Micheál Martin

The Government has not turned anything into anything.

The new forestry programme is the biggest and best-funded forestry programme to date in Ireland, at €1.3 billion. A huge allocation has been made.

It provides unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees. This can provide a valuable addition to farm income and help to meet national climate and biodiversity objectives. The forestry programme offers a very generous package to farmers, with premiums increased by between 46% and 66% and the length of premiums increased to 20 years. One licence is required now to plant a forest. Th…

There are cultural and behavioural issues-----

-----around adoption of forestry for agricultural use.

In respect of guardianship, there has been change.

The Deputy has to acknowledge that. The Minister for justice has moved on that matter legislatively. I do not have the background in respect of the NPWS and how it is dealing with this, but I will find out and come back to the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is obviously a matter of real concern to people in Ardgroom, Eyeries and Castletownbere. I have had discussions but not specifically on this issue. I did not realise the Deputy was going to raise the matter this morning, but I will follow up on it. I have asked Uisce Éireann, in respect of rural communities in particular, to develop bespoke solutions to…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There is a lot of merit in what he is saying. The Government is endeavouring to develop greater flexibilities for people in rural Ireland in particular. I understand guidelines are under consideration in that respect to enable people to build their own homes. With the vacant grants and the grants to restore derelict houses, we have facilitated quite a numb…

AI is an enormous issue of enormous consequence for the future of Ireland and the future of the world in terms of economy and society. Its impact will be as significant as the industrial revolution of the 19th century. I spoke to the Minister of State, Niamh Smyth, on this after the committee meeting. Certainly, we will give consideration to this. I did attend the AI summit in Paris. It was a sig…

I thank the Deputy. I do not have the details of the individual case. The model of general allocation is one that was favoured by school bodies and principals when it was originally introduced, giving more flexibility to schools to deal with the numbers of children they may have in respect of additional needs. I introduced the SNA system back in the late nineties when I was Minister for education…

I thank Deputy Crowe for raising this issue. The National Council for Special Education, I understand, has advised that Sixmilebridge national school has resubmitted a previous special needs assistant review request, which now includes additional new junior infants due to start in September 2025. The NCSE has confirmed that the SNA review will be completed and the outcome notified to the school in…

The Minister moved early in terms of the national planning framework and the follow-through on that is a circular to all local authorities on zoning and to get more land zoned for residential use. That is absolutely vital and we expect every executive and every county council to follow through on that and to zone more land because that will be essential for the level of housing we require in the c…

An appeal was lodged yesterday at about 2.40 p.m. even though people have suggested that an appeal could have been lodged a week ago, but for some reason, that did not happen. I am genuinely perplexed about how all of this has been handled - not by the Department, but just generally. Normally in situations like this, the lead association would approach the Government or a Department with a plan an…

It is horrific what is happening at the aid centres, where people have been mowed down, slaughtered and murdered. It is beyond any moral compass. I have condemned unreservedly the Israeli conduct in Gaza and the war in Gaza, particularly the last phase, which without question represents collective punishment of the people of Gaza and an attempt to drive them out of Gaza or make life so unbearable …

I presume it must know because it is a contractual issue.

There is an issue between the Department and the contractor, so I presume the board of management must be aware of this. The board would be in-----

It must know.

In any event, I will ask the Minister for education to talk to the Deputy in respect of it.

That was the subject of a debate in the Seanad recently. The Government has an open mind on this. I will give consideration to it but there is a time lead into this and so forth.

There is a broad range of factors. Ireland is late to the phenomenon described by the Deputy in many respects because we would have had the highest birth rate across Europe, and still do, is my understanding, or we have one of the highest. Nonetheless, the Deputy's point merits broader reflection in terms of the society we organise, how society is organised and supported, and challenges in terms o…

Is it the two wind farms?

Are all of them causing concern?

I will say something at the outset in a broader sense. The Government does not develop wind farms. The Government does not develop solar farms. The prospect of doing that would involve a multibillion euro speculative kind of investment by the State, so they are privately led. The fundamental difference between us in terms of economic philosophy is that I believe there has to be a private sector an…

I thank the Deputy very much for raising the issue. I welcome the community from Knocklong. I have a small connection. My grandfather was in the rescue party for Seán Hogan at Knocklong when he was rescued during the ambush there. They took him away and he was a sentry in the Galtee Mountains for a while.