Louis O'Hara

12. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the progress of CAP negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50992/26]

I ask the Minister to provide an update on the progress of CAP negotiations. The future of CAP will be critical for the farming sector and there are significant concerns about the European Commission's proposals.

There are significant concerns about the reform that is being proposed to have CAP sit alongside a range of other policy areas. In particular under the Commission's proposal, CAP funding for Ireland would be cut by over 20%. This would mean our indicative CAP allocation reducing by €2.5 billion, endangering the delivery of many payment schemes which family farms depend on. Of course, this comes at…

Absolutely, and that is why it is critical we get a fair allocation. In particular, the future of CAP will have a significant influence on how EU member states can support young farmers. Last year, the Department of agriculture published a report from the commission on generational renewal in farming. Have any actions have taken since the publication of those recommendations? I will focus on two r…

No parent should have to worry about what will happen to their child when they can no longer provide care for them, yet years of underfunding and a failure to plan has left our residential support system in crisis and families are left carrying the responsibility even as parents themselves age into their 70s, 80s and beyond. I was even told about a woman who is 102 years old in County Galway carin…

I raise the case of a constituent in County Galway who has experienced lifelong difficulties and trauma as a result of historical abuse at the hands of a member of the Christian Brothers who was his primary school teacher. The individual who carried out the abuse has since been convicted. My constituent's legal representatives have written to successive Ministers requesting redress from the State …

8. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update regarding investment in critical infrastructure in the west of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50878/26]

Will the Minister provide an update on investment in infrastructure in the west of Ireland?

I want to raise a really important piece of infrastructure from a tourism perspective in County Galway, which is Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. The Minister may be aware that this iconic landmark has remained closed to the public in recent years. It is in the ownership of the Shannon Group. There have been attempts to have ownership transferred to Galway County Council with a view to the council bri…

I am going back to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran. This is in relation to the castle. It is a key and world-class attraction on the Wild Atlantic Way. This castle has been closed for the past three years, as I mentioned, and is a huge loss to the local community. I know the OPW has a lot of other similar sites in County Galway, of which Athenry Castle and Portumna Castle are two that come to …

17. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the South Galway Flood Relief Project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50877/26]

I ask the Minister to provide an update on the south Galway flood relief project and a timeline for delivery of this scheme, which is critical to protect homes in the area.

As the Minister of State will be aware, flooding in south Galway caused devastation in previous years. This scheme has been on the cards for a long time. There is frustration locally at the slow pace of delivery and that communities in the area continue to be left exposed as a result. The weather has become more changeable and extreme. We have seen the impact that flooding has had in the south-eas…

I acknowledge that Galway County Council's engineers are doing great work on this. The south Galway flood relief committee has documented the issues and delays the scheme has faced. The Minister of State mentioned the NPWS engagement. That was originally scoped just around one technical question on the flow controls but that has since seemed to have blown up into a full environmental review of the…

The cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme was set up in 2011 to compensate domestic turf cutters who were forced to stop cutting turf on bogs designated as special areas of conservation and national heritage areas. In the time this scheme has been in operation, over 3,000 applicants have availed of the €1,500 index-linked payments for 15 years. The issue now is that many households are com…

I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate it is not her Department. However, it is deeply disappointing we do not have any clarity on what is going to happen in terms of supports for households, if anything, once these payments end. I have outlined the situation where families are no longer going to be receiving a compensation payment while not being allowed to cut turf in their bogs and we k…

65. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48950/26]

9. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [32050/26]

There is still no PET scanner operating in the public system in Galway or across the wider western region. We are being told it will be at least 2033 before a PET scanner will be provided for University Hospital Galway. This is completely unacceptable because this imaging technology is vital for monitoring cancer patients for cancer diagnosis. Patients are being forced to travel long distances to …

As Deputy Daly has outlined, we support the removal of the cap but there needs to be effective oversight and transparency in terms of the definitions and powers it gives the Minister when coming to the decision to give a ministerial order. This will ensure local communities are engaged with and listened to. This has to strike the right balance between ensuring our international connectivity while …

14. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on water quality will next meet. [45466/26]

This legislation on the passenger cap must strike the right balance between ensuring our island's connectivity while also acknowledging the experiences and voices of local residents who live close to the airport. The €32 million annual passenger cap has been in place for many years now. However, in this time, passenger demand has far outgrown this limit and the cap has caused significant regulator…

Galway County Council has been underfunded for years, and the figures are stark. Galway County Council receives €1,051 per person, while the average across the State is €1,534. If Galway County Council was receiving that State average, its annual budget would increase from €203 million to €296 million, an increase of almost 50%. It is undeniable that we are not receiving our fair share in County …

The Minister of State's response does not address the key questions as to why Galway County Council is losing out and what specific formula is being used to calculate the funding to local authorities. It is important to say that Galway County Council has done everything that has been asked of it. It increased the local property tax - I did not support that, but it did it - on the specific promise …

This question is in the context of the National Transport Authority, NTA, stating that it does not have money for further public transport expansion this year. Why has it been left in this position? I have a relevant local example in Athenry in my area. I know that the Minster is aware of the situation there. Will he touch on it?