Parliamentary questions

Social Welfare Payments

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

1. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in light of her not proceeding further with the consultation on the Green Paper on disability payments, she intends to examine a cost-of-disability payment; and whether she intends to introduce different reforms to the disability payments. [18467/24]

Flood Relief Schemes

Seán Sherlock

2. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications made under the humanitarian aid scheme for uninsured householders in 2023, particularly on flooding, segmented by county; and the number of successful and unsuccessful applications, in tabular form, with the total amount issued. [18232/24]

Citizens Information Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

3. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she and her Department are taking to ensure workers in citizens information companies are provided with a pay increase, given the length of time since their last pay increase; and if she will provide the funding to ensure this happens [18468/24]

Food Poverty

Gary Gannon

4. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are plans to seek more sustained, long-term solutions to support families experiencing food poverty during school holidays, given the Children’s Rights Alliance food provision scheme received applications totalling over €350,000 - six times its capacity, in the run up to the Christmas holidays in 2023. [18664/24]

EU Directives

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

5. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to clarify whether she intends to taper benefits received by beneficiaries of temporary protection in advance of the ending of the temporary protection directive in 2025. [18469/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Pauline Tully

6. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is considering the consolidation of all disability payments together into one single payment system; if so, her plans to consult and co-design this scheme in conjunction with the disability community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18411/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Robert Troy

7. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider abolishing the punitive means test for the carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18203/24]

Social Welfare Appeals

Peadar Tóibín

8. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who, having been refused the disability allowance, were successful in their appeals of her Department’s decision to refuse in each of the past ten years and to date in 2024. [17667/24]

School Meals Programme

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

9. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has measured the progress and success of the school meals programme in the context of diet, attendance and educational attainment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18078/24]

Departmental Reports

James O'Connor

10. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection when the Social Protection annual report for 2023 will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18434/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Ciarán Cannon

11. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Social Protection when the extension of child benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education will take effect; the number of students who will benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18169/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Ciarán Cannon

12. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Social Protection when people with epilepsy can apply for the free travel pass; if she will outline the process for applying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18168/24]

Equal Opportunities Employment

James O'Connor

13. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of organisations in receipt of the workplace equipment adaptation grant in 2023 in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18435/24]

Social Welfare Schemes

Pádraig O'Sullivan

14. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who availed of the activation and family support programme in 2022 to fund the cost of training supports and education courses for people on social welfare in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18137/24]

School Meals Programme

Alan Farrell

15. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the hot school meals programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17836/24]

Departmental Programmes

Richard Bruton

16. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered the scope for promoting engaging activities and positive health measures as a part of the welfare programmes promoted by her Department to the pensioners whom she supports with regular financial payments and occasional urgent need payments as part of a more joined-up approach to positive ageing. [18076/24]

Social Welfare Offices

Ruairí Ó Murchú

17. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the creation of processing hubs for community welfare and other services; whether she is aware of any administrative difficulties caused by the creation of the hubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18405/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Catherine Connolly

18. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline, further to the recent scrapping of the green paper on disability reform, her plans to introduce a cost of disability payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18376/24]

Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Brendan Griffin

19. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff, including total WTE positions and grade breakdowns, working in the Department's scope section; if the section is adequately staffed to undertake the work required of it in relation to examining bogus self-employment in large organisations such as RTÉ; how long she expects the RTÉ scope investigation to take to conclude; if the scope section plans to examine cases of workers at RTÉ prior to the period currently under examination by the scope section; if the scope section is currently examining or has plans to examine other State or semi-State agencies; if so, which ones; the annual budget for the scope section for each of the past five years; how many prosecutions her Department has initiated as a result of bogus self-employment cases in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18380/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Bernard Durkan

20. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered any options to improve the speed with which applications for disability allowance or similar means-tested payments are processed thus eliminating hardship for people who may be vulnerable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18337/24]

Pension Provisions

Robert Troy

21. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection her assessment of the impact of the Supreme Court's recent decision to award a pension to a widower who was not married but had children with his former partner; if this will have an impact on other retrospective and future cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18202/24]

Pension Provisions

Catherine Connolly

22. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection what value-for-money analysis has been carried out in relation to the different rates of participation in the proposed automatic enrolment pension scheme; the different rates of opt-outs; the different rates of suspension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18377/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

23. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on her examination of the issues facing kinship carers who receive nominal contributions from birth parents and who may then be prevented from receiving guardianship allowance. [18470/24]

State Pensions

Paul McAuliffe

24. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to provide a State pension for those currently in receipt of the increase for qualified adult under their partner’s pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18366/24]

Pension Provisions

Niamh Smyth

25. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the specifics regarding the pension entitlements being worked on for carers by her Department presently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18134/24]

Labour Activation Measures

Brian Stanley

26. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount that was allocated in 2019 to 2023 to companies engaged by her Department in providing labour activation programmes; the number of clients they assisted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17614/24]

State Pensions

Aindrias Moynihan

27. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection to allow for caring periods under 20 years to be included for long-term caring contributions for the purposes of the State pension (contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18355/24]

Employment Rights

Brendan Griffin

28. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection what threshold needs to be cleared for an appeal to be granted by her Department’s appeals office in respect of challenges to decisions by her Department's scope section against employers in relation to findings on bogus self-employment; if applications for appeal are scrutinised, what percentage of appeal applications by employers in respect of scope decisions on bogus self-employment were granted in 2023; the average time such an appeal takes to be heard and decided upon; the number (and percentage) of appeal hearings in 2023 initiated by employers in respect of scope decisions on bogus self-employment, where the appellant subsequently did not present for the hearing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18381/24]

Poverty Data

Gino Kenny

29. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that one in five (19.7%) people unable to work due to disability live in consistent poverty, that this is almost four times higher than the national average (5.3%); what measures will she take to lift people with disabilities out of poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9513/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Violet-Anne Wynne

30. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans in respect of the means test for the carer's allowance; how she plans on ensuring that more carers can avail of the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18269/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Thomas Gould

31. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to reform payments to family carers. [18408/24]

Parental Leave

Paul Murphy

32. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will allocate funding to extend paid parental benefit to cover at least the first year of a child’s life; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18330/24]

Social Welfare Appeals

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

33. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection whether she is aware of the substantial discrepancies that exist between initial applications for domiciliary care and the level of success of appeals with regard to same; and what she intends to do to address this. [18473/24]

Departmental Bodies

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

34. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection when we can expect to know the findings of the interdepartmental working group between her Department and the Department of Health concerning a reform of the disability payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18079/24]

Employment Support Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

35. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the tender for EmployAbility which was due to be published in April 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18471/24]

Disability Services

Gary Gannon

36. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection how the green paper on disability reform will impact students in higher education receiving disability payments. [9087/24]

Employment Support Services

Matt Carthy

37. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the position regarding the mandatory retirement age for participants on the job initiative scheme to ensure that those who wish to can remain on the scheme past the State pension age. [17717/24]

Social Insurance

Paul Murphy

38. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is concerned at the impact proposed cuts to employers’ PRSI will have on the Social Insurance Fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18331/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Pauline Tully

39. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider altering the Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 to apply the reduced rate of social welfare payments to Ukrainian people who arrive after a particular date instead of the current approach of connecting the reduced payment to new designated centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18412/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Thomas Gould

40. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection whether ME is eligible for disability allowance. [18407/24]

Pension Provisions

Bernard Durkan

41. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants who have been refused insurance-based private pensions on the basis of insufficiency of contributions over their working lives or part thereof; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18338/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Peadar Tóibín

42. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of times an individual in receipt of carer’s allowance had their allowance stopped, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2024; and to provide a sample of reasons that carer’s allowance may be withdrawn from carers. [17668/24]

School Meals Programme

Violet-Anne Wynne

43. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the hot school meals programme to a school (details supplied) on a permanent basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18268/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul Murphy

44. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will introduce a living wage for family carers through the social protection system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18329/24]

Departmental Priorities

Paul Murphy

45. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will introduce a universal disability payment of at least €350 a week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18328/24]

Disability Services

Ruairí Ó Murchú

46. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an expected launch date of the reformed reasonable accommodation fund, following the recommendations from the review of the fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18406/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Richard Bruton

47. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered designing new initiatives to tackle under-claiming of benefits, which is widespread across her own Department and other agencies of Government. [18077/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Niamh Smyth

48. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of plans to extend child benefit for those continuing in secondary education but who have turned 18 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18135/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Mark Ward

49. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the appeals process for domiciliary care allowance payments that are refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18431/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

50. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection what steps she intends to take regarding the extent of the backlog in processing disability allowance claims. [18474/24]

International Protection

Matt Carthy

51. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on her engagements with Cabinet colleagues regarding the ending of the Temporary Protection Directive next year. [17716/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Aindrias Moynihan

52. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection to give consideration to extending the carer’s benefit to include the self-employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18354/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul Murphy

53. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will abolish means testing of carer’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18327/24]

Agriculture Supports

Claire Kerrane

54. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will advise on measures to assist farmers with the difficulties they are facing as a result of weather conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18245/24]

Fodder Crisis

Peter Fitzpatrick

55. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he intends to reinstate the fodder scheme to help compensate farmers for the financial losses they are facing due to the particularly wet conditions this spring; if flexibility is being extended and consideration being given to farmers who are struggling to meet the stipulated three-cop rule due to very difficult weather and ground conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18665/24]

Forestry Sector

Claire Kerrane

56. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the awaited strategy to address ash dieback will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18246/24]

Departmental Staff

Michael Fitzmaurice

57. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of employees employed by his Department at the end of 2022 and at the end of 2023; the current numbers for 2024; if there is an embargo on recruitment in his Department at the moment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18678/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Claire Kerrane

58. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the proposal to bring forward a solution for the group known as the "forgotten farmers", given he has advised that his Department has been working on establishing systems for the roll-out of a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18241/24]

Agriculture Industry

Peadar Tóibín

59. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farms in Ireland in each of the past ten years. [17665/24]

Agriculture Industry

Rose Conway-Walsh

60. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applicants to the succession planning advice grant; the steps he is taking to support succession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18423/24]

Agriculture Industry

Richard Bruton

61. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the potential of a carbon farming initiative in the transformation of the sustainability profile of the farming sector. [18080/24]

Harbours and Piers

Pearse Doherty

62. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Government has considered the reclassification of Magheraroarty pier in County Donegal as a pier for landing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18300/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Claire Kerrane

63. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the women farmers' capital investment scheme under TAMS III; if there has been, or will be, a review of eligibility criteria for the scheme, given concerns raised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18242/24]

Common Agricultural Policy

Paul Murphy

64. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is concerned about negative environmental impacts from the CAP simplification process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18332/24]

Flood Relief Schemes

Ruairí Ó Murchú

65. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the recent report completed by Teagasc and submitted to his Department about the impact on farmers following damage to their farmland as a result of recent flooding on the Cooley Peninsula in November 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18433/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Paul Murphy

66. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reasons for his decision to rule out introducing any compensation scheme for dairy farmers who wish to reduce the size of their herds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18334/24]

Agriculture Supports

Alan Farrell

67. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on supports for farmers in light of recent adverse weather conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17843/24]

Agriculture Supports

Christopher O'Sullivan

68. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he would consider opening up the fodder transport support scheme to include farmers who purchased fodder from longer distances from 31 January to 31 March; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18422/24]

Animal Diseases

Ruairí Ó Murchú

69. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has any intention of revisiting the foot and mouth compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18432/24]

Animal Slaughtering

Pauline Tully

70. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is taking over responsibility for the inspection of small abattoirs from the local authorities who currently undertake this on behalf of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland; the timeframe within which this will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18421/24]

Agriculture Industry

Marian Harkin

71. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the implications for the agriculture sector in Ireland, given that the European Council has not reached agreement on the EU Nature Restoration Law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18297/24]

Food Industry

Marian Harkin

72. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the application of PGI status for boxty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18296/24]

Food Industry

Cathal Crowe

73. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider seeking protected geographical indication status from the EU for grass-fed Irish beef and dairy products. [18373/24]

Agriculture Industry

Claire Kerrane

74. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will give consideration to a particular proposal on a Commission on the Future of the Family Farm Bill 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18243/24]

Departmental Bodies

Niamh Smyth

75. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the work of the Working Group on Women in Agriculture. [18144/24]

Tillage Sector

Brian Stanley

76. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to improve supports for tillage farmers who are encountering great difficulties tilling and sowing due to excessive rain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17613/24]

