Aindrias Moynihan

Deputy O'Donoghue, sit down. Deputy Paul Lawless has the floor.

Deputy Paul Lawless has the floor.

There is only one speaker, Deputies.

Deputy Paul Lawless has the floor. A Aire, do not draw Deputy O'Donoghue on.

Stop. Deputy Paul Lawless has the floor.

2. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that oversees agriculture will next meet. [67676/25]

A huge range of significant issues are putting pressure on farmers. They include bluetongue, the new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, the Mercosur deal and Bord Bia. Last week, the agriculture committee questioned the Bord Bia chair on Brazilian beef imports. There are very strong views on the issue and farmers are really upset about what they saw happen in the weeks leading up to the committee me…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Barry Heneghan - To discuss issues regarding St. Joseph's Primary School, Fairview. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss the development of a minor injuries hub plan for Balbriggan. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss actions taken …

137. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to confirm that the connection timeframes anticipated will be met on the NBI roll-out for deployment areas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4128/26]

I want to raise with the Minister the roll-out of the national broadband plan in the area west of Macroom - the switches for Carriganimmy, Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh and Dunmanway. They cover large rural areas going from Clondrohid around Cill na Martra, Reananerree, on down towards Cappeen, Kilmichael, Johnstown and out around Togher, Shanacrane, and Doirín na Cathrach. It is a very large rural are…

I fully appreciate that the roll-out of such a large plan has to start somewhere and has to end somewhere. The switches in the Carriganimmy, Ballingeary and Dunmanway area are towards the latter part of the plan. Residents in those areas could reasonably expect that things that would have been learned from the earlier deployments could be put in place to speed up the later deployments, such as in …

I thank the Minister. He raises a very reasonable point about the way it was when we came in here, when it was a much bigger issue, but for the people in the Ballingeary, Carriganimmy and Dunmanway area, it has continued to be an issue. They were in the later part of the deployment and in fairness to them, they have been very patient. There is a level of frustration and people need to see that hea…

Auto-enrolment is a significant change for people who are in employment and preparing for pensions. It has been up and running since the beginning of the year, as the Minister will be aware, and the first pay packs are arriving in. It is very visible there. Can the Minister give an outline of the number of people who are registered at this point, and, in particular, the figures for Cork?

With more than 760,000 people to be enrolled across the country, and I hear the figure of more than 75,000 people in County Cork, are they all registered and up and running on it or are gaps emerging in places where employers have not registered and people are not yet registered for various reasons? If gaps are emerging, can the Minister outline where they are and if they are in particular sector…

In relation to the gaps emerging, it would be interesting to know if these are in particular sectors or geographical, if there is a little bit more information on this, as well as how quickly, or otherwise, the gaps might be closing. The Minister might not have the information now, so it is okay if he is able to send it on afterwards. I have been discussing this with people locally and a number o…

Next is the Independent Technical Group, beginning with an Teachta Michael Collins.

Tá go maith. I call Deputy Ken O'Flynn.

We are on Irish Water infrastructure, a Theachta.

There are two issues I wish to raise with the Minister of State on Irish Water infrastructure delivery. The first issue relates to connection fees and the second relates to pollution in waterways. Irish Water has a fee structure for connections that fails to take into account that community groups have to fundraise and get grants from Government and various sources to build community services. The…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the tackling of coastal erosion and flooding in County Kerry. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere - To discuss the new Kilkenny Institute of Further Education and Training campus. Deputy Pat Buckley - To discuss …

Seanad Éireann has passed the Finance Bill 2025, without amendment; has passed the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025, without amendment; and has passed the Social Welfare and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (Amendment) Bill 2025, without amendment.

90. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Defence to confirm her engagement with the UN Security Council on the plan to withdraw UN peacekeeping troops from Lebanon, with recent accusations from Israel on alleged rearming of Hezbollah; the number of complaints UNIFIL has made to the IDF on its military fire on UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon; and if she will make a statement on the mat…

I congratulate the Minister on her appointment and wish her every success in the role. Will she outline what engagements she has had with UNIFIL about the security of Defence Forces' personnel in Lebanon? Has she identified any additional security threats in view of the decision to end the mission there?

Irish men and women have served with such distinction over many years in Lebanon. The Minister is right: it is such a regrettable decision that the mission would not continue. Nonetheless this decision of UNIFIL and the mission not going on leave a void once the force starts to scale down its numbers and the possibility of a scramble to fill that void, whether from one side or another there. That …

I need to return to the original question. Has the Minister identified additional threats locally there, particularly in view of the changing situation and the reduction in the numbers of Irish troops there over the course of days, weeks, months or whatever length of time that will take? There is likely to be some level of additional threat there. Have any threats been identified from either side?…