Timmy Dooley

As the Deputy said, Cabinet approved the private wires policy on 15 July, details of which have been published on the Government website. The policy allows for private wires to be developed in four scenarios: to permit private wires linking a single generation asset to a demand site; to facilitate hybrid connections; where possible to facilitate EV charging; and to allow a customer that self-suppl…

Following Cabinet approval the Department will work closely with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to commence drafting on the Bill in the new year before seeking Oireachtas approval. The legislation will be drafted to reflect the guiding principles of the policy statement and clarify the necessary regulations to build private wires in the policies for specified use cases. Plenty of examples…

I am very conscious of that. When there are entities and corporations that are prepared to invest their own capital in such schemes, it is an appropriate way to progress and grow our economy. We see the same in housing. It is about bringing in private capital to support infrastructure. It allows us to move more quickly and ensures that the State is not left funding all of it. For that reason, the …

As the Deputy knows, Rockall is a small, uninhabitable rock located approximately 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda, and 230 nautical miles to the north west of Donegal. As the Deputy is aware, Ireland has not sought to claim sovereignty over Rockall. The UK claimed sovereignty over Rockall in 1955 and sought to formally annex it as part of Scotland under its 1972 Island…

I note the Deputy's personal interest in this, as well as that of others in the area who have raised it consistently with me. It is a position that goes back to the 1955 situation and, obviously, Brexit then had a really negative effect from a fisher's perspective. On Wednesday next, I am meeting the UK Minister with responsibility for fisheries, Mr. Daniel Zeichner, and I intend to raise this in…

I will not be found wanting in conveying the feelings of this House. We are united on this issue. We are not always united on issues here but we are very united on trying to find a resolution to this. I am conscious that it has to be done through the diplomatic channels. I am also conscious that there are significant legacy issues and that, notwithstanding the view of some in this House that the s…

I thank the Deputy for her question. Sprat is a small pelagic schooling fish that occurs inshore. Sprat is a short-lived species and an important prey fish for many marine species, those vital to the ocean food chain, as well as an important source of income for inshore fishermen. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, considers sprat to be a data-limited stock, which mean…

I am aware of the Deputy's knowledge and experience in this area, and I take that on board. She is right to identify sprat as an important feeder stock for mammals, birds and other fish species in those areas she has identified. I will continue to engage with the Marine Institute with regard to the information it has and data it is capturing as part of its overall assessment of stocks in the regio…

The overall catch of stock has grown significantly in recent years. That indicates that there is not a major threat in the short term to the supply of sprat. However, it is my view that to continue to fish at those levels would certainly lead to a significant negative impact. I will get into the process that is under way a little later. I have to be mindful, in whatever decision is ultimately take…

I thank the Deputy for the question. As he knows, the operation of the fish assist scheme is a matter for the Department of Social Protection. The primary source of funding for the Irish commercial seafood sector, including inshore and island fishermen and fisherwomen, is Ireland's seafood development programme, which is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Commission under the Europ…

As I outlined in my initial response to the Deputy, it is not possible to apportion any of the funding available to our Department through EMFAF to the income support he talks about. As he knows, and as is the case with farm assist, income support comes through the Department of Social Protection. While that does not fall within my responsibility, I am happy to have a conversation with the Ministe…

I recognise that. When I was before the committee chaired by Deputy McGuinness recently, I informed it that I have asked an outside interlocutor to work with the sector generally. Mr. Kieran Mulvey has accepted the role of working with all stakeholders in the sector to identify areas where we can assist and develop a way forward or pathway as part of a strategy that the Department will develop und…

Deputy McDonald has none.

I thank the Deputies for seeking the opportunity for statements on fisheries. I am pleased to discuss the important issues concerned affecting the fisheries sector. I wish to reassure the House that as Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine, I recognise the importance of maintaining a vibrant fishing sector, both for the communities that rely on it and, indeed, the wid…

I thank all the Deputies who contributed for their insights and helpful suggestions. I want to correct one matter. I indicated, I think, that I am to meet my UK counterpart on 5 July. I am reliably informed it is 9 July. I do not want anything to be missed on the record on that. To the Sinn Féin Members who talked about their survey, that is a useful piece of work, and I can understand the sentim…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. He will be aware of the engagement I have had with the industry in recent weeks and my commitment to continued engagement with him on the issue. I am looking forward to an opportunity for the committee to address various matters that arise, and I intend to work with the Deputy on that. I will put a few facts on the record first. The fisheries c…

The principal objective of the review, which was carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers, was to contribute to the ongoing and future development of the organisation. The areas covered by the review were the organisational capabilities of the SFPA to deliver on its mission for the effective and fair regulation - and I emphasise fair regulation - of the sea-fishing and seafood sectors that fall withi…

I thank the Deputy for his intervention. He is raising concerns and issues that have been shared with him and with me. I met the SFPA. The people I met and the various sections of the organisation are fulfilling their mandate to the best of their ability. We have to recognise that the authority's role is prescribed in legislation. We are precluded from involving ourselves directly in any decisions…

I welcome the opportunity to wrap up this debate. I recognise, as others have done, the presence of the president of the IFA, Mr. Francie Gorman. I also recognise all farming organisations that act in a very upfront and straightforward manner with us in the Oireachtas. They keep us and the Opposition guided on an ongoing basis about the complexities that exist in the farming sector generally. I th…

I will take this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. I thank Deputy Ellis for raising this important issue and offering the opportunity to respond. I know of the Deputy's personal interest in the matter. He has been a long-time campaigner on these issues in his time in the House. Organisations such as An Saol Foundation are inv…

The Minister is very aware of this and there is a commitment relating to the planning and the initial acquisition of the site that shows clear intent. Notwithstanding the other aspects I identified, once the Government has committed money in the first instance, the natural expectation is that the project will be built. The Deputy has, in a very direct and open way based on his intimate knowledge a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Water supply in the greater Dublin area is dependent on large abstractions, as he knows, from the River Liffey and the River Vartry. To address this, Uisce Éireann is progressing long-term projects to secure our water supply for the future, including two major projects for Dublin and the eastern and midlands region. The water supply project east…

The Deputy's interest in this matter is very clear. His desire to address issues in his area on behalf of his constituents is commendable and is noted. As I said, our water and wastewater infrastructure requires substantial and sustained investment over a number of investment cycles to bring the systems up to the standard required of a modern service, to provide for population growth and to build…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I can tell that she has a very personal interest in this, and that speaks to the person she is. I thank her for tabling the matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for housing. The response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a cross-departmental and multi-agency issue, with overall policy co-ordinated by the Department o…

I have known the Deputy for a long time. I am aware of the sincerity she brings to the issue. This is not the usual banter that goes on in here. I will meet the woman in question with the Deputy at a time to be decided next week, if we can. I will talk to the officials in the Department to see if a signal can be sent that these are exceptional circumstances. The reply provided to me indicates that…