Written Answers Nos. 502-521
502. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the publication of Horse Racing Ireland’s 2024 annual report; the timeline for its publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70966/25]
View answer511. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the publication of Horse Racing Ireland’s 2024 annual report; if there is a timeline for its publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70976/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 511 together.
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry.
Section 13 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 and the Code of Practice for Governance of State Bodies 2016 require the annual financial statements of HRI to be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG). In line with Circular 24/2021 relating to the timely production and submission of accounts, the financial statements must be submitted to my Department within one month of the audit certificate being issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General and should be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas within two months of such statements being received by my Department.
The C&AG audit of HRI’s 2024 financial statements was signed off on 12th November and have been submitted to my Department on 10 December 2025.
On completion of the consideration of the report and statements by my Department, the documents will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and will be publicly available in line with the requirements of Circular 24/2021.
503. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department, and agencies under the Department’s remit, purchase data on the habits and activities of social media users and other platforms; if so, the reasons for purchasing such data; the amount spent in 2024 and 2025 year to date on such expenditure, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70857/25]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not purchase such data.
As regards the State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
504. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has approved vaccines for bluetongue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70902/25]
View answer505. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has begun vaccinating cattle and sheep against bluetongue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70903/25]
View answer506. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that Ireland has enough vaccines against bluetongue to prevent a widescale outbreak in cattle and sheep populations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70904/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 504, 505 and 506 together.
Ireland remains free of the bluetongue virus (BTV) and our current policy focuses on preventing the introduction of the disease and were it to arrive, its rapid detection and eradiction.
Vaccination against bluetongue has not been permitted thus far in Ireland, because the disease has not been present. Following the recent outbreak of bluetongue in Northern Ireland, my Department is closely examining the situation and reviewing all tools which may be useful in reducing the impact on Irish livestock of any incursion. My Department is actively examining the potential role which vaccination can play to help protect Irish livestock when the higher risk disease transmission period begins, which will be in late Spring/early Summer. My Department is also engaging with BTV vaccine companies.
My Department has engaged regularly over the past two years with the relevant stakeholders in relation to bluetongue and will continue to do so. The movement of ruminants from Northern Ireland to Ireland for breeding and production is no longer permitted. Direct-to-slaughter movements remain permitted, where animals are accompanied by a veterinary health certification, movements are direct and non-stop to the slaughterplant, and are pre-notified to my Department. My Department is carrying out enhanced surveillance for the virus in order to detect any potential incursion as early as possible.
507. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has a contingency plan in place in the event of an outbreak of bluetongue in County Down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70905/25]
View answerMy Department has contingency plans in place to deal with disease threats and outbreaks including bluetongue. These plans are based on existing EU legislation and experience from outbreaks in Europe and Great Britain, and aim to mitigate the risk of disease introduction into Ireland and to control and/or eradicate the disease quickly if outbreaks occur. My Department is constantly reviewing, refining and updating our various contingency plans and arrangements based on new information, and ensuring that we have all of the necessary measures in place and tools available to us to deal with any suspect or outbreak of bluetongue.
508. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his engagement with his Northern Ireland counterpart regarding the confirmed cases of bluetongue in County Down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70906/25]
View answerI have engaged closely with the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir MLA in relation to bluetongue and the recent outbreak in Northern Ireland. My Department undertakes regular collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland regarding the threat of bluetongue and other exotic animal diseases.
Movement of BTV-susceptible animals (cattle, sheep, goats, etc) from Northern Ireland to Ireland is no longer permitted for breeding and production. Movements of cattle and sheep directly to slaughter from Northern Ireland to Ireland are currently permitted only where such movements are accompanied by veterinary health certification, are direct and non-stop to the slaughterplant, and are pre-notified to my Department. My Department is also undertaking tracking and testing of susceptible animals that were moved in to Ireland from Northern Ireland in the weeks before the BTV outbreaks were announced in Co Down. My Department continues to closely monitor the developing situation regarding BTV in Northern Ireland.
509. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions his Department is taking to monitor the spread of bluetongue; if any forecasting exercise has been undertaken by his Department in relation to the likelihood of spread across the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70907/25]
View answerBluetongue virus (BTV) is spread by infected biting midges (Culicoides species), or via infected semen and germinal products. It can also spread transplacentally in pregnant animals. BTV transmission primarily occurs when biting midges feed off the blood of an infected animal and subsequently spread the virus to animals they bite. Midge activity levels are dependant on average temperatures. Scientific research shows that virus replication within midges can only occur when average daily temperatures exceed 12 degrees centigrade, and the cycle can take between 4 days (at hotter temperatures) and 20 days (at cooler temperatures, just above 12 degrees). The high-risk period for BTV spread is thus when midges are most active during the summer months.
Wind speed and direction can also affect how far midges can travel and could potentially facilitate the spread of disease. UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis uses Met Éireann wind speed and direction data to provide my Department with maps showing potential dispersal of midges from Great Britain into Ireland. This informs my Department's surveillance planning.
