Written Answers Nos. 254-274
256. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount spent by his Department and by the Veterinary Council of Ireland on legal fees, investigations and fitness to practice proceedings in the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55619/25]
View answerLitigation is dealt with on behalf of my Department by the Attorney General’s Office, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office or the State Claims Agency, who engage lawyers to act for my Department where necessary. The costs of any external solicitors or counsel in such litigation are not managed by my Department.
The Veterinary Council of Ireland is under the aegis of the Department and the information sought from that body is an operational matter for the Council. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Council and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
258. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans to introduce grant aid support under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme for the replacement of farm building roofs, as announced earlier in 2025, will be open for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55626/25]
View answerThe Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) currently provides grant aid for investment in new structures rather than repair of existing structures. Where buildings have been significantly damaged it may be more economic to replace the entire structure, rather than attempting to repair the damaged building. In such cases, it is open to farmers to apply for support for the construction of new buildings under TAMS.
However, in order to ensure that farms are more resilient in advance of future weather events, I announced plans to introduce grant aid support under TAMS for replacement of roofs.
The application process for this specific investment is nearing completion and will be available before the end of the year. In the meantime, I would urge all farmers to carry out a structural assessment of their farm buildings.
TAMS 3 is open to all farmers who hold a Department identifier and have a minimum of five hectares declared under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS).
259. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of slaughterhouses currently licensed to perform halal slaughter; the proportion of national beef, lamb, and poultry output certified as halal; and the extent to which these products are distributed for domestic consumption rather than export. [55686/25]
View answerMy Department has an approval system for all slaughter plants but does not specifically licence slaughter plants to perform halal slaughter. The Halal certification process is a commercial arrangement between food businesses and Halal Certification Organisations.
There is current EU and Irish legislation in place for the protection of animals at the time of slaughter. The legislation requires animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered. However, slaughter of animals without prior stunning, as prescribed by religious rites, is also permitted under the EU legislation, under derogation, and is carried out in a very limited number of slaughter plants.
My Department is not involved in the halal certification of meat, or in monitoring the relative amounts of such meat that is used for domestic consumption.
260. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all halal slaughter in Ireland requires pre-stunning of animals; what animal welfare standards and veterinary supervision apply; and whether there are any exemptions to pre-stunning under current EU or national regulations. [55687/25]
View answerIt is not mandatory that all Halal slaughter in Ireland requires pre-stunning under current legislation. My Department verifies compliance with EU Regulation 1099/2009 on Welfare at Slaughter. Article 4(4) of this Regulation specifically permits animals to be slaughtered without stunning if slaughtered under certain religious rites.
261. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has any oversight or auditing role in verifying the halal certification of food products used in public sector catering, including school meals; and if so, to detail the agencies responsible and the frequency of inspection. [55688/25]
View answerMy Department has no oversight or auditing role in any aspect of halal certification of foods, including those used in public sector catering or school meals.
262. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is using agentic AI in the delivery of its services or operations; if it is considering the use of agentic AI, and in what contexts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55690/25]
View answerMy Department is not currently using or considering the use of agentic AI in the delivery of its services or operations. All current and future AI use cases are subject to human review, data protection and governance measures. My Department is committed to ensuring that any use of AI is informed by an assessment of any potential human rights and equality implications, with a need for careful management in accordance with privacy and broader ethical and legal frameworks.
263. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for support with provision of funding and staff resources to adequately monitor and reduce water pollution at Lady’s Island lake (details supplied). [55709/25]
View answer264. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for support for farmers to implement positive environmental changes and assistance to substantially reduce the levels of water pollution in Lady’s Island lake (details supplied). [55710/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 263 and 264 together.
My Department is supporting the work of the inter-departmental Lady’s Island Oversight Group, led by Wexford County Council, which also involves the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage , Local Authorities Water Programme Office (LAWPRO), and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). This work is being led by Minister Christopher O'Sullivan.
