Parliamentary questions

488. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to secure a fair and equitable share of a quota (details supplied), and that fishers receive an appropriate and increased allocation within any final arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5171/26]

209. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the formal coordination mechanisms that exist between his Department, SEAI, and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment to ensure renewable-energy funding is deployed efficiently across sectors; whether any assessment has been carried out on the potential benefits of reallocating or pooling funding to me…

210. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has assessed the emissions-reduction potential lost due to the rejection of the majority of TAMS 3 solar PV applications; whether he has requested that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to increase its approval rate in light of Ireland’s projected shortfall in meeting 2030 climate ta…

211. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted any value-for-money analysis comparing the cost of increasing solar PV approvals under TAMS 3, with the potential cost of EU non-compliance fines for missed climate targets; and if not, whether such an analysis will now be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …

212. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that current Government policy is coherent in circumstances where SEAI struggles to allocate its renewable-energy budget while his Department rejects the majority of farmers seeking to install solar PV; and whether he will direct the relevant Ministers to develop a unified national strategy for on-f…

213. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he or any of his officials have used artificial intelligence to write speeches, produce social media content for his Department, or to issue responses to parliamentary questions, since he took office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4586/26]

214. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has a paid subscription with a social media company (details supplied). [4604/26]

215. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to the announcement of approximately €23.5 million in forestry premium payments issued in 2026, the amount of funding payments made to farmers; the amount of payments made to other applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4645/26]

216. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to the announcement of approximately €23.5 million in forestry premium payments issued in 2026, the amount of funding payments made in respect of plantations of native woodlands; the amount of payments made in respect of non-native plantations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4646/26]

217. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for limiting approvals for TAMS 3 solar PV applications to approximately 25% of eligible applicants in tranche 9; the specific budgetary, administrative, or policy constraints that determined this cap; the evidence base used to justify rejecting the majority of farmers who sought to invest in renewable e…

218. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of solar PV applications received, deemed eligible, and approved under each TAMS 3 tranche to date; the total funding allocated for solar PV under TAMS 3; the total funding actually drawn down; and whether his Department has assessed the cost-effectiveness of increasing the approval rate given the hig…

219. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has conducted any assessment of the climate-mitigation impact of rejecting approximately 75% of farmers applying for solar PV support; if not, to explain how the current approval policy aligns with Ireland’s legally binding 2030 emissions-reduction targets and the risk of EU non-compliance penalties;…

220. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the justification for using nitrates derogation status as a negative scoring criterion for solar PV applications under TAMS 3; whether the Department has assessed the impact of this criterion on dairy farmers who have significantly higher electricity demand and therefore greater renewable-energy potential; whether the…

221. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of solar PV approvals, by farm enterprise type, dairy, beef, tillage, mixed and so on; whether the Department has evaluated whether the current scoring system disproportionately disadvantages full-time dairy farmers relative to lower-energy-use enterprises; and if he will make a statemen…

222. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average processing time for solar PV applications under TAMS 3; the number of applications currently pending; and the steps being taken to reduce delays given the time-sensitive nature of renewable-energy investments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4655/26]

223. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to increase supports for fishermen and women and the fishing industry after the disastrous quota negotiations recently (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4662/26]

224. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the Food Safety Authority of Ireland became aware that beef from Brazil treated with oestradiol was available on the Irish market in December 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4667/26]

225. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has been engaging with authorities in Northern Ireland regarding a matter (details supplied). [4668/26]

226. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has been engaging with UK authorities regarding a matter (details supplied). [4669/26]

227. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of veterinary practices that have registered with his Department as retailers to enable them to dispense prescription items not issued by them. [4758/26]

228. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide details of pier projects that were delivered by his Department in 2025, in particular piers that were extended or redeveloped. [4791/26]

229. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he ensures that all websites operated by his Department are accessible to the visually impaired. [4809/26]

230. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any website or other platform operated by his Department uses an AI-enabled chatbot; if there are plans to use chatbots; in what circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4827/26]

231. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total sums spent for each year from 2016 to 2025, inclusive of advertising, by his Department on social media or online platforms, including identifying separately payments to influencers on such platforms; and to set out the annual totals for that period to each specific platform, including but not limited to ma…

232. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the basis on which funding ceilings for TAMS 3 solar PV were set; whether he will consider revising the allocation given the strong climate-mitigation case for expanding solar PV uptake on farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5476/26]