My Department is implementing additional targeted and risk-based BTV surveillance on foot of the recent news from Northern Ireland. On-farm surveillance blood sampling of cattle and sheep, testing of livestock submitted to Regional Veterinary Laboratories and sampling of cattle routinely slaughtered at meat plants are all being ramped up. My Department is also arranging geographically targeted surveillance taking account of developments in Northern Ireland.
510. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department is taking in view of the fact that the presence of bluetongue virus (BTV-3) has been identified and confirmed in a herd of cattle in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70967/25]
View answerMy Department is undertaking extensive measures in relation to the risk of bluetongue virus (BTV) to Ireland. This includes implementing additional targeted and risk-based BTV surveillance: on-farm surveillance blood sampling of cattle and sheep, testing of livestock submitted to Regional Veterinary Laboratories and sampling of cattle routinely slaughtered at meat plants are all being ramped up.
My Department continues to engage with industry stakeholders with the most recent meeting taking place on 4th December. My Department also continues to coordinate with Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in combating this mutual threat.
Movement of BTV-susceptible animals (cattle, sheep, goats, etc) from Northern Ireland to Ireland is no longer permitted for breeding and production.
Movements of cattle and sheep directly to slaughter from Northern Ireland to Ireland are currently permitted only where such movements are accompanied by veterinary health certification, are direct and non-stop to the slaughterplant, and are pre-notified to my Department.
512. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether a conflict of interest exists when public representatives who own, part-own or otherwise have a financial interest in a registered racehorse or racing greyhound vote in favour of budgetary allocations to both the horse and greyhound racing industries (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71039/25]
View answerThe horse and greyhound racing industries, via Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ), receive financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund.
In budget 2026, €99.1m has been allocated to the Fund of which €79.3m will be allocated to HRI and €19.8m to RCÉ. This allocation has been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas and is split 80/20 between HRI and RCÉ respectively in line with the relevant legislation.
The funding supports a range of measures across both sectors and is not provided for the direct benefit of any individual.
514. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will collaborate with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide evidence to support a quota increase for dairy farm assistants, given the clearly demonstrated ongoing shortage and the urgency described by farmers themselves. [71067/25]
View answer513. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department considers the exhaustion of the permit quota for dairy farm workers, at a time when labour demand in the sector is especially high, to pose a risk to farm productivity and food output in the spring; and if so, the actions his Department propose to support farmers under labour pressure. [71066/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 514 and 513 together.
My colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has policy and operational responsibility for employment permits. Arising from my ongoing engagement with sector stakeholders, my Department is in regular contact with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) regarding the labour shortages that exist in certain sub-sectors of agrifood.
The role of the dairy farm assistant first became eligible for an employment permit in 2018 and has been provided with a quota of 1,100 General Employment Permits to date. This quota is filled since November 2025. DETE is currently conducting a review of the employment permits occupations lists, following a public consultation that invited submissions from stakeholders. This review will determine future employment permit quotas. I am informed that an assessment of all submissions and supporting evidence is underway and that each review incorporates research undertaken by the SOLAS Skills and Labour Market Research Unit and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, along with input from the Inter-Departmental Group on Economic Migration, of which my Department is a member. Final recommendations from this review are expected to be published in early 2026.
I will continue to work closely with the sector and with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to help ensure that there is a sufficient workforce available to the agrifood sector.
515. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that Ireland's fish quotas are fairly reallocated for 2026 at the December Fisheries Council meeting (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71161/25]
View answerThe majority of Ireland's commercial fish stocks are shared between the EU and Third Countries, such as the UK.
The European Commission has exclusive competency to negotiate fishery agreements with Third Countries on behalf of EU Member States. The Commission operates under a mandate set by Council and any agreement is formally adopted by Council. Ireland inputs into the development of this mandate and throughout the negotiation process, in order to raise our concerns and priorities.
The share allocation of stocks between Member States was established as a principle of the first Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 1983 and was based on the average catch of each Member State over a period of reference years (track record). The only exception to this relates to the Hague Preferences, on the basis of a special recognition agreement of the underdeveloped nature of the Irish fleet and the heavy control responsibility on us when Ireland joined the EU. The Hague Preferences give Ireland an increased share of important fish stocks when TAC levels reduce below a specified level.
Any change to the existing system of quota allocations would require a majority of Member States to agree under the qualified majority voting system. As an increase in quota for some Member States would involve a loss for some others, this poses particular challenges in a qualified majority voting context.
Ireland has consistently called for the European Commission to fully analyse and report on the impacts of Brexit on the CFP, and in particular, the impact on the EU and Member States’ fishing opportunities as a result of quota transfers under the EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement.
I addressed the matter of Ireland's fishing opportunities at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in September, October and November, in particular, the concerns regarding the reduction in the scientific advice for Mackerel.
At the November Council meeting, I also confirmed of Ireland’s intention to invoke the Hague Preferences at the appropriate time. However, we cannot take the Hague Preferences for granted. Many Member States object strenuously to their application as the additional quota for Ireland comes off their allocations. These objections are intensifying in the face of quota reductions in other Member States arising from both the quota transfers under the EU-UK Trade & Co-operation Agreement and reductions due to scientific advice.
