Parliamentary questions

166. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the flexible working and remote working policies in place for civil servants in his Department; if there is any discrepancy in these policies based on seniority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28911/26]

167. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the flexible working and remote working policies in place for staff that work for any agencies under the remit of HIS Department; if there is any discrepancy in these policies based on seniority; if this policy is under the control of the agency itself or if it is directed by the Department,; and …

168. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any review is ongoing in relation to his Department’s policy on flexible working and remote working for civil servants in his Department, particularly in the context of increased fuel prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28948/26]

169. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total area of State-owned forestry under the control or management of Coillte; the proportion of this area planted with native species and non-native species respectively; and if he will provide a breakdown by species type for the past ten years. [28979/26]

170. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether any policy targets are in place to increase the proportion of native woodland on State-owned forestry lands; the current percentage of native woodland within the State forestry estate; and any planned timelines or targets for expansion. [28980/26]

171. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any assessments of the biodiversity impact of monoculture forestry plantations, including Sitka spruce; and if he will provide details of any such assessments and their findings. [28981/26]

172. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which current forestry policy takes account of long-term carbon sequestration outcomes associated with different forestry models; and whether comparisons have been made between native woodland systems and commercial plantation forestry in this regard. [28982/26]

173. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether a review of the mandate, governance structure, or operational model of Coillte is under consideration; and if he will outline any proposals to rebalance its commercial and environmental objectives. [28983/26]

174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what oversight mechanisms exist in relation to forestry-related educational materials distributed in schools; whether such materials are subject to departmental approval or review; and if any guidelines are in place to ensure balance between commercial forestry and environmental perspectives. [28984/26]

175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how forestry policy is being aligned with national biodiversity and climate strategies; and what measurable indicators are used to assess the environmental performance of State forestry. [28985/26]

644. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the agri-climate rural environment scheme (ACRES) payments for a farm partnership (details supplied); the reason for the continued delay in issuing the full 2024 scheme year payment and the 2025 payment to date; if he will address the technical issue where the ACRES application is not visible on the p…

645. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will support the introduction of salary bands for veterinary nurses (details supplied); and if he will support Government funding to support practices employing registered veterinary nurses enabling fair pay without passing the entire cost onto pet owners and farmers. [28022/26]

646. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding any product or service purchased from the United Arab Emirates by his Department in 2025, by description and amount paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28265/26]

647. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to a matter (details supplied); and if he has had discussions with this office regarding same. [28300/26]

648. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of WTE staff, by job title employed by his Department that are based at each regional veterinary office as of 13 April 2026, in tabular form. [28429/26]

649. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applicants declaring commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, under the basic income support for sustainability and preceding area-based schemes in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [28618/26]

650. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of applications received in respect of commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, under area-based schemes in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [28619/26]

651. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total value of payments issued in respect of commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, under BISS and all other relevant area-based schemes in each of the past ten years, broken down by scheme, in tabular form. [28620/26]

652. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine both the average payment and the median payment per applicant in respect of commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [28621/26]

653. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of registered flock numbers associated with commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [28622/26]

654. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the prescribed or recommended stocking density levels applicable to commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford; and how such levels are determined, in tabular form. [28623/26]

655. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether stocking density requirements for commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, have changed in the past 20 years; and, if so, to provide details. [28624/26]

656. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out on commonage lands in the Knockmealdown Mountains, County Waterford, in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [28625/26]

657. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made on each of the individual Programme for Government commitments assigned to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28650/26]

658. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the data available to his Department on salary levels for registered veterinary nurses in Ireland; whether he accepts that current pay levels do not reflect the qualifications, clinical responsibilities, and regulatory requirements of the profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28683/26]