260. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to improve the pay and condition for Ireland's veterinary nurses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22742/26]
Topics / Veterinary Services
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsVeterinary Services
57 questions from 29 TDs, between 20 February 2025 and 30 June 2026.
57
questions
56 written, 1 oral
29
TDs have asked
8
parties and groups
Independents counted together
5
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 2 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 2 |
| June 2025 | 5 |
| July 2025 | 2 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 5 |
| November 2025 | 1 |
| December 2025 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 3 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 10 |
| April 2026 | 13 |
| May 2026 | 4 |
| June 2026 | 6 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
264. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address concerns regarding veterinary nurse pay and conditions raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22961/26]
754. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration would be given to the introduction of salary bands for registered veterinary nurses to ensure that they reflect the qualification status, and in particular taking into account the additional hidden costs incurred by registered veterinary nurses annually including annual registration fee with the Veterinary Council of Irela…
755. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration would be given to the introduction of salary bands for registered veterinary nurses to ensure that they reflect the qualification status, in view that the average salary for a registered veterinary nurse in Ireland remains significantly below the national average, despite completing Level 6, Level 7 and Level 8 Degrees; an…
756. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration would be given to greater oversight of corporate veterinary employment practices to ensure fair competition and protect staff welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21573/26]
757. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration would be given to the provision of funding supports to veterinary practices employing registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), enabling fair pay to RVNs without passing the entire cost onto pet owners and farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21574/26]
759. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures currently in place to support the recruitment and retention of veterinary nurses in Ireland; his plans to improve pay, career progression or training pathways for veterinary nurses to ensure adequate staffing levels across the profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21777/26]
381. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to enhance the working conditions and retention of registered veterinary nurses in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21191/26]
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]
1810. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the WTE staff by job title posts that are currently filled at the regional veterinary office based in Raphoe, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74921/25]
1847. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will enable veterinary prescriptions to be filled at any veterinary practice and not tied to the prescription issuer. [1609/26]
754. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to a shortage of Department vets in meat factories; the location of these shortages; the reason for these shortages; and the way in which he intends to resolve this issue. [70338/25]
1447. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a requested fresh veterinary inspection will take place (details supplied); and for an update on the complaint lodged with his Department on 22 August 2025 concerning the original inspection. [59345/25]
253. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to review and update current veterinary medicines regulations to permit the legal use of sarcoid cream as an evidence-based treatment for equine skin conditions in line with international best practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55616/25]
254. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider aligning Irish veterinary medicines regulations with those in Northern Ireland and other EU member states in the interest of regulatory consistency across the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55617/25]
255. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware that sarcoid cream (details supplied) has been safely and effectively used by equine veterinarians worldwide for over three decades; and the scientific or regulatory rationale for continuing to prohibit its use in Ireland. [55618/25]
257. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has assessed the reputational and financial impact on the Irish equine sector of prohibiting products such as sarcoid cream that are recognised as standard treatments internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55620/25]
488. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number and percentage of veterinary inspectors employed by his Department that are female, as of 30 September 2025; if he will provide same figures as of 30 September 2021, in tabular form. [53363/25]
509. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of WTE superintending veterinary inspector and senior superintending veterinary inspectors employed by his Department as of 10 September 2025; if he will provide the same figures as of 30 September 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49807/25]
127. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the arrangements currently in place for the procurement and delivery of veterinary services at dog shelters; if he will detail any recent changes to these arrangements; the guidance issued by his Department to ensure consistency and high standards across such facilities; if veterinarians assigned have experience in shelter medicine;…
312. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the provision in place to help farmers gain access to a vet if they are having trouble doing so; and the plans he has to increase the number of large animal vets working within the agriculture sector. [36696/25]
272. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Finance the reason vets charge VAT when medical services provided by a recognised medical professional qualify for VAT exemptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32064/25]
657. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of Department vets that are members of an organisation (details supplied). [32621/25]
658. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prescriptions generated on the national veterinary prescription system since its establishment in January 2025; and to provide a breakdown of the number dispensed from merchant co-ops and from veterinary practices. [32622/25]
659. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prescriptions generated but not entered on the national veterinary prescription system since 1 January 2025. [32623/25]