024-25 also includes a key pillar on listening to women, including steps to initiate a new "'radical listening' exercise", as it is described, during this year. Will the Minister of State please provide an update on what this means in practice? When will it be conducted? Who will be consulted? What different groups will be brought in on it? How will it lead to women being heard and believed within medical settings? Will the Minister of State also update the Chamber not only on the roll-out of the strategy, but also on what actions are being taken to eliminate medical gaslighting? How are services being adapted to reflect the experiences outlined in the radical listening report? What progress has been made on integrating intersectional, measurable targets into the implementation of the women's action plan? To finish, I am not sure about my time-----
The Senator has gone over time.
Women in Ireland deserve better. They deserve to be heard. In addition, they deserve to be believed and treated with dignity in the healthcare system. That is not happening right now.
I am taking this matter this morning on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I thank Senator Stephenson for raising it as it gives me an opportunity to update the House on the ongoing work to improve women’s health outcomes and experiences. The Senator is correct that women deserve to be heard, respected and believed. The Minister for Health has previously said, and I will repeat it, that we cannot be satisfied with anything less than a health service that provides true equality of care and treatment and where gender is not a barrier or a disadvantage. Unfortunately, until we get to that place, this conversation must continue. The Senator very eloquently highlighted some of the issues this morning.
The women’s health action plan phase 2 and our continued commitment in the programme for Government is part of this conversation. Many of the actions contained within the second action plan are completed, for example: free contraception is now available to all women aged 17 to 35; termination of pregnancy services are available in all 19 of our maternity hospitals in line with legislation; there are increased period poverty supports for some of the most vulnerable women and girls in the country; and earlier this month, the Department of Health completed a women’s health listening forum which brought women into the Department of Health to share their experiences with our healthcare services - both positive and negative - so we can work to make changes that women want to see.
In addition, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is committed to the full implementation of the second action plan, and this work is ongoing. Major improvements are happening across services, including: the development of additional post-natal hubs to support women in the weeks after birth, with funding now available to bring a total of 13 hubs on stream nationally; the national maternity experience survey will be conducted in July this year, whereby women who recently gave birth will be invited to share their experiences of our maternity services, which will inform and improve the safety and quality of care provided to women and their babies; increased hours within the specialist menopause clinics will see capacity increase in this valued service; and funding has been allocated to allow for more staff in the two specialised centres for endometriosis care in Tallaght and Cork and the five regional hubs to support the important care provided to women experiencing endometriosis. If she has not been there previously, I invite the Senator to come to Cork, where we just opened a phenomenal facility. It goes back to what she said about women being listened to and supported. It is a fantastic facility. I am very proud of it as a Cork person.
Six HSE-run regional fertility hubs are in operation and referrals for publicly funded, privately provided AHR treatment commenced in September 2023. There has been continued expansion in the network of “see and treat” ambulatory gynaecology clinics to provide necessary care across 21 sites. A total of 18 clinics are now operational and will offer 24,000 appointments to women next year. Last year, the Department of Health published Ireland’s cervical cancer elimination plan with an aim of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040. A breastfeeding steering group has been established to design and develop a new whole-of-government breastfeeding policy for Ireland and the folic acid steering group has also been established to address instances of neural tube defects in newborns. Crucially, the Minister for Health is passionate about increasing the research available to us in the area of women’s health to build a robust evidence base in a long-underrepresented area.
As the Senator knows, most recently, the Minister announced a hormone replacement therapy arrangement for menopause treatment, as announced in budget 2025, will be progressing but with the addition of professional fees being paid to pharmacists, which will make the HRT completely free in respect of participating pharmacies for women who rely on it to treat their menopause symptoms. This will see the cost burden of this period of a woman’s life reduce significantly. The Minister has also written to all community pharmacists, asking them to sign up to this arrangement, which will commence on 1 June this year.
Too often we hear talk about women being dismissed or not listened to in our health service. Again, the Senator has very eloquently raised that matter, and I thank her for that. The voice of women is paramount. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is committed to hearing those voices, progressing the action plan and advancing women’s health in Ireland. I thank the Senator most sincerely for raising the matter. I look forward to working with her and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in delivering the outcomes we all want.
I appreciate all of the different actions and steps and I know that women’s health is coming along in Ireland.
