Robert Troy

Food Vision 20230 provides a vision of a dynamic, sustainable and innovative agrifood sector ready to adapt and embrace change for a more sustainable future. It is a strategic framework that enables Ireland's agrifood sector to work to achieve its ambition as a world leader in sustainable food systems. The Deputy has a made a number of points. He will appreciate this is not my area of expertise. …

I am taking this important issue, which the Deputy set out so passionately, on behalf of the Minister for agriculture. The Veterinary Council of Ireland announced in April 2024 that it had updated its code of professional conduct for veterinary practitioners to prohibit veterinarians from carrying out surgical artificial insemination in dogs due to ethical and welfare considerations. However, this…

On the behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, I thank the Deputy for his dedication to this topic. The Minister agrees that more can be done in this regard. Both he and his Department are fully committed to progressing this work. I have to admit that I honestly was not aware of this practice until I was asked to cover this Topical Issue Debate this evening. The Department of Agriculture, Food and…

I acknowledge the good work Deputy Ardagh has done in this area, both in this Dáil and in the last Seanad. She galvanised support across the various political parties to ensure that cancer survivors who have come through cancer for a prolonged period can access life insurance when availing of a mortgage. Owing to the good work the Deputy has done and the legislation that has been drafted, I am ple…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. We are all quite rightly sickened with the recent "Prime Time" exposé about how certain nursing homes treated residents, the impact that has had on the families of the affected residents and also the impact that has on families who have people in nursing homes. My family has just gone through an agonising number of months, deciding whether nu…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Bill. For the avoidance of any doubt and as most people know, I am a landlord, but that should not preclude me from having the opportunity to contribute to debates on legislation. A previous speaker mentioned that he has been inundated with calls from renters in Limerick who are worried about the future. Current renters in the city of L…

I thank all the Deputies who have spoken so passionately during this debate about the horrific and inhumane situation in Gaza. Being in government is about doing everything in our power to address issues facing society, but doing it within the confines of international law so real progress can be made. There may be differences of opinion regarding our approach, but I do not for a moment doubt the …

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to provide an update on this important matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee. The State Examinations Commission has responsibility for the reasonable accommodations at certificate examinations, RACE, scheme. A central tenet of the RACE scheme is to ensure equitable treatment for all candidates. The range of accommo…

As I mentioned, almost one in four candidates at the 2024 certificate examinations were provided with some form of reasonable accommodation within the RACE scheme to support them in accessing State examinations, underlining the importance of the scheme. Deputies may be aware that an extensive range of accommodations are currently available for candidates with dyslexia. These include an individual …

I thank the Deputy. This happened before I was born so my memory does not stretch that far back. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy O'Callaghan. I will respond to the issue raised by Deputy Ó Snodaigh on the Minister's behalf. Deputy Ó Snodaigh is aware that the issue concerns an investigation conducted almost 50 years ago, which resu…

Again, on behalf of the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As outlined, the case in question has been the subject of court proceedings, pardons and associated compensation settlements. More generally, the rights of suspects and the policing oversight regime have been completely transformed. I referred to the Policing, Security and Community Safety …

I am quite happy to listen to Deputy Kelly and relay his concerns to the Minister tonight but the information I was given was that this Topical Issue was withdrawn and I do not have a brief from the Department. I am not a Minister of State at the Department so I may not have a suitable answer for Deputy Kelly tonight. If he wants to proceed and make his intervention, I am happy to listen to it and…

To be helpful, the matters for the morning will already have been selected and the relevant Deputies will be coming in for them. Perhaps I am speaking out of hand, but I do not think even Deputy Kelly will be ready to come in at 9 a.m. after staying here until 12.10 a.m. I will give a commitment. I accept that the error was probably made by the Department of Justice.

It was an error, and errors can happen. To be fair to Deputy Kelly, however, he has waited until 12.10 a.m. I do not have the information to hand to be able to give him the comprehensive answer that he deserves and that is warranted. I am sure the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, will facilitate the hearing of this matter on the earliest possible date that suits Deputy Kelly and the Minister or a Min…

I congratulate Deputy Hayes on making his maiden speech in the Dáil. I did not expect to be saying that at this stage. However, I congratulate him and his supporters who join him today. As a small open globalised economy that is home to substantial levels of foreign direct investment, elevated levels of intellectual property, and by extension capital allowances associated with that intellectual p…

I find it somewhat bizarre that the Deputy is critical that this is the first time this is being raised in the Dáil when he has been here six months himself and this is the first time he spoke.

Regardless, as I mentioned in my opening statement, capital allowances for intellectual property are a normal part of any tax system. The tax system provides relief in the form of capital allowances against trading income for capital expenditure incurred on the provision of intangible assets for the purposes of trade, both acquired and internally developed. IP allowances may only be deducted from …

At least the Deputy acknowledged that I am only deputising for another Minister of State. He sends his apologies as he cannot be here. It is obvious, given the level of interaction and number of representations the Deputy has made on this project over the past five years, why he is frustrated. I will give him the response I have been given. He will appreciate that I am not au fait with the issue.…

I reiterate that draft heads of terms, including on the purchase price, have been agreed in respect of the new site. Therefore, there has been progress. The matter is now with the Department of Transport. I have no doubt that the Deputy will exert pressure on the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, to the same extent that he has exerted it on the OPW. It now needs to sanction the neces…

That is the problem we have faced with many projects that have been delayed and stalled. The price is only going one way, not down. The OPW needs to carry out due diligence. It is important that it do so for us to get value for money regarding what I acknowledge is very important infrastructure for Courtown. I will relay to the relevant Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, the sentiments t…

As Minister of State with responsibility for insurance reform, I confirm to the Deputy that work is well advanced on the new action plan. I have met with a number of key stakeholders and it is hoped we will seek submissions from the public on the action plan in the next number of weeks with a view to having it finalised in the next two months.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 7, to delete lines 13 to 21 and substitute the following: “ “credit institution” means any of the following that provides, or offers to provide, current accounts in the State: (a) the holder of a licence under section 9 of the Central Bank Act 1971; (b) the holder of an authorisation under section 9A of the Central Bank Act 1971; (c) a credit institution author…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 7, to delete lines 24 and 25 and substitute the following: “(a) deposit or receive funds, (b) withdraw or transfer funds, and”.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 7, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following definition: “ “funds” has the same meaning as it has in Directive (EU) 2015/2366 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on payment services in the internal market;”.

Amendment No. 4 proposes to change the required distance for the percentage of the population to be 5 km from an ATM or cash service point. It also proposes to add the criteria of a minimum percentage of ATMs that provide the necessary functionality to be accessible for those with visual impairments and other forms of disabilities. Section 6 of the Bill sets out population criteria that will requi…