Tuesday, 14 Feb 2023

Written Answers Nos. 875-894

Health Services Staff

Ceisteanna (875)

Holly Cairns

Ceist:

875. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his views on whether basic information about particular public appointments to HSE posts, namely, the date of the appointment, the relevant service location and the method of recruitment uses, for example, national recruitment panel, local interview or appointment by transfer, should be provided by the HSE in responses to Parliamentary Questions or to any interested parties wishing to access it; and if not, by what justification could this information be withheld by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7434/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

This is a service issue that is managed by the HSE and governed by the Commission for Public Service Appointments which falls under the remit of the Minister of Finance.

The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 provides the regulatory framework for fair, transparent and merit-based recruitment, and selection in the HSE and the broader public service.

The Act sets out the rules for recruitment and obliges public bodies to uphold the Code of Practice when making an appointment. If an appointment is required to be made under the Act, a selection process must be carried out. That process must:

- Be fair, transparent and merit-based

- Adhere to the Code of Practice

- Contain the review and appeal mechanisms set out in the Code of Practice

Under Section 7 & 8 of the code of practice a candidate may request a review or make a complaint to the commission if they feel information in relation to an appointment they had applied for was being held contrary to the transparency obligation specified in the code of practice.

Mental Health Services

Ceisteanna (876)

Holly Cairns

Ceist:

876. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 842 of 5 April 2022, 308 of 18 May 2022, 233 of 22 June 2022, 1117 of 12 July 2022 and 324 of 10 November 2022, the percentage of appointments to senior psychologist posts in the Cork adult mental health services between August 2017 and January 2021 that took place via unadvertised transfers; the exact service locations that is, the exact locations of the adult mental health teams where such appointments took place within the Cork HSE health services; the dates of each of these appointments, given that this information has not already been provided by the HSE, contrary to an assertion otherwise in the response to Parliamentary Question 324 of 10 November 2022 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7435/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Disability Services

Ceisteanna (877)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Ceist:

877. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health the number of occupational therapists and speech and language therapists who are employed in Mayo by an organisation (details supplied) and the HSE, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7437/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Forestry Sector

Ceisteanna (878)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

878. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide support to farmers in communities ahead of investment companies and vulture funds (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7333/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has secured funding of €1.3 billion for the next Forestry programme 2023-2027. Subject to State Aid approval, this will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme to date in Ireland. This Programme will replace the previous Forestry Programme of 2014-2020 (extended to 2022), which expired at the end of 2022.

This new Programme was created in alignment with Ireland’s new draft Forest Strategy and as such, is designed to provide lasting benefits for many key areas including climate change, biodiversity, wood production, employment alongside enhancing societal benefits. The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will provide incentives for farmers and other landowners and will provide farm families with the opportunity to increase and diversify their income streams.

The Government’s preferred model of afforestation is for farmers to plant trees on their land, which is why we have designed the new Forestry Programme in a way that will pay farmers 33% more in annual premium payments than any other landowner, on top of the single farm payment, which non-farmers will not receive.

Currently, the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process. Within this process, the draft Forest Strategy Implementation plan, containing the Forestry Programme was published on the 18 October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation. My Department is currently collating and integrating feedback from more than 150 submissions on the Forest Strategy Implementation Plan. The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 also requires State Aid to implement and we are intensive engagement with the Commission in order to progress State Aid approval.

I am committed to working with all our stakeholders to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the next decade. However, I believe that the increased incentives on offer to farmers demonstrates our continued commitments to farmers and rural communities.

Departmental Schemes

Ceisteanna (879)

David Cullinane

Ceist:

879. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number and details of compensation or redress schemes put in place by his Department since 1998, in tabular form; the number of claims made; the total cost of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6455/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

It is not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the required time. The information is currently being compiled and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.

The Minister’s earlier reply stated that it was not possible to provide the information requested by the Deputy in the required time, and he would arrange for a reply to be forwarded directly to you as soon as it was available. I now wish to advise you that the information requested is set out in the attached table. These are schemes outside of the normal statutory compensation under the Disease of Animal Act.