I have questions around things like gender sensitivity training. Are all staff receiving that in the new systems and units that we are opening up? Will there be a subsequent plan? This might not be something the Minister of State can answer today but the Minister for Health can come back to me on it. How will the learnings from this plan be integrated into that?
How are we measuring the real-world impact of these changes to women’s healthcare? I speak to women all the time who are still travelling to Romania and other countries for basic women’s healthcare. We need to be measuring the reduction in that regard and using it as a metric to measure the success in our own systems. It is about feedback because even if these units exist, we need feedback from woman accessing those units and healthcare professionals if they are not being treated with equality and respected in that space. Part of it is probably due to the fact our healthcare system is overstretched. Many doctors do not have the time, perhaps, to give the level of care they would like to give.
What is happening then is that women are falling by the wayside within that space. We have had this long-term existing issue that our understanding of health comes from the default of men's health because that is how our research has always been. I would like to see what steps we will be taking coming into the next year.
I again thank the Senator. I will bring her concerns and questions back to the Minister. The Government and the Minister share her commitment to providing women in Ireland with a healthcare system that is agile and responsive to the needs of the women of Ireland today. With regard to the women's healthcare questions the Senator has posed, I do not have the answers, as she will appreciate, but I will take them back to the Minister and ask the Department to engage with her. Women are 51% of our population. It is about all of us getting to a point in the conversation where this will no longer be necessary and we can have appropriate and timely care for women across all aspects of healthcare. I think the Senator and I have a similar view on that.
It is important that the framework of the women's health action plan protects our ambitions. It is about a commitment to listening, investing and delivering, and about consistently raising the issue of women's health in the Department of Health. It is about ensuring that the focus remains on the matters that the Senator has addressed this morning regarding women's health. It is a commitment backed up by €180 million in additional funding for targeted women's health supports in a five-year period. That has allowed for a good start to the genuine lasting change that is being delivered for women in our healthcare system.
I assure Senator Stephenson that the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, wants to ensure that the voices of women are not just heard but amplified and understood, and that their asks, including the asks made by Senator Stephenson this morning, are acted upon. It is about ensuring that we deliver a healthcare system that is better, more agile and supports women and girls to enjoy a healthier and equal life.
Driver Test
I thank the Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, for choosing this Commencement matter. I thank the Minister of State for taking time from his busy schedule. He is welcome back to the Upper House.
I am sure that, like me, the Minister of State remembers sitting his driving test. Research over the years shows that people find sitting their driving test harder than State exams or college exams. They are rolling a practical test and a theory test into one and the period of time that the tester is in the car with a person can be very stressful. It always was and still is a compulsory rite of passage. It is a movement onwards in life because passing the test opens doors in education and employment. As I said, it is a compulsory rite of passage.
At present, there are almost 379,000 learner drivers, which is an increase of 63% since 2019. Obviously, many of these have not applied for a test or are not ready for a test, but that will be coming down the line and many have applied for tests. In 2019, the waiting time for a driving test was six weeks but what is considered a normal waiting time is now 24 weeks, so we have gone from six weeks to six months. The pandemic was blamed for this for a while but, to be fair, everything else in life has caught up. The effects of the pandemic have been erased from many parts of life and so it should be for this too. It is not enough of an excuse or reason for these long waiting lists.
There is a rule that learner drivers cannot drive by themselves. I fully agree with this rule but it is extremely hard for families to ensure that a parent or older sibling who has a full driving licence is in the car with these young people. It is just not acceptable to be waiting so long. Many are waiting so long that their 12 lessons have gone out of their head by the time they are called for their test. It is adding much unnecessary pressure.
A revamp of the whole system is needed. People are reporting that it is hard to log on to book a test and impossible to get someone on the phone to change a test. I know there are a lot of no-shows and perhaps there should be a stronger clampdown on the no-shows. Perhaps we need a system whereby if someone gives notice of a cancellation, a waiting list kicks in straight away. That is not happening at the moment.
We have a wonderful young generation. At the moment, it is like a bird whose wings have been cut. This is holding back that generation. Many people and councillors have been on to me because their constituents have been on to them. This is a serious matter. It is not rocket science and could be sorted easily. It is holding young people back from accessing education and employment. Some people are hoping to move abroad for a few years and need their driving test so they can bring a licence with them. Many people are having to refuse employment because they do not have a full driving licence. It is quite a serious matter.