Wexford County Council is in the latter stages of developing a site-specific action plan to address the challenges faced by Lady's Island Lake. Once the final Lady’s Island Lake Sustainable Farming & Communities Scheme business plan is received from Wexford County Council, it will be considered by both Departments.
In the Lady's Island Lake catchment, my Department, along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) and Tirlan, is funding free confidential advisory support to farmers through the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP).
Under that Programme, ASSAP advisors are working in the Lake's catchment to identify appropriate on-farm measures to address the challenges faced by the lake.
The Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) is led by the Local Authorities Waters Programme (LAWPRO) working in partnership with Teagasc and Dairy Industry Ireland. Through this national EIP, my Department provides funding for specific targeted on-farm actions which go beyond regulatory requirements. This EIP is designed to complement advice provided by ASSAP advisors and a number of Farming for Water EIP applications have already been completed in the lake's catchment.
In addition, EU and nationally co-funded schemes such as the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) have been available to farmers in the catchment, again benefiting water quality by providing incentives to farmers to go above and beyond minimum regulatory requirements.
265. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will review the compensation ceilings in the TB scheme, as they are not meeting current market values. [55748/25]
View answerBovine TB is an ongoing challenge for Irish farmers. I am acutely aware of the emotional and financial impacts of bovine TB on farmers, their families and rural Ireland.
I secured an increased budget allocation of €85 million for bTB in Budget 2026, providing a total budget of €157 million. I am confident that this increased budget will allow the revamped bTB programme to focus on tackling disease levels.
The objective of the new measures in the Bovine TB Action Plan is to reduce the number of farms affected by bTB and decrease costs for farmers and the taxpayer.
My Department provides a range of financial supports that focus on compensating farmers for both direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on the farm. The primary support scheme is the On Farm Market Valuation scheme where animals removed as reactors receive compensation subject to scheme ceilings equivalent to their market value in the event they were not disclosed as TB reactors. In the period up to 31 August 2025, of the 24,724 animals valued under the On Farm Market Valuation scheme, just under 97% of animals were valued below the scheme ceilings.
As part of the work of the TB Forum, a dedicated Financial Working Group was established to review the financial modelling of various elements of the Bovine TB Eradication programme. As a result of the agreement reached in this Group, over the last two years there were rate enhancements to the Income Supplement Scheme, the Hardship Grant and the Depopulation Grant as well as enhanced ceilings for select animals being removed as part of the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme. In addition, the Financial Working Group also expanded the eligibility criteria under the Income Supplement Scheme and Hardship Grant Schemes.
Due to the increased cost of the bTB programme in recent years, the focus at present is on reducing the levels of disease which will reduce the impact of bTB on Irish farm families and reduce the cost of the programme which has risen to over €100 million in 2024.
266. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received by his Department regarding transfer of title of lands to date; the number that have been completed (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55755/25]
View answerThe Lands Branch of my Department has informed me that 196 applications were received from trustees of former Irish Land Commission trust properties seeking to have them transferred, under the Land Act 2005, to either local sports clubs or groups representative of local communities. 191 of those applications have been fully processed with 5 awaiting completion.
267. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received in the Department regarding transfer of title of lands to date in County Laois; the number completed (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55756/25]
View answerThe Lands Branch of my Department has informed me that 11 applications were received from trustees of former Irish Land Commission trust properties seeking to have them transferred, under the Land Act 2005, to either local sports clubs or groups representative of local communities. All of those 11 properties have been disposed of.
268. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the scope, timeline, pilot areas and budget allocation for the newly announced bovine tuberculosis cooperation project with the Northern Ireland authorities under the Shared Island initiative; the criteria for selecting participating herds; and whether Cork herds will be included in the initial pilot phase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55977/25]
View answerThe Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir and I recently announced a new Bovine Tuberculosis Co-Operation Project by our Departments as part of the Shared Island Initiative to tackle the growing impact of bovine tuberculosis on farms in a pilot area.
