Parliamentary questions

923. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to the current Programme for Government's promised action to "Ensure the promotion of marine education courses and degree programmes with a view to increasing enrolments", the plans in place to increase enrolments in marine education courses and degree programmes since formation of the Government. [2374…

924. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will continue to support higher diplomas in business in fisheries and aquaculture, and similar courses that are currently struggling to run because of a shortage of numbers, by bringing back the 50% grant-aid to help pay for fees. [23750/25]

925. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he believes we can renew our fisheries and aquaculture sector if we are not educating our young people in that sector. [23751/25]

926. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied). [23808/25]

927. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programs they provide (details supplied). [23826/25]

928. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department's aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, departments, or any other public bodies; grants provided by loca…

929. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and…

930. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23881/25]

931. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing …

932. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details suppli…

933. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whethe…

934. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23953/25]

935. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department is considering the reinstatement of compulsory sheep dipping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24079/25]

936. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the progress and the plans around the Sligo regional veterinary laboratory (RVL); when works will be completed; the plans for the variety of services that will be available at the RVL; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24219/25]

937. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm that for each year between 2020 and 2025 in respect of the boards of bodies under the aegis of his Department (details supplied); that the board has a terms of reference; where that is not the case, to identify that body, by reference to year or years where no terms of reference existed; and if he will m…

938. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm that for each year between 2020 and 2025 in respect of the boards of bodies under the aegis of his Department (details supplied); at least one member of the audit and risk committee of that board has recent, relevant financial experience for each of those years; where that is not the case, to identify th…

939. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to identify, by body name and associated skills gap, any skills gaps identified by the chairperson of that board (details supplied) in correspondence to his Department or a Minister in respect of the composition of the board of the body referred, for each year between 2020 and 2025, in tabular form; to identify any…

940. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of members of boards in each body under the aegis of his Department (details supplied) who have a professional accounting qualification, for each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24247/25]

941. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he and his Department are taking to support farmers' efforts in biodiversity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24248/25]

942. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how many forestry felling licences were issued in 45 days or less from applications received from 1 January 2025 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24334/25]

943. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on an appeal which was recently submitted (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24349/25]

944. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he received the application for the dredging of Cé Heilbhic from Waterford County Council before 4 April; and if he will prioritise the works that are so badly needed now that the RNLI lifeboat and local fishermen are unable to go to sea either side of high tide. [24414/25]

945. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans he has to introduce low interest loans for young farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24445/25]

946. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to prioritise improvements in farm safety, health and well-being; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24448/25]

947. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the strategy to support local and artisan food and drink producers in developing Irish food culture and production; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24449/25]