Year	Details of compensation or redress schemes	Number of Claims	Total Cost €
2001	Lost At Sea Scheme awarded free capacity (Gross Tonnes, KiloWatts) to applicants whose fishing vessels had sank between the reference years for the scheme of 1980 and 1990	6	Free tonnage capacity
2008	Sugar Restructuring Aid Scheme	3,530	62,932,523
2009	Fodder Aid for Flood Damage Scheme	257	525,359
2010	Frost Damage Compensation Scheme for potato and vegetable producers	180	3,993,414
2016	Emergency Flood Damage Relief 2016	47	97,909
2017	Flood Damage Relief Measure 2017	257	643,650
2017	Weather Related Crop Loss Support Measure	91	406,878
2018	Lost-At-Sea Scheme ex-gratia payment following recommendation by the Ombudsman’s office	1	245,570
2022/2023	Fur Farming Compensation Scheme *	0	0
2023	Shass Landslide Scheme*	0	0

* No payment has issued to date

Animal Welfare

Ceisteanna (880)

Pádraig O'Sullivan

Ceist:

880. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to review the sentencing regime underpinning the Animal Welfare Act 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6478/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Programme for Government places a positive emphasis on animal welfare and specifically commits to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.

This Act provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare and replaced a number of enactments dating back over a century. The Act was passed, after a lengthy and constructive debate in both Houses of the Oireachtas and came into operation on 6th March 2014.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine continues to enforce the law in this important area along with An Garda Síochána, the Customs service, and authorised officers from the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Since the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 came into operation in March 2014, 121 individuals have been successfully prosecuted. Fines in excess of €109,350 have been imposed. Thirteen persons have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment which were suspended in 11 cases. One person was given 240 hours of community service in lieu of 6 months imprisonment. The Probation Act was applied in 11 instances.

Twenty-five persons have been disqualified from keeping animals under section 58 of the Act.

In 41 cases summonses have issued or files have been sent with a view to initiating prosecution and a further one is currently being examined in my Department with a view to pursuing a prosecution if the evidence so warrants.

The penalties provided for under the Animal Health & Welfare Act - ranging from, on summary conviction, a Class A fine (up to €5,000) and in some instances a Class A fine and/or up to sixmonths imprisonment, and on indictment a fine up to € 250,000 and/or imprisonment up to five years, are considered to be proportionate and progressive.

My Department continues to keep this matter under review.

Aquaculture Industry

Ceisteanna (881)

Noel Grealish

Ceist:

881. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his Department on 7 December 2017 issued an aquaculture licence (details supplied) when it has been established under FOI legislation that no appropriate assessment screening as required under the EU Habitats Directive was conducted by either Inland Fisheries Ireland or a third party to evaluate any potential impacts on the integrity of a site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6516/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The establishment to which the Deputy is referring to was issued with a licence on the 7th of December 2017.

Applications for aquaculture licences are considered by the Department in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997, the Foreshore Act 1933 (as amended) and applicable national and EU legislation. The licensing process is complex and involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisors, as well as various Statutory Consultees.

The legislation also provides for a period of public consultation. In addition, the legislation governing aquaculture licensing provides for an appeals mechanism. Appeals against licence decisions are a matter for the independent Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board.

The license in question will fall for renewal in 2027. In advance of renewal of the licence the application will be subject to the appropriate environmental considerations including conducting an Appropriate Assessment.

Aquaculture Industry

Ceisteanna (882)

Noel Grealish

Ceist:

882. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his Department in the past five calendar years has never issued an aquaculture licence for the operation of trout hatchery in County Galway when the hatchery is listed as an aquaculture establishment on the Marine Institute’s Fin Fish FHA Register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6517/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Marine Institute are the Competent Authority for Fish Health in Ireland and the maintenance of the Register of Aquaculture Establishments to which the Deputy refers.

The site in question is one of the oldest in the country and was established in 1851. The Deputy's question regarding the licencing of the site is more appropriately directed to Inland Fisheries Ireland whose principal function is to protect, manage and conserve Ireland's inland fisheries.