Ensuring that the Preferences are applied will be a key political objective for me at the December Council negotiations. I will continue to engage intensively with the European Commissioner for Fisheries and other Member States to raise issues of importance for Ireland and to reach an outcome that ensures the sustainability of the stocks and a level playing field for our fleet.
516. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of rent his Department has collected from commercial units within fisheries harbour centres under the remit of his Department in the first 11 months of 2025; and how rent rates are determined within FHCs. [71288/25]
View answerMy Department owns, operates, and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs) under statute at Killybegs, Howth, Castletownbere, Ros an Mhíl, Dingle and Dunmore East.
The FHCs contain a diverse property portfolio reflecting their role as working fishery harbours and as the locations for a broad range of other marine activities. Rental rates for all properties within the FHCs are determined by periodic valuations provided to my Department by Tailte Eireann, which is the state body responsible for valuations for Government departments. Rental income of €1,373,000 was collected from commercial units within the six FHCs in the first 11 months of 2025.
All income generated by the FHCs is lodged into the Fishery Harbour Centres Fund under statute. My Department prepares annual Financial Statements which are required to be audited and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General prior to being laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. As such, the rental income figure provided in respect of 2025 is to be treated as a provisional figure until such time as the 2025 Financial Statements have been completed and laid before the Houses.
517. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the up-to-date position regarding the retention of the Nitrates Derogation from the end of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71292/25]
View answerIreland secured a three year extension of its Nitrates Derogation at a meeting of the EU Nitrates Committee in Brussels on Tuesday 9th December. The associated Implementing Decision will be adopted and published by the European Commission in due course.
The Implementing Decision will set out the conditions which must be adhered to, including the need to conduct assessments under the Habitats Directive along with several additional requirements from 2028 for derogation farmers in Ireland’s four catchments with the greatest gap to target in terms of nitrogen load reduction.
Securing the Nitrates Derogation was a key priority for this Government. A very significant level of work has taken place across Government at both political and official level to get to this point. However it is important to also recognise the work taking place at farm level and across the industry to reduce agriculture's impact on water quality.
We now have to build on that momentum to improve water quality and secure a sustainable future for Irish agriculture. As part of this, my colleague Minister Browne has signed regulations adopting the Sixth Nitrates Action Programme which will be in effect from 1st January 2026. This has further strengthened the protections for water quality introduced under Ireland’s Fifth Nitrates Action Programme.
518. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to cases whereby pregnant women are not given adequate job protection in advance of taking maternity leave (details supplied); if this is under review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70889/25]
View answer519. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the protections in place for pregnant women who believe they have been made redundant in advance of maternity leave as a means of removing them from company payroll; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70890/25]
View answer520. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work that is ongoing within her Department to ensure fair treatment for pregnant women in terms of maternity leave, sick leave and appropriate working conditions, regardless of their position within a company; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70891/25]
View answer521. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on the adequacy of existing regulations in relation to the fair treatment of pregnant women in the workplace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70892/25]
View answer522. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on how Ireland compares to other EU counties in terms of the level of employment protection given to pregnant women in advance of taking maternity leave; her views on whether existing protections are sufficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70893/25]
View answer523. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on how Ireland compares to the United Kingdom in terms of the level of employment protection given to pregnant women in advance of taking maternity leave; her views on whether existing protections are sufficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70894/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 518 to 523, inclusive, together.
Ireland has a robust legal framework in place to ensure women in the workplace who are pregnant have legal protection from unfair dismissal.
The Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000 prohibit discrimination and harassment on specified grounds, including that of gender, in the field of employment and in the access to and supply of goods and services, respectively. The Acts place obligations on employers and service providers to take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of people regardless of their gender.
The Maternity Protection Acts 1994–2004 ensure legal protection for those who are pregnant including in matters of employment and unfair dismissal. I would encourage those who feel they have been unfairly treated in the workplace due to being pregnant to obtain advice from the relevant experts in the Workplace Relations Commission.
The Workplace Relations Commission is an independent, statutory body which was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015 (No. 16 of 2015). The oversight of operations of the Workplace Relations Commission falls under the remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
With regard to the payment of Maternity Benefit, this is a matter for the Department of Social Protection, and more information should be sought from them in relation to this issue. However, it should be noted that if the contract of employment ends within 16 weeks of the end of the week in which the baby is due then Maternity Benefit may be paid depending on the amount of PRSI contributions accumulated.
Regarding provision of leave, significant improvements have been made in the entitlements to both paid and unpaid leaves in recent years, including by extending paid parent's leave for parents to allow them to spend more time with their baby during their earliest years.
The Maternity Protection Act 1994 and the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 provide a pregnant employee with 26 weeks of paid maternity leave and an additional 16 weeks of unpaid leave, alongside other entitlements such as breastfeeding breaks after the return to work, which have been extended to two years following the birth of the child through the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Furthermore, since 20 November 2024, employees can postpone their maternity leave if they require ongoing treatment for a serious health condition as set out in the Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Act 2024.
Legal protections and family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are effective and respond to the needs of families.
