Carol Nolan

780. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the latest data on fertiliser price trends in Ireland compared with other EU member states and to outline any specific actions his Department is taking to prevent Irish farmers from being placed at a competitive disadvantage as a result of the price increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36827/26]

781. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific supports available, or that will be made available, to smaller family farms and hill/sheep farmers who face disproportionate impacts from rising fertiliser costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36828/26]

782. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department will commission or publish an independent assessment of the cumulative effect of fertiliser price volatility on overall farm incomes and on the viability of contracting services, as highlighted by an organisation (details supplied) at the Oireachtas Joint Committee meeting of 29 April 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36829/26]

783. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the Government's long-term strategy for stabilising and reducing fertiliser input costs for the Irish farming sector, including any plans for research into alternative nutrient sources or on-farm nutrient efficiency programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36830/26]

787. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific safeguards in place to prevent corporate entities or non-active farmers from acquiring agricultural land, obtaining a single basic income support for sustainability (BISS) payment and then qualifying for the 20-year afforestation premium under the revised farmer definition introduced in the mid-term review of the 2023-2027 Forestry Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36926/26]

788. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of afforestation licence applications and actual plantings approved to date in 2025 and 2026, broken down by genuine farmers and non-farmers/corporate applicants under the new simplified farmer definition; the percentage of approved hectares that have proceeded to planting in each category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36927/26]

789. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to protect young farmers and those entering or inheriting farms from increased land speculation and competition arising from the 20-year premium incentive now available to any applicant who meets the new one-year BISS active farmer check; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36928/26]

790. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current uptake figures and payment details for the €55 million reconstitution scheme for storm damage by storm Darragh and storm Éowyn under the 2023-2027 Forestry Programme; the average grant per hectare paid to farmer applicants to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36929/26]

791. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the new active farmer definition for 20-year afforestation premiums fully aligns with the requirements of the basic income support for sustainability (BISS) scheme and will not inadvertently disadvantage part-time, transitional or smaller-scale family farms that have historically supported rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36930/26]

792. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a detailed breakdown of the €93 million forestry allocation in Budget 2026, including the amounts ring-fenced specifically for farmer premium top-ups, fencing and road grants, agroforestry and reconstitution schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36931/26]

793. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures in place to ensure that the Department’s public land afforestation initiative involving 33 public bodies and 338 hectares does not result in the loss of productive agricultural land or compete directly with the needs of active farmers for grazing or tillage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36932/26]

794. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the consultation process that will be followed for the development of the next Forestry Programme post-2027; the steps being taken to ensure that the views of the farming sector are given priority over corporate or investment interests in shaping future afforestation targets and incentives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36933/26]

795. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that the national target of increasing forest cover to 18% by 2050 will not come at the expense of Ireland’s food production capacity or the viability of family farms; the current balance between afforestation and active agricultural land use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36934/26]

1079. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health to provide, with respect to termination of pregnancy services for each year from 2019 to date, the total number of GP visit claims submitted for first and second visits; the number of non-GP visit related claims; the total number combined for GP and non-GP visit claims; the total number of termination of pregnancies estimated to have taken place across all providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36944/26]

1184. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if urgent medical treatment will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37471/26]

181. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate; Energy and the Environment if he will provide a breakdown of the €100 million surplus transferred by the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) from its 2024 levy income to the Climate Action Fund; and if he will outline the rationale for directing these funds (raised from a 2 cent per litre levy on petroleum products) towards climate initiatives rather than bolstering domestic oil and gas exploration or reducing the levy to ease fuel costs for Irish households and businesses. [35977/26]

182. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to the Committee of Public Accounts discussion on 7 May 2026, whether he has examined the security implications of one-third of Ireland's strategic oil reserves being held off-island in other EU member states; and if he will confirm whether the Government's continued opposition to domestic oil and gas exploration is compatible with claims that NORA provides an essential "insurance policy" for national energy security. [35978/26]

183. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will state the current level of Ireland's oil reserves in days of consumption; the estimated cost of replenishment following the recent IEA-coordinated release; and whether he accepts that accelerating licensing for oil and gas exploration in Irish waters would reduce long-term reliance on imported stocks and the associated NORA levy burden on consumers. [35979/26]

184. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the projected decline in NORA levy income over the next five-ten years as fossil fuel consumption falls in line with net-zero targets; and if he will outline the contingency plans to maintain Ireland's 90-day oil reserve obligation without imposing higher costs on fuel users or further transfers from the levy to the Climate Action Fund. [35980/26]

185. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will provide the latest assessment of Ireland's gas supply security given that NORA holds no strategic gas reserves; and whether the Government will now reconsider its moratorium on gas exploration in order to develop indigenous sources and reduce vulnerability to international price volatility and supply disruptions. [35981/26]

186. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to evidence given to the Committee of Public Accounts on 7 May 2026 that storage costs account for 90% of NORA's €42 million operating expenditure, whether he is satisfied with the value for money achieved in current contracts, including those for off-island storage; and if he will confirm plans to increase on-island storage capacity through new domestic oil and gas infrastructure. [35982/26]

187. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason the Government reduced the NORA levy to 0.1 cent per litre in recent years for price relief yet continues to support policies that block domestic oil and gas exploration, thereby perpetuating Ireland's dependence on imported petroleum products and the associated levy costs passed on to motorists, farmers and hauliers. [35983/26]

188. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the additional administration costs to NORA of implementing the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation and ReFuelEU Aviation regulations; and whether he accepts that these obligations, combined with the existing NORA levy, represent a double burden on consumers that could be mitigated by permitting greater domestic oil and gas production. [35984/26]

189. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will publish the criteria used to award NORA storage contracts and the savings achieved by competitive bidding; and whether the Government has conducted any analysis of the potential reduction in NORA's storage expenditure that could be achieved if Ireland developed its own indigenous oil and gas resources instead of relying on foreign storage facilities. [35985/26]

190. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to the Committee of Public Accounts hearing on 7 May 2026 regarding NORA's role in energy security, whether he will now bring forward a comprehensive policy statement confirming that the development of Ireland's oil and gas resources is essential to maintaining strategic reserves, lowering the levy burden and ensuring long-term energy independence in the face of ongoing geopolitical risks. [35986/26]