Parliamentary questions

Nitrates Usage

Paul Murphy

104. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has any ‘plan B’ if the nitrates derogation is abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18336/24]

Further and Higher Education

Peadar Tóibín

105. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department collates statistics on the number of persons who obtain a green certificate qualification; and, if so, if he will provide a year-by-year breakdown of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17666/24]

Beef Sector

Rose Conway-Walsh

106. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the recent changes to the beef indexes that have impacted farmers in the suckler carbon efficiency programme; how these changes were implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18424/24]

Forestry Sector

Violet-Anne Wynne

107. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the implementation of national forestry policies and programmes is consistent with the growth of the commercial forest estate or if the commercial timber supply risks being eroded over time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18270/24]

Forestry Sector

Claire Kerrane

108. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commit to commencing an immediate review of the forestry programme, given that more than six months have now passed since the programme’s inception and the persistently low levels of uptake by farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18244/24]

Environmental Policy

Brendan Smith

109. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current position regarding the inclusion of hedgerows in the assessment of carbon sequestration for the national inventory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18426/24]

Passport Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

110. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if there are plans to establish a designated telephone helpline or allow access to the Oireachtas passport query service for members of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland, since it is restored and functioning, allowing members of parliament to query passport applications on behalf of Irish citizens in the North of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18519/24]

Passport Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

111. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if any briefings with members of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland, members of parliament and their staff will be provided ahead of the summer months to assist constituency offices in the North of Ireland to provide up-to-date information on the passport process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18520/24]

Passport Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

112. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of passport applications queried through the members of the Legislative Assembly passport online portal since it was launched in April 2023, by month, in tabular form; the current waiting time for a query response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18521/24]

Passport Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

113. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department will open a passport office in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18522/24]

Passport Services

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

114. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is satisfied that the current online passport application system processes queries on paperwork or requests for additional documentation as quickly as possible; his views on whether queries should be put back for significant time periods when queries arise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18523/24]

United Nations

Mairéad Farrell

115. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to provide the instances where Irish peacekeeping deployments were blocked at the UN Security Council level; the year this took place; the permanent member of the Security Council which issued the veto, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18614/24]

Middle East

Neasa Hourigan

116. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline his Department's engagement with the United States regarding the role of the US government in the arming of Israel amid the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, particularly in light of the recent UN Human Rights Council resolution calling for a halt to arms exports to Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18654/24]

Middle East

Neasa Hourigan

117. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the engagement the Embassy of Ireland in Israel has had with the Israeli government regarding the ongoing bombardment of Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18655/24]

Passport Services

Niamh Smyth

118. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to expedite a passport application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18663/24]

European Court of Human Rights

Neasa Hourigan

119. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the spending on legal advice, legal action and/or legal expenses related to cases in the European Court of Human Rights on defending Ireland's position in relation to the right to a healthy environment from 2019 to 2024 inclusive, in tabular form. [18535/24]

Recycling Policy

Darren O'Rourke

120. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications further to Parliamentary Question No. 136 of 18 April 2024, to report on the data and insights shared by other EU states regarding their deposit and return schemes; the breakdown of Ireland’s performance in comparison to information received; what percentage of eligible containers sold have been returned; the proceeds that have been claimed since the scheme began; the total amount of unclaimed proceeds since the scheme began, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18475/24]

Recycling Policy

Darren O'Rourke

121. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to report on the regulatory oversight of the deposit return scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18476/24]

Litter Pollution

Catherine Murphy

122. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the amount granted to each local authority in respect of anti-littering, clean-up and recycling initiatives in the past five years to date, in tabular form. [18501/24]

Recycling Policy

Cathal Crowe

123. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if the employees of a company (details supplied) that operates the deposit return scheme are public servants; and if so, the salary level of the management of that company. [18502/24]