My Department and Minister Muir's Department will now engage in developing the overall approach for the cooperation project which is to focus on implementation of measures on a coordinated regional basis, to support reduction of bovine TB incidence and transmission. The project will be consistent with and contribute to overall policies and approach on working with farmers to tackle bovine TB in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
A further announcement on the detail of the project will take place once this work is completed.
269. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the case of a student (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55530/25]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
270. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will intervene, with the HSE, to ensure that funds are immediately released for the Wexford Strengthening Children's Disability Services project, which was formally approved by the HSE with a commitment that the initial payment would be processed in October (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55978/25]
View answerGovernment is committed to delivering and enhancing services to better support children with disabilities in Ireland.
The Children’s Disability Grant Fund aims to supplement the work of the Children's Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) by providing supports and services to children and their families who are currently waitlisted for services. To do this, the fund makes available €8 million for 52 organisations, to cover the cost of projects in full between 2025 and 2027.
The HSE has engaged intensively with shortlisted projects around the drawdown of funding and the financial and governance requirements in relation to the delivery of projects. The HSE have advised officials in this Department that they are working to finalise allocation of funding, where the HSE have confirmed recipients meet the grant requirements. Once agreements with applicants have been signed, payments are expected to issue within 7-10 working days.
The status of projects varies with some organisations/groups ready to commence and other organisations yet to confirm they wish to proceed with their project and/or provide required financial and governance documentation.
I am aware that there have been delays with some projects, as the HSE continues to work to support all applicants to complete and provide all required paperwork. I have requested the HSE to provide a detailed update on the project in question and I will respond to the Deputy with further details as soon as possible.
271. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department is using agentic AI in the delivery of its services or operations; if it is considering the use of agentic AI, and in what contexts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55691/25]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is compiling the information requested and will respond directly in due course.
272. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a breakdown of the proportion of the €620 million in additional current funding for Disability under Programme An Equal and Inclusive Society, that will be used to provide for public sector pay and increases and pay costs under the Section 39 WRC agreement respectively; the proportion that is for additional recipients of disability services; that amount that is for additional residential services; to provide a breakdown of further service improvements to be provided for under the allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55732/25]
View answerA total of €3.8 billion has been allocated for Specialist Disability Services in Budget 2026, representing a €618 million or 20% increase year on year.
Of this additional €618 million, €468 million is provided to maintain existing levels of service, a significant provision which recognises the challenges prevailing in the sector including the increased cost of service provision, increasing demand, pay cost pressures and service provider sustainability. It will also provide for the full year cost of new service activity in 2025.
A further €150 million is allocated to build on the service expansion achieved in 2025. This will deliver the following impacts for people with a disability:
• Support over 9,000 people in need of a residential response including an additional 250 placements and supports in 2026.
• Deliver 1,400 Day Service places for a further cohort of young people who will leave school in 2026 and a further 50 places for older adults.
• Enable the procurement of around 6,500 private assessments of need for long waiting families.
• Enable people to live independently in their own homes through the provision of over 150,000 home support hours and personal assistance hours.
• Provide in the region of 10,000 overnight and 15,000 day respite sessions. Alternative respite packages will also be provided
The specific quantities of service to be provided through this additional allocation will be set out in more detail in the HSE’s National Service Plan for 2026.
2026 will also see continued strong recruitment of in the region of 1,000 staff in line with trends in 2025. In addition, there will be investment in pay and pay related costs like those associated with recent pay deals to retain the existing disability workforce and attract new people into the sector. Funding is provided to meet the costs of the pay deal agreed with workers in section 39 funded services in the voluntary sector.
Finally, the capital allocation for Disability Services will increase by €16 million (from €27 million in 2025 to €43 million in 2026) supporting infrastructure development across respite, day services, children’s services and residential services (including decongregation) in line with the raised National Development Plan funding ceilings.
273. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children on CDNT waiting lists in Kerry, broken down by team and by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55809/25]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
274. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of vacancies that exist in CDNTs in County Kerry, by CDNT region, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55811/25]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
