Written Answers Nos. 801-820
801. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to test all animal products entering Ireland for pathogens, in light of the recent rise in bluetongue disease cases in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72327/25]
View answerThe movement of live animals and animal products into Ireland is subject to a robust system of official veterinary animal health certification, in line with EU legislation. This system is designed to mitigate the the risk of animal diseases and is based on scientifically informed, risk-based controls rather than blanket testing.
In the context of bluetongue disease (BTV), it should be noted that the virus is a vector-borne disease transmitted by midges (Culicoides) and is associated with the movement of live susceptible animals. Animal products such as meat, dairy or products of such, do not pose a risk to the spread of BTV.
Accordingly, there are no plans to introduce the BTV testing for all animal products entering the state. My Department continues to monitor the evolving BTV situation in Northern Ireland and elsewhere, and appropriate controls on live animal products are kept under continuous review in consultation with veterinary and scientific experts.
802. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72403/25]
View answerThe issue raised by the Deputy is a matter for Inland Fisheries Ireland, which is an agency under the aegis of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.
803. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department has taken on foot of the action in the ESB Networks Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan, regarding a "co-operative effort between ESB Networks, Coillte and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to identify at-risk segments of the network for priority remediation"; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72425/25]
View answerFollowing storms Darragh and Éowyn, my Department and Coillte collaborated with ESB Networks to assess windblown areas along power lines in forests. An ESB Networks Winter 2025 Resilience Plan was finalised. The objective of that plan is to enhance the resilience of the grid in the most vulnerable locations and along certain priority forestry corridors. This work involving tree cutting in the vicinity of ESB lines in these priority areas is ongoing in both Coillte and privately owned forests. This is with the agreement of any landowner involved.
My Department and Coillte are continuing to engage with the Department of Climate, Energy & the Environment and the ESB on forestry corridor working groups. These are considering legislative powers as well as the various aspects of implementation, including corridor widths, compensation, stakeholder engagement, operational processes and environmental considerations.
On 29th July the Government approved the priority drafting of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025 which will enhance the resilience of the electricity grid. The purpose of this Bill is to enable proactive measures, such as the establishment and maintenance of designated forestry corridors within existing forestry. My Department has inputted to the framework for the draft legislation, which amongst other things is intended to ensure that the ESB will be fully empowered to better manage this issue in the future.
804. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE staff in each of the Cork CDNTs; the number considered a full cohort; and the number currently on leave, by role, in tabular form. [72101/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
805. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the behaviour support service currently being delivered through the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) in Cashel and Clonmel will continue; if funding has been secured for this service in 2026; if funding has not been committed; the reasons for this decision; if she will urgently review the matter given the significant shortage of services already affecting CDNT teams in south Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71308/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
806. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people currently resident in Oberstown Children Detention Campus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71375/25]
View answerThe table below provides data for those resident in Oberstown Children Detention School on Thursday 11 December 2025.
|
Children Detention School |
Remand |
Detention |
Total Occupancy |
Permitted Absence |
Operational Capacity |
|
Boys |
13 |
26 |
39 |
0 |
40 |
|
Girls |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
Total |
13 |
26 |
39 |
0 |
46 |
807. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the gender breakdown of residents in Oberstown Children Detention Campus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71376/25]
View answerThere are 39 boys and zero girls in the care of Oberstown campus as at Thursday 11/12/25.
For context, there were 39 boys and one girl in the care of Oberstown campus on Wednesday 01/01/2025.
Oberstown is certified to accommodate up to 40 boys and up to 6 girls.
808. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if Oberstown Children Detention Campus is currently overcapacity, and if so, if the details could be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71377/25]
View answerThe maximum number of children that may be detained at Oberstown at a given time is set by me by way of a certificate made under sections 195 and 196 of the Children Act 2001. The certificate currently in force sets the maximum at 46, comprised of 40 boys and 6 girls.
Places in Oberstown are allocated though a centralised Bed Management System (BMS). This system allocates available places on a first come, first served basis. It is a requirement under section 143 of the Act that a court must first establish the availability of a place before it can order a child to be detained in Oberstown on a detention order. The issue of overcapacity does not arise as no child is accepted from a court unless a bed is available.
I note that as of 11 December 2025 there are 39 boys in Oberstown and 0 (zero) girls.
809. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to expand the number of spaces available in Oberstown Children Detention Campus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71378/25]
View answerSignificant Capital funding has been allocated through the NDP review process to refurbish an accommodation unit currently not in use in Oberstown Detention School. Department officials have recently written to the OPW requesting commencement of planning and design of this vacant unit onsite as soon as possible. It should be noted refurbishment will likely take a minimum of two years to complete.
I continue to consider the matter in detail with the Oberstown team. I believe it may be necessary to provide for a small increase in the near future in the maximum number of boys that may be detained at Oberstown. The Director has been asked to consider what preparations may need to be made on the Oberstown Campus for that.
Detention of children is used as a last resort and Oberstown is one part of a wider Youth Justice system with many effective alternatives to detention available in the Irish Youth Justice system such as the highly successful Youth Diversion Programmes operating nationwide.
810. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding any plans to expand the level of