Questions

722. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Department has sufficient resources in place to address the significant increase in bovine TB cases since 2015; if the Minister will provide reassurance to farmers who are increasingly concerned on the ground; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25457/25]

723. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the staff resources allocated to the bovine TB programme for each year from 2015 to 2024, under the headings of veterinary inspectors, technical agricultural officers (specifying roles such as wildlife or other), farm relief service operatives involved in the wildlife programme and administrative staff in the Department; and i…

724. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the cost to the Department of vaccinating each badger under the wildlife programme in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25459/25]

725. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has reviewed or is currently reviewing its bovine TB strategy in light of the rising incidence rates since 2015; and if the Minister will outline any proposed changes or enhancements to the current approach. [25460/25]

726. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the concerns of forest owners who have had trees prematurely felled due to weather or other external circumstances and now face losing their annual forestry premiums as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25461/25]

727. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department is reviewing the policy around the loss of annual forestry grants in cases where forests are prematurely knocked down through no fault of the landowner; and if supports or exceptions will be introduced in such cases. [25462/25]

728. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has assessed the economic impact on forest owners whose felled timber has been lying for extended periods and has now significantly depreciated in value; and if there are any supports planned to mitigate the financial loss associated with the downgrading of timber to Class B. [25463/25]

729. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to support forest owners who are unable to achieve fair market value for their timber due to premature felling and delays in collection or sale; and if he will outline any plans to provide compensation or grants in such cases. [25464/25]

730. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how the €5 million from budget 2025 is being allocated to the Forgotten Farmers; the timeline for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25465/25]

731. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will step up efforts, in conjunction with the farming organisations, to agree on and put in place a TB scheme, which will include dealing with ineffective wildlife in all DVO areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25503/25]

732. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the steps he is taking to improve the processing times for the ACRES scheme; when the approximately 7,500 who are due payments under the first round will receive them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25504/25]

733. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he and Government will work to ensure that reform of the GAEC 2 scheme is included in the upcoming EU simplification package of agri schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25515/25]

734. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers in counties Roscommon and Galway waiting for an ACRES payment for 2023, 2024 and for 2025. [25518/25]

735. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with farm organisations on proposed changes to rules regarding TB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25561/25]

736. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the numbers of fishery officers employed by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (permanent and temporary contracts) for each of the years 2012 to 2025, in tabular form. [25595/25]

737. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he and his officials deem the operation of the Cong Salmon Hatchery on Lough Corrib SAC in County Galway by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), is legally compliant with national and EU legislation considering that no Appropriate Assessment or Nature Impact Statement has been conducted on its activities; and if he will make a stat…

738. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will liaise with the Minister for Transport to source additional funding for private roads leading to farms and residences in rural areas where access is very difficult at present, especially for emergency vehicles, health workers etc; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25876/25]

739. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the implementation of the Food Vision tillage report, and when he expects to see a tillage-centred environmental scheme to incentivise crop growers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25882/25]

740. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the mistreatment of horses in Clonmel, County Tipperary (details supplied); the steps he is taking to ensure that those who are responsible for this cruelty are held accountable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25943/25]

741. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total amount of all farm payments paid out to farmers in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25989/25]

742. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will revisit the case of a fishing boat (details supplied) which has had cross-party agreement to resolve the long-drawn-out case for the family. [25994/25]

743. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the challenge of attracting young people and new entrants into a career in farming; and the supports to be put in place for the older generation, who have given a lifetime to the sector and possess significant expertise and knowledge, while viable pathways are created for young people to enter the sector (details supplied)…

744. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the ratio between the number of CDNTs per head of population; and if she will confirm that Dublin west has two CDNTs based on the 2006 census. [25864/25]

745. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the case can be examined of a person (details supplied) who has been waiting for an assessment of needs since he was referred in March 2023, whose parents made a complaint which was upheld giving them a date for assessment, which was then not carried out, and who have been directed to raise this in the Circuit Court after trying to rais…

746. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department can provide any funding supports to creche and pre-school business owners who have been obligated to upgrade toilet facilities at great cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25093/25]