Barry Ward

93. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he is taking to prevent wildfires and encourage preventative measures by landowners as we enter the summers months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34394/26]

143. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding any actions he is taking that seek to prevent wildfires, particularly any engagement he is having with State agencies as we head into the summer months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34395/26]

Baineann mo cheist le fostaíocht san Aontas Eorpach. Tá gá orainn níos mó a dhéanamh chun eolas a thabhairt do dhaoine, go háirithe anseo in Éirinn, faoi na poist atá ar fáil agus an bealach ar féidir iarratas a dhéanamh orthu le go n-éireoidh leo lena gcuid iarratas agus na poist sin a thógáil. Tá sé sin thar a bheith tábhachtach, go háirithe an tseachtain seo nuair atá Lá na hEorpa á cheiliúradh…

I agree with the Minister of State on the effort being made. I acknowledge the work done by the Department of foreign affairs and European Movement Ireland. I also acknowledge that Noelle O'Connell has left as the head of European Movement and has been replaced by David Geary. We wish him the best of luck there. They do a particularly good job in terms of advertising jobs and making people aware. …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille seo. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach. Tá gá leis na rudaí atá sa Bhille. This is welcome legislation. I want to particularly paraphrase what my colleague, the Sligo county councillor, Fergal Nealon, said in the media this week. He talked about psychedelic nicotine pushers. He was talking about shops in Sligo town that his own child was trying to get him to go into, e…

I will start by welcoming the Bill. Given that it amends the Air Pollution Act 1987, it is somewhat overdue in terms of updating a lot of the terminology. I have looked through it. While I welcome the Bill, its contents and the idea behind it, I want to start with a criticism. This is a criticism that I frequently make of legislation, particularly updating or amending legislation of this sort. Wh…

The issue I want to raise with the Minister today has some similarity to the last issue in that it relates to Garda action, particularly in respect of juvenile antisocial behaviour cases. "Antisocial behaviour" is an umbrella term that covers many different activities. Some will say that antisocial behaviour is just that, antisocial, but of course it encompasses criminality as well. I fear there a…

I thank the Minister for his acknowledgement of the work gardaí in Dún Laoghaire and Blackrock are doing. I was delighted to welcome him to Blackrock when he visited recently. I appreciate his attention to the issue. I also acknowledge what he said about the progressiveness of the Children Act. That is important but if we are relying on Oberstown or incarceration for children, the system has alrea…

I join with other Members who have talked about the value of football and what it does for communities and for the nation. I congratulate both our men's and women's teams for their successes on the one hand and their disappointments on the other but their effort in both cases. Beidh lá eile acu. We have a great foundation to build on despite the disappointment in Czechia recently. I will focus on…

I welcome these measures and recognise that they are not enough to cushion everybody in this country from the effects of the greatest global energy crisis we have ever seen. It is unrealistic to tell people that the Government is in a position to do that. Let us be honest with people. Deputy Collins and I were on the radio this morning talking about this and he said he did not block anyone. I am …

-----we would be calling on.

They have helped us in the past. We have relied on them in the past.

When the economic crash came, we relied on the international community to keep us afloat and ensure Irish workers could put the country back where it was. Let us be honest about this. Being part of an international community is not only about taking and taking.

It is give and take. I am very proud of the work we have done as a country to help to provide for Ukraine. I have been there and seen what they have come through. The same argument could be made about Irish Aid and the work we do in much more under-developed countries, where children are starving. Is the Deputy saying we should take away their money as well?

Why does he not go over and join Donald Trump's USAID cuts as well?

Let us be realistic and honest and get on with the fact that these are resolutions that will do the people of Ireland good and that is why we should support them.

I have been listening to the debate and it has been astonishing to hear the variety of opinions, concerns and misapprehensions about this Bill. On the one hand, I think it does represent progress. I remember when the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act was passed in 2006 and how that was a step forward in terms of bringing those strategic infrastructure projects into An Bord Pl…

I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Peter Roche, who unfortunately cannot be here. His brother, Vincent Roche, passed away yesterday evening.

Yes, I am taking it. It was originally a question put down by Deputy Roche. He cannot be here today because his brother passed away last night. I extend my sympathies to the family at this sad time. This question relates to the idea that we would have community assistance officers in local authorities to help community groups to apply for funding and short-circuit the administration and bureaucrac…

I acknowledge what the Minister of State said about the amount of funding and supports there. The Minister of State and I know that Deputy Peter Roche, in particular, has done a huge amount of work in this area. He has worked particularly in the context of helping to support community organisations in his area. The difficulty he has identified, and other colleagues tell me they see it all over the…

I welcome what the Minister of State said about there not being a wrong door. He is absolutely right. Applications should not be cancelled because of an administrative error or something like that. At the same time, we both recognise that this is public money, and there needs to be transparency and things need to be done right. That is important too. Even in relation to what the Minister of State…

12. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the position regarding supports provided at a local level in community centres targeted at addressing social exclusion; if he will consider increasing funding in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22369/26]

The Minister will be aware of many community organisations around the country which focus on social exclusion. Are better supports available for them, conscious of the supports already available? Social exclusion is an issue that permeates society and has a massive effect. It is incumbent on us to deal with it. If we do not, it creates all kinds of other problems. Can we create greater supports an…

I thank the Minister of State. We in Ireland consider ourselves to be a fairly happy nation. Even the happiness index published recently shows that we are up there. Yet, report after report shows that loneliness in Ireland and other countries in the western world is growing all the time. Organisations such as men's sheds, community groups and church groups do amazing work bringing people together,…

I acknowledge all of the supports available already. The bodies that tend to be supported by SICAP funding and some of the other funding streams the Minister of State mentioned tend to be community organisations, which is welcome. In the context of what I was saying about the younger age groups, sports clubs also have a role, and they are successful, but they are not really in the remit of what th…