Questions

276. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projections that have been carried out by his Department regarding the number of Ukrainians likely to come to Ireland as a result of the decision by Ukrainian authorities to scrap the ban on males aged 18 to 22 years leaving the country; the number of these projections estimated to arrive in the State between now and the end of 202…

277. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps that have been taken to address the lack of a legal definition of parental alienation which has caused confusion and inconsistencies in terms of cases before family courts, given reports that different department and bodies’ deal with it differently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54510/25]

278. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the complete breakdown of the number of young persons referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, by Garda district within the Dublin region for the past three years, in tabular form. [54513/25]

279. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the complete breakdown of the number of young persons referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, by Garda district within the Cork region for the past three years, in tabular form. [54514/25]

280. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the complete breakdown of the number of young persons referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, by Garda district within the Tipperary/Clare region for the past three years, in tabular form. [54515/25]

281. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the complete breakdown of the number of young persons referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, by Garda district within the Limerick region for the past three years, in tabular form. [54516/25]

282. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the complete breakdown of the number of young persons referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, by Garda district within the Galway region for the past three years, in tabular form. [54517/25]

283. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in view of increased recruitment, the plans being considered to train and accommodate trainee Gardaí; and to detail any proposal to expand the facilities at Templemore. [54199/25]

284. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the merger of the ISPCA and DSPCA into a national SPCA; if he will address concerns (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54237/25]

285. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the interim measures he intends to put in place to ensure national inspectorate coverage during the transition period to a national SPCA and ensure that enforcement capacity is not weakened by the focus on organisational restructuring; if he can provide clarity on timelines, resources and governance for the new national body; and i…

286. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will urgently review the allocation of funding under the animal welfare grant programme and the designation of authorised officers under Section 37 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54239/25]

287. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will appoint designated inspectors to an organisation (details supplied) as authorised officers to close current enforcement gaps for at least ten counties, to provide legal certainty in ongoing investigations and support Gardaí during the transition to a national SPCA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54240/25…

288. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the merger of the ISPCA and the DSPCA signals a shift in Department policy toward centralisation of animal welfare services; if so, the rationale; how national coverage will be maintained or improved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54241/25]

289. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which his Department plans to support or issue specific charities that play critical roles in local animal welfare but may lack the scale of the newly merged SPCA organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54242/25]

290. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how his Department will evaluate whether the merger of the ISPCA and the DSPCA results in improved animal welfare outcomes nationally, not just improved administration within the merged charity; if there will be a review of the overall funding model to ensure it reflects evolving needs, especially with over 100 registered animal we…

291. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department was consulted in advance of the ISPCA and DSPCA merger; whether an impact assessment was conducted on implications for public funding distribution; if increased oversight and performance metrics will apply to the newly merged organisation given the significant increase in public funds it will control; and if he wi…

292. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given that the merged ISPCA–DSPCA entity will now receive approximately one-third of all national animal welfare funding, the way in which his Department will ensure that smaller, regional and grassroots charities are not further marginalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54245/25]

293. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will review its grant allocation to ensure fairness, transparency and proportionality, particularly in light of the consolidation between the ISPCA-DSCPA; the safeguards that will be put in place to ensure this concentration of funding does not reduce services or support in areas not directly served by the merged …

294. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update regarding the enforcement of nitrate pollution related to farming; if his attention has been drawn to algal blooms, related to the overuse of nitrates, causing discoloration and other issues to the water supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54254/25]

295. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether existing regulations are adequate to prevent the excessive use of nitrates leading to potential run off into the water system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54255/25]

296. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if ‘force majeure’ will be accepted in respect of the submission of late sheep census from a farmer in County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54262/25]

297. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of external consultancy contracts entered into by his Department in the past five years, including the original estimated cost, the final cost, and the reasoning for contracting this work rather than using internal resources. [54321/25]

298. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm if any staff devices (laptops, phones, USBs) containing departmental information or sensitive data were reported lost or stolen in the past five years; the number of devices reported; the data risk involved; and the associated cost of mitigation. [54381/25]

299. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the instances in which software or IT systems procured by his Department or agencies were later deemed unfit for purpose; and the costs of replacement or remediation. [54391/25]

300. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the outcome of the most recent discussions he has had with the EU Commission and at the Agriculture Council in relation to the retention of the Nitrates Derogation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54531/25]