I thank the Senator. She is right that the delays are too long. It is a serious matter and I thank her for raising it, and for highlighting the pressure on young people and their families. She is correct in that regard.
I am smiling at the notion that the driving test is a rite of passage. It is. I would have loved to have taken the Senator for a driving lesson. One can imagine the fun we would have had. It is a serous matter. As the Senator knows, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority has statutory responsibility for the national driving tester service. At the end of March, as the Senator said, the average waiting time was 24 weeks. That is far higher than the accepted service level agreement of ten weeks. I assure the Senator that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I are taking the matter seriously. We are considering how to address the issue.
As the population has grown, the demand on the driving test service has similarly increased, with last year being the busiest year in the history of the service. A total of 253,850 driving tests were conducted, which was an increase from 196,853 in 2023. This increase in demand for driving tests and the time to invitation for learner drivers has a number of contributing factors. As the Senator said, Covid-19 was one. There has also been an increase in the number of learner permits in circulation, increased capacity in the driver theory test and an increase in advanced driving instructors’ capacity to deliver lessons to learner drivers. The Department of Transport, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I have sought to support the RSA in meeting rising demand through a number of staffing sanctions in recent years. In September 2024, 70 additional permanent positions for driver testers were sanctioned. This increases the total permanent sanction for testers to 200, which represents a doubling since 2022. As a condition of sanction, officials requested the RSA to put a plan in place to restore waiting times to ten weeks as soon as possible.
A recruitment process is under way, with the first tranche of new testers being deployed into service this month. New testers will begin to come in over the coming months. I appreciate that needs to be expedited and fast-tracked. I hope we will see steady progress on reducing waiting times in the coming months.
To further alleviate pressure on the service, driver testing is offered on Saturdays where driver testers are available to do overtime and there are also additional morning and evening test slots available where daylight allows. This has been the case since the current backlog in driving tests started to build up. Sunday overtime is not offered, as the RSA would be required to offer a day in lieu for such testing, thereby adding no additional capacity to the driver testing service.
Additionally, to further assist with reducing waiting times, in October 2023 a change was made to the system to allow any unused slots to be made available for anyone to take up at short notice. The Senator is right that if there are cancellations, the RSA must allow such appointments to be available to candidates on the MyRoadSafety portal. If that is too difficult, we must make it easier. I will take the Senator's views on that point back to the Minister.
While new testers will bring additional capacity in the short term, in the longer term it is intended that the RSA will be reformed consequent to a Government decision of November 2024. This reform will be carried out on a phased and planned basis. A departmental group, led by the Department and comprising relevant stakeholders, is tasked with developing a comprehensive implementation plan, including required legislation, to ensure the delivery of real reform, road safety benefits and an improved customer experience.
I thank the Senator and assure her that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I have spoken about this issue with the Department. We are engaging with the RSA. There have been a number of meetings on this topic.
There was a commitment to restore waiting times to ten weeks. Any additional levers to accelerate timelines will be used. I again thank the Senator for raising the matter. She is right; this is about people and people in rural areas sometimes require a car more than anything else.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply, for acknowledging that there is a problem and for his commitment and the commitment of the other two Ministers to resolve this. The ten weeks would be fairly acceptable because it is ten months in some areas at the moment. With regard to Sunday not being an option because of having to offer a day in lieu, perhaps that could be cut out. Perhaps double pay could be offered rather than a day in lieu, which would obviously nullify any expediting of the list because they would then take a day off at some other time. I thank the Minister of State very much.
The Senator is right again. It is about being creative and ensuring that the very important and serious matter of this long-term and long-standing issue in service provision, which the Government understands and recognises, is addressed. We must ensure we have a reliable, high-quality driving testing service. We understand that these unacceptable waiting times have profound implications for those waiting for a driving test. It is important that the Government commit to doing two things. The first is tackling the issue and the second is improving public transport for those in rural Ireland. I reiterate that the Department is working with the RSA to manage the backlog in the driving testing service. I do not say this as an excuse but, as Members will know, there has been extraordinary demand for the service in recent times and this post-Covid period. To reiterate, last year, 253,850 driving tests were conducted. That is an increase from 196,853 in 2023. That is an increase of 29%. It was a record year for the delivery of tests. I accept that people are not getting their tests. I recognise that we have an issue. Our target is ten weeks. We all look forward to meeting the demand the Senator has laid out this morning.