Horticulture Sector

Alan Farrell

77. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on his Department's efforts to support the horticulture sector in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17842/24]

Tree Remediation

Violet-Anne Wynne

78. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a financial support package for farmers to manage diseased roadside ash trees safely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18271/24]

Agriculture Industry

Pauline Tully

79. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce specific measures to support farmers affected by extremely difficult weather conditions which have resulted in a much-delayed turnout of livestock and planting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18420/24]

Forestry Sector

Brendan Griffin

80. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering the suspension of log imports from Scotland until better safeguards are in place to prevent the spread of the spruce bark beetle to this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18348/24]

Forestry Sector

Aindrias Moynihan

81. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the area of land where forestry was planted last year; the amount expected to be planted this year; if there are specific measures in place to increase the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18353/24]

Food Industry

Richard Bruton

82. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has developed proposals within his area of responsibility which would fit with the ambition to deliver a circular economy initiative for the Irish food sector. [18081/24]

Land Issues

Aindrias Moynihan

83. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will develop a national land use strategy to address, amongst other things, the concerning lack of land availability for afforestation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18352/24]

Control of Horses

Thomas Gould

84. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of horses seized in Cork city in 2023. [18409/24]

Food Industry

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

85. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if producers in County Carlow will be awarded the new PGI for Irish grass-fed beef. [18298/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Claire Kerrane

86. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will seek to ensure that farmers who choose the later reporting option for national sheep welfare scheme measures do not have their payment delayed until after January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18240/24]

Wind Energy Generation

Michael Moynihan

87. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will consider a scheme to support more wind powered microgeneration on farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10857/24]

Agriculture Supports

James O'Connor

88. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to help farmers following the wet weather in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18436/24]

Fisheries Protection

Catherine Connolly

89. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 129 of 21 February 2024, the status of plans for the introduction of measures to protect the sprat fishery, which is concentrated within the six-nautical-mile zone; to provide an update on the recent public consultation on trawling activity inside the six-nautical-mile zone and the baselines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18275/24]

Nitrates Usage

Paul Murphy

90. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has any assessment of the impact the removal of the nitrates derogation would have on Irish water quality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18333/24]

Trade Agreements

Matt Carthy

91. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his engagements with his Cabinet colleagues regarding the Mercosur Trade Agreement. [17714/24]

Departmental Bodies

Catherine Connolly

92. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 74 of 22 February 2024, for an update on the work of the wool council; if the €30,000 in departmental funding has been drawn down to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18274/24]

Forestry Sector

Matt Carthy

93. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of new afforestation in the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024; and his target afforestation for the remainder of 2024. [17715/24]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Murphy

94. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether any reduction in the size of the national herd is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18335/24]

Forestry Sector

Brendan Griffin

95. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the regulatory factors constraining commercial forestry growth, with a view to establishing a more industry-friendly and financially incentivised sector; if such a review would examine the timelines for planting and felling licensing and plantation thresholds regarding broadleaf versus coniferous trees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18347/24]

Nitrates Usage

Jackie Cahill

96. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if low-intensity farmers who import slurry onto their land could have their calculation based on the preceding year's stocking rate as this would provide clarity to low-intensity farmers as to the quantity of slurry they could import for the coming year and considering this would greatly encourage the importation of slurry onto their land and assist in reaching climate targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15016/24]

Forestry Sector

Brendan Smith

97. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be implemented to deal with difficulties that have emerged from ash dieback and the concerns about spruce bark beetle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18425/24]

Agriculture Industry

Bernard Durkan

98. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which efforts are being made to manage grasslands and tillage lands, given the sharp increase in rainfall; if consideration will be given to adequate drainage as opposed to allowing widespread flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18340/24]

Control of Horses

Pádraig O'Sullivan

99. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on his Department’s plans to simply and modernise the Control of Horses Act 1996, as per the summer legislative programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18281/24]

Food Industry

Bernard Durkan

100. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent, if any, to which he has noticed an increased level of dairy produce into this country notwithstanding the fact that we still continue to export more than is produced here; if any reason is given as to why there should be a diminution of dairy produce displayed in supermarkets here; if consideration is being given to where this might end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18339/24]