Forestry Sector

Ceisteanna (883)

Cathal Crowe

Ceist:

883. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of staff working in the Forestry Service as of 31 December 2022; and if he will provide a breakdown of the areas these staff work in, such as inspectors, ecologists, archaeologists, engineers, clerical staff and so on, in tabular form. [6519/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The table below shows that there were a total of 170 staff working in the Forestry Divisions of my Department as of 31 December 2022;

Grade	Staff at 31/12/2022	Full Time Equivalent
Director of Forestry	1	1
Senior Inspector	2	2
Forestry Inspector Grade 1	12	12
Forestry Inspector Grade 2	10	10
Forestry Inspector Grade 3	37	37
Forest Insp G3 (ecologist)	1	1
Forest Insp G3 (archaeologist)	2	2
AAI (ecologist)	7	7
Principal Officer	1	1
Assistant Principal	6	6
Higher Executive Officer	15	14.2
Executive Officer	37	34.49
Clerical Officer	40	37.34
Total	171	165.03

Forestry Sector

Ceisteanna (884)

Cathal Crowe

Ceist:

884. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of workers employed in the Forestry Service for the years ending 2012 to 2021 inclusive, in tabular form. [6520/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The attached table is an overview of the staff directly involved in Forestry in my Department. The figures represent a snapshot of the staffing complement in each of the years in question, as staff numbers vary throughout the year.

Grade	2012 Staff	2013 Staff	2014 Staff	2015 staff	2016 staff	2017 Staff	2018 Staff	2019 Staff	2020 Staff	2021 Staff
Director of Forestry	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Senior Inspector	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Forestry Inspector Grade 1	4	6	6	6	5	6	6	8	9	11
Forestry Inspector Grade 2	10	9	8	8	8	7	10	8	9	8
Forestry Inspector Grade 3	15	15	15	15	17	17	21	24	32	31
Forest Insp G3 (ecologist)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Forest Insp G3 (archaeologist)	1	0	1	1	1	0	2	2	2	2
AAI (ecologist)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	7
Principal Officer	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Assistant Principal	4	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	4	3
Higher Executive Officer	11	13	12	10	11	12	12	12	11	10
Executive Officer	25	26	27	28	26	26	27	27	29	27
Clerical Officer	32	34	36	32	32	35	37	36	40	38
Contract Ecologist	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18
Total	106	112	114	109	109	112	125	127	146	160

Forestry Sector

Ceisteanna (885)

Robert Troy

Ceist:

885. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the review of the ash dieback replanting scheme. [6545/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Since the first finding of ash dieback disease in Ireland my Department has provided support totalling over €8.9 million to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme (introduced in 2013) and more recently via the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback) introduced in July 2020.

I have secured a package of €1.3 billion for forestry which will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme to date in Ireland and it is intended to continue to offer a Reconstitution Scheme for ash through the next Forestry Programme which will cover the period from 2023-2027.

Forest Owners will qualify for a clearance grant and may select from a number of proposed Forest Types. The current scheme provides 100% grant aid to landowners to clear their ash crop, replant with an alternate species and manage their forest until successfully established and it is proposed that, as is currently the case, the grant rates offered will correspond to the equivalent rate offered in the proposed new Afforestation Scheme; see Circular 20 of 2022 Forestry Programme Support Scheme Grants and Payments which may be viewed at gov.ie - Forestry Grants and Premium Schemes 2014 - 2022 Circulars (www.gov.ie).

The Programme, and the Forestry Strategy, which is the framework within which it operates, has recently closed a public consultation from which we are currently collating and reviewing the feedback received, and this in turn will inform the final versions. We are also actively engaging with the European Commission to progress State Aid approval to the new Programme, with the aim of launching as soon as possible.

I have, of course, also met with landowners whose forests have ash dieback and I am more than aware of their concerns and I will continue to work to address them.

Departmental Policies

Ceisteanna (886)

Robert Troy

Ceist:

886. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is currently considering funding supports for landowners to cut down dangerous roadside trees and to replant an equivalent amount elsewhere on their land holding. [6546/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The care and management of trees adjacent to roads is the responsibility of the landowner on whose land the roadside trees are growing. It is advisable that landowners make themselves aware of the full legal extent of their land ownership and of any obligations arising from this.

My Department does not offer funding for the removal of roadside trees, but has recently published guidance on the subject of roadside trees (“A Guide for Landowners to Managing Roadside Trees”) and this can be accessed at www.gov.ie/forestry.

Grant Payments

Ceisteanna (887)

Claire Kerrane

Ceist:

887. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if grants are available to farmers to make roadway access to a derelict property and a hayshed on their lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6579/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine operates the very successful Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme (TFBS), which will pay grants to farmers to reinstate derelict farm buildings.

