Naoise Ó Muirí

91. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the upcoming report and recommendations of the high-level dog control stakeholder group, particularly in relation to upholding animal health and welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35779/26]

Thank you for your forbearance, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. My question relates to the review of legislation for dog-breeding establishments that is currently under way in the Department.

I thank the Minister for the update. Ireland is a nation of dog lovers and dogs hold a cherished place in our homes, well ahead of cats. However, it is clear we are playing catch-up on legislation on dog breeding. Dog breeding in Ireland is a growing industry. It is important to say that responsible small breeders do maintain very high standards, but as the sector is growing so too are animal welf…

It is good to hear the Minister and the Department are taking the issue seriously and I look forward to hearing the recommendations of the stakeholder group. The set-up is a bit unwieldy though. The Department is responsible for annual inspections of breeding establishments but local authorities, such as Dublin City Council, are effectively responsible for enforcement. This creates a bit of a disc…

97. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for the exclusion of domestic dwellings from the TAMS solar scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35778/26]

My question is about the removal of domestic dwellings from the TAMS solar grant process. What is the rationale for the exclusion of domestic dwellings from that solar scheme and will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

It is positive that there is such demand for TAMS 3 and all the measures in it. It shows farmers are doing their bit in terms of energy and the future. Uptake of renewable energy programmes and mechanisms is hugely positive. Putting them through the SEAI for domestic is an opportunity lost. Maybe the solution is for the Minister to get his hands on some of that budget from the SEAI and move it to …

That would be positive. I have heard from farmers that the farm home can account for nearly 70% of electricity used, particularly those who are farming dry stock. Removing their homes from the process effectively means the TAMS system does not fulfil their needs. Another way to do it might be to get the SEAI to earmark some of its own budget or have a clear heading for solar PV for farmers or a li…

We had no rail service on the northside the last bank holiday weekend, from Connolly to Howth and Drogheda. I get Iarnród Éireann's needs around the ability to do 76 hours of work across a bank holiday weekend and the benefits of that but, equally, we had 12,000 or 13,000 runners coming to the north city centre to run the Dublin city half marathon, and absolutely no rail service to carry them in o…

19. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when the capital funding programmes for sport, such as the community sport facilities fund will open for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33292/26]

74. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Defence if she will outline the importance of the National Maritime Security Strategy, particularly in relation to protecting critical infrastructure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33263/26]

My question largely focuses on objective 2 of the national maritime security strategy and how we can improve the security and resilience of Ireland's critical maritime infrastructure. Will the Minister outline the importance of the national maritime security strategy, particularly as it relates to protecting critical infrastructure?

I welcome the national maritime security strategy. It is a very positive step forward. With the EU Presidency just around the corner, this defence issue has rarely been more topical. We face potential threats now that we would not have thought of ten, 15 or 20 years ago. The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, for example, puts into perspective how vulnerable we would be if that were to happen …

I really welcome the co-operation with the UK on this matter. Let us be honest: it has technological capabilities and experience in this area that we can really learn from. That partnership is therefore really welcome. I am Chair of the climate, environment and energy committee, and we had a briefing recently from officials from the French embassy and they really highlighted the issues around the …

I wish to raise two issues regarding the housing assistance payment, HAP, in the context of constituents in Dublin Bay North. The first is HAP discrimination. Is the Tánaiste aware of cases of landlords refusing to take tenants who are on HAP? While this practice is illegal, it is still happening routinely across Dublin Bay North. The other issue is the thresholds that apply. Constituents are bein…

I wanted to assure Deputy Collins that I represent the hard-working women and men of Dublin Bay North but he ran out before I could do so. I welcome the opportunity to speak about the supply constraints we are experiencing as a result of the fuel crisis. Brent crude is now at $114 a barrel, down slightly from $126 a barrel earlier this week but it remains very high. The World Bank expects energy …

The Land Development Agency, LDA, is building up a great head of steam now in starting to produce homes at scale all around the country, but particularly in the urban areas where they are badly needed. There are two projects in my area, Clongriffin Central and, just this week, Richmond Village. Some projects the Minister of State will be familiar with in his own area or generally in his neighbourh…

Quelle surprise.

As the Minister of State said himself, even the affordable purchase element of the Shanganagh scheme is about 15% of the overall project. We hear about the challenges with cost rental and concerns around mounting maintenance costs. Uncertain costs like that will, of course, upset mandarins in all the various Departments. The benefit of affordable purchase is that whatever discount or subsidy is gi…

Delivering an efficient and accessible public transport system is essential to the daily lives of working people across Dublin city and to meeting our climate objectives. The case for public transport speaks for itself. Every single full bus takes 80 cars off the roads, reducing emissions by over 90% and freeing up 300 m of roadway. Week after week, however, I hear from northsiders that they have …

Go raibh maith agat. I welcome the confirmation that the NTA is taking the issue seriously and progressing plans to modernise the existing system. I welcome the fact it looks at it weekly and has a structure in place in this regard. One thing that does concern me is that at the moment we are very reliant on the operators to share data and to push it into the system. I hope that in the new setup t…

It was good to welcome the Taoiseach to Fairview yesterday for the Land Development Agency, LDA, sod turning at Richmond Village, which involves 779 homes within a close shout of the city centre. The tenancy mix has not yet been determined. Does the Taoiseach agree that affordable homes for purchase is probably the best way to give citizens a stake in their communities? Does he agree that while th…

I join colleagues in underlining just how important it is that we get this Bill right. The Critical Infrastructure Bill is really important legislation for this Dáil. We in Ireland are living with the legacy of many years of underinvestment in capital infrastructure, as my colleague has said. We see it very clearly in the lack of essential flood defences in particular in so many constituencies acr…

The proposed new Garda headquarters for DMR north at Northern Cross is a project has been in the works for several years now. In my first speech in this Chamber, I raised this issue as a priority for the growing communities on the north side, in Belmayne, Balgriffin and Clongriffin. Despite the money being allocated in the sectoral investment plan in December, which I welcomed, it seems we are no …

We had very severe flooding in the basements of apartments in Clongriffin during Storm Chandra some weeks ago. There is a bit of a question over whether the emergency response payment scheme actually works for apartment dwellers. In following up with the Department, we got a response saying that the Department does not track addresses against claims under the ERP. It is very difficult to understan…