Nitrates Usage
I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and thank him for being here to discuss an issue that is really important to me, the Minister and the farmers of west Cork. I refer to the issue of derogation. The Minister will know that, during a discussion on the CAP in this Chamber a number of weeks ago, I discussed the importance of derogation for the farmers of west Cork, many of whom I represent. I congratulate the Minister on the work he is doing to ensure we have a derogation in the years ahead and on the setting up of the Cabinet sub-committee on water quality because that is really important to show Europe the work that we are doing and that farmers are doing to improve water quality. Our party, Fine Gael, is leading on that work. It is important that we support the farming industry. We do not have the power to ensure the derogation will remain but it is important that we stand firm on the side of farmers.
A number of weeks ago, the Department disclosed a new map regarding the reduction of the 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha. This affects areas of my constituency. The Minister will be familiar with the Timoleague catchment area. This has come as a serious shock to some of the farmers in the area although discussions will have been held in recent years in which this reduction may have been forecast. I recently visited the catchment area and I saw at first hand the work the farmers are doing there. The rivers there are visually pristine. You would have no problem drinking from the rivers there because of the work of the farmers as regards nutrients stored and the time periods in which farmers are actually spreading slurry. The work farmers are doing on the ground is incredible to see. On the reduction from 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha, which is now to take place at the end of the year, farmers are rightly asking why they are doing this work if they are to see this reduction. There is a contagion effect and fear is spreading among the farmers who are already at the 220 kg N/ha limit. They see the farmers undertaking intensive agriculture at the 250 kg N/ha limit doing the work and water quality in the catchment area improving, as has been shown statistically, and ask if their good work is to no end. That is the fear farmers in my area have.
We need to stand firm. I look forward to the Minister providing clarity on why the 250 kg N/ha rate has come about in recent times. I want an assurance from him that he and his Department will do all they can to retain this derogation because it is vitally important for the farmers I represent. I am not a farmer or a scientist but I understand the work the farming community is doing. The statistics are there.
The majority of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, sampling for testing takes place in the bay in Courtmacsherry. It does not take place on the catchment rivers which are pristine and showing improvements. Farmers fear the EPA testing is picking up residual pollution and residual matter in the water. I do not want to be alarmist but there are man-made issues relating to wastewater facilities that have contributed to the pollution in our rivers, streams and bays. I ask the Minister to comment on that because farmers see the work they are doing, but if EPA testing in our bays and wider estuaries takes in other forms of pollution, that must be acknowledged so the blame is not attached to farmers.
The dairy industry in this country uses a grass-based model, which must be protected. For as long I am in this Chamber, I will speak for the farming industry. We need certainty and assurance because the farmers I meet are looking to the next generation. We have other issues, such as TB and the succession issue, on which the Minister is working. The derogation is important for the farmers I represent. I congratulate Councillor John Michael Foley in Timoleague, who raised the matter at Cork County Council recently. He secured widespread support in the chamber, with the exception of the Social Democrats. We must support our farming industry.
I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I recognise how important the dairy industry is to west Cork and to the wider rural community. As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am committed to doing everything in my power to develop the sectors for which I am responsible and to communicate a fresh understanding of what it is. Our farmers, fishers, foresters and the food industry contribute to society and the economy as a whole.
In 2024, much of the country moved to the lower maximum derogation stocking rate of 220 kg N/ha, following the two-year water quality review required under the Commission decision granting Ireland the current nitrates derogation. However, the Commission’s criteria for that review excluded some areas where the science shows our water quality is not what it should be. As part of the additional measures introduced under the interim review of the fifth nitrates action programme, which was a commitment under our last derogation decision, with effect from December of this year, the maximum derogation stocking rate reduces to 220 kg of organic N/ha in some additional areas. This will happen where the EPA has identified a need for nitrate reduction measures to improve water that were not considered under the Commission’s criteria for the two-year water quality review. The measure becomes applicable from 1 December as it had to apply within the timeframe of the current nitrates action programme to count as a measure under this programme. This was necessary to best prepare for discussions with the European Commission regarding Ireland’s next nitrates derogation. That is the very point the Senator made. Everything I am doing around derogation, while recognising the integral importance of dairy farming for our rural economy, the community, farmers and farm families, is to make sure we continue to have a derogation. It is absolutely pivotal to everything we do.