The Scheme is run in conjunction with the Heritage Council and has seen farm buildings renovated and returned to agricultural use across the country.

It is important to protect vernacular buildings, making the most of their value as built heritage and the benefits they can bring to the farm, including very often, the protection of wildlife.

The Department does not pay grants to farmers to make roadway access to parts of their farm. However, once access is made, the landowner concerned may be interested in TFBS, to restore the building.

Common Agricultural Policy

Ceisteanna (888)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Ceist:

888. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the total area of lands that consist of a mixture of scrub land, limestone pavement and grazing land on the Aran Islands and are habitats for rare species of plants and depend on the total habitat for survival and to thrive will be eligible for inclusion in the eligible area for both the replacement scheme for the basic payment scheme and for the areas of natural constraint scheme under the new CAP 2023-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6605/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Under the new CAP 2023-2027, the Eligible Hectare is the basis for payment for all area-based schemes such as the Areas of Natural Constraint scheme (ANC) and the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS).

As part of the Eligible Hectare, any land taken up with features such as stonewalls, hedges, drains, small ponds, or National Monuments is eligible for payment. These features are known as Landscape Features and no reduction to the eligible area is required as a result of these features being present on lands.

There is a second group of features, known as Beneficial Features, that comprises areas of scrub, trees, rock, woodland, and habitats. These features are important elements of the agricultural landscape, and the new CAP offers the opportunity for Member States, including Ireland, to include these areas within the eligible area for payment, once agricultural activities remain predominant.

These Beneficial Features may occupy up to 50% of the area of a parcel with no reduction in the payable area. For those permanent grassland parcels where the features are in excess of 50%, a reduction in the eligible area for payment has to be applied and above 70% in normal circumstances, the parcels do not meet the definition of the Eligible Hectare and hence do not qualify for payments.

However, in recognition of the unique landscape of the Burren and Aran regions, parcels that have more than 70% of these features can continue to be eligible for payment on the remaining area of the parcel. For example, a parcel with 80% of these features will still be paid on the remaining 20%, presuming that an agricultural activity continues to be carried out.

Forestry Sector

Ceisteanna (889)

Paul Kehoe

Ceist:

889. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the expected timeframe for the commencement of the new forestry programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6609/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Deputy will be aware that the Department has recently secured funding of €1.3 billion for the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. Subject to State Aid approval, this will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme to date in Ireland. This funding provides unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees that can provide a valuable addition to farm income and also to help meet our national climate and biodiversity objectives.

The launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter that is being taken very seriously by my Department and I would like to assure the Deputy that it is a matter of the highest priority.

The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is currently subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process. Within this process, the draft Forest Strategy Implementation plan, containing the Forestry Programme was published on the 18 October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation. My Department is currently collating and integrating feedback from more than 150 submissions on the Forest Strategy Implementation Plan. The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 also requires State Aid to implement and the SEA/AA process is a critical step in the process of securing this State Aid approval.

The previous State Aid Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas expired on 31 December 2022 and have now been replaced with a revised version as of 1st January 2023. The introduction of these revised guidelines meant that a formal application for State Aid could not have been submitted to the European Commission until the revised guidelines were in place, i.e. before January 2023.

Cognisant of the importance of implementing the new Forestry Programme as early as possible in 2023, and of the constraint that we could not submit a formal application for State Aid in 2022, the Department secured the agreement of the European Commission to facilitate a pre-notification in November 2022.

My Department is actively engaging with the Commission, and is working intensively towards securing full State Aid approval for the Programme as soon as possible.

Forestry Sector

Ceisteanna (890)

Paul Kehoe

Ceist:

890. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is concerned about the viability of the forestry nursery sector, given the repeatedly low levels of afforestation in recent years, compounded by limited afforestation for 2023 and the suspension of various support schemes with the new programme not being ratified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6610/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

We recently secured funding of €1.3 billion for the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. Subject to State Aid approval, this will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme to date in Ireland. This funding provides unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees that can provide a valuable addition to farm income and also to help meet our national climate and biodiversity objectives.

In 2022 we saw a significant increase in the issuing of afforestation licences, with my Department issuing 702 afforestation licences for an area of 4,972 hectares. Valid unused Afforestation licences are being extended until the end of 2023 to give landowners every opportunity to plant and they will attract increased premium rates and a longer term of 20 years for farmers.

In relation to the new forestry programme my Department is actively engaging with the Commission with a view to securing full State Aid approval as soon as possible.

In terms of afforestation and road applications which were applied for before 31st December, 2022, but not issued, we are continuing to process these so that they can transition into the new Programme as seamlessly as possible when it opens.

Animal Diseases

Ceisteanna (891, 892, 893)

Jackie Cahill

Ceist:

891. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of herds that are currently restricted with TB, per county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6636/23]

Jackie Cahill

Ceist:

892. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of TB reactors, per county, in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6637/23]

Jackie Cahill

Ceist:

893. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the RPT per county in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6638/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I propose to take Questions Nos. 891 to 893, inclusive, together.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a challenging disease to control and eradicate.

As of the 5th February 2023, on a 12-month rolling basis, herd incidence has reduced to 4.28%, a slight decline compared to 4.31% at same time last year. In the past 12 months 4,475 TB Herds were restricted, compared to 4,585 in the previous 12-month period, a decrease of 110 TB restricted herds.

The attached file shows the different figures per county as requested. The figures in respect of the year 2022 are provisional, as final figures have not been completed.

As the spread of this disease is multifactorial, it is being fought on many fronts. The TB programme in each county focuses on factors including wildlife, residual or introduced infection, how disease is distributed in the area, gamma interferon testing, cleansing and disinfection, testing compliance and swift isolation and removal of reactors.

Each TB outbreak is investigated by a veterinary inspector to identify the source of infection. In the case of every outbreak involving two or more standard reactors, there is a veterinary visit to advise the herdowner on how to eliminate infection and measures necessary to help reduce the risk of recurrence. Emphasis is placed on the biosecurity measures a herdowner can take to reduce risks on their farm, and when buying in animals.

Ireland's bovine TB Eradication Programme operates in line with best national and international scientific research and advice. A large body of peer-reviewed research has been conducted into the spread of TB in Ireland and the risks underlying its transmission. This research has found that the principal causes of TB introduction and spread include:

- movement of cattle with undetected infection.

- residual infection in cattle previously exposed to TB.

- spread across farm boundaries.

- indirect spread through other biosecurity breaches, and/or

- spread from infected badgers to cattle.

This research has recently been reviewed in its entirety for the Bovine TB Stakeholder Forum by its Scientific Working Group, which comprises a panel of internationally recognised experts in TB research.

The details of the new TB Strategy along with the results of the review are available on www.bovinetb.ie.

County	No. of Herds currently restricted as per 5th Feb 2023	Provisional Stats Total No. of Reactors Year 2022	Provisional Stats Total No. of Reactors per thousand tested Year 2022
Carlow	34	77	0.63
Cavan	182	528	1.64
Clare	144	672	1.83
Cork North	350	2596	2.81
Cork South	252	1448	2.16
Donegal	126	261	1.22
Dublin	31	265	9.53
Galway	266	1053	1.93
Kerry	264	1802	3.76
Kildare	81	257	1.59
Kilkenny	189	1539	3.23
Laois	155	454	1.43
Leitrim	79	358	3.99
Limerick	208	1570	2.75
Longford	111	309	2.11
Louth	65	238	1.90
Mayo	166	473	1.48
Meath	246	1359	2.98
Monaghan	218	905	2.73
Offaly	169	542	1.65
Roscommon	151	278	1.10
Sligo	106	327	2.38
Tipperary North	163	832	1.80
Tipperary South	186	1535	3.26
Waterford	87	686	2.00
Westmeath	151	842	2.62
Wexford	119	808	2.11
Wicklow East	106	716	5.44
Wicklow West	70	663	8.25
Total	4475	23393	2.44

Question No. 892 answered with Question No. 891.

Question No. 893 answered with Question No. 891.

Public Sector Pensions

Ceisteanna (894)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Ceist:

894. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 1846 of 18 January 2023, the reason a pension has still not been paid to a former employee (details supplied) of his Department, seven months after applying; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6645/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I understand that the Department made further contact with the National Shared Services Office in relation to payment of pension entitlements to this former Department employee.

I understand that clarification was required on matters pertaining to this pension application and this was provided to the National Shared Services Office earlier this week.

It is expected that no further delays will arise and payment will be made to this former employee within the next two weeks.