Within this available timeframe, the December date was selected to allow farmers maximum time to prepare and manage their cows through the normal spring calving lactation cycle. In simple terms, derogation farmers in these additional areas will have a limit of 247.5 kg N/ha this year, rather than 250 kg N/ha. The rate is not dropping from 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha this year. By being able to give them the maximum amount of time until December, the rate is effectively just short of the 250 kg N/ha for this year. It will be 220 kg N/ha from next year on. This allows farmers the time and space to be able to plan for the new rate.
As the Senator said, it was flagged at the time that the map would most likely change. In addition to publishing the map of the impacted areas in March, my Department has since identified the individual land parcel identification system, LPIS, parcels involved. My officials will shortly be in a position to write individualised letters to farmers potentially impacted by this change. Access to the derogation is contingent on improving water quality across the country. The agrifood sector is engaging in significant, unprecedented and very welcome action to reduce its impact on water quality.
However, securing its renewal is the top priority for me. We are already starting to see results from the work led by farmers, with the most recently published EPA data showing significantly reduced nitrates concentrations in our rivers last year.
I have visited Timoleague in recent years and seen first-hand the work under way by farmers to progress developments in water quality. I hope to visit again soon.
Government is providing significant support for farmers as they seek to improve water quality, including the free water quality advisory service and the agriculture sustainability support and advisory programme, ASSAP, which includes 20 advisers paid for by the State and my Department and a further 30 advisers supported by industry working in water quality priority areas. We have a €60 million farming for water European Innovation Partnership, EIP, supporting investment in targeted on-farm water quality actions, which has been positively received by farmers, and 60% grant aid under TAMS for investment in manure storage and low-emission slurry application machinery, supporting improved slurry management, improving nutrient use efficiency and reducing our reliance on imported chemical nitrogen.
I thank the Minister of State for his words. I genuinely see and understand his conviction about holding the derogation. For the farm families I represent, this is a business that needs certainty like any other business.
On holding a section at 250 kg N/ha, if we can statistically check the water quality in streams and rivers surrounding an area that is at 250, I believe it would support our argument for holding a 220 or a derogation in general. It is a point to be made to EU officials and it would help if we can show water quality is at a pristine level for a specific area at 250, even with intensive agriculture.
I acknowledge the Minister of State's visit to Timoleague before. There is an invitation for him to visit again and I hope he can do so in the near future. It is to give confidence to farmers in that area and the wider west Cork area. I can give it at my level and I know it is being expressed through all the media but there is nothing like hearing it on the ground. I thank the Minister for his work on this and for being in the Chamber this morning.
I thank the Senator for raising a vital issue. It is important it be discussed in the Seanad today. I accept his invitation to west Cork. I look forward to going down and meeting many of those farmers with him and seeing the great work happening in that space. This is all about trends and all about the science backing up our argument. We know the economic argument for this. I am clear that farmers can do more than one thing at a time. This is not a binary choice between defending farmers' incomes, minding a derogation and water quality. Farmers are as passionate about water quality as any of us and we are seeing improving trends, but we have a way to go with some of our pristine measures and those areas.
With regard to the steps being taken here, the additional areas were designed to allow maximum latitude within the December timeframe and maximum time for farmers to prepare for the change and manage their cows through the normal spring calving and lactation cycle, as well as fitting in with the programme for Government commitment to doing everything we can to retain this derogation. That will not be simple. A very big challenge lies ahead of us and I do not want anyone to be complacent about that.
The Senator raised a point about the EPA and other contributors to water quality. That is exactly why Government established the Cabinet subcommittee on water. We had our first meeting on 31 March and have another scheduled for June, chaired by the Taoiseach. This is not just about shining a light on what our agriculture and our farmers are doing but also about holding to account the EPA, our local authorities and Irish Water to make sure everybody pulls on the green jersey and we all do everything we can to retain a derogation beyond this year.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 10.19 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 10.34 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 10.19 a.m. and resumed at 10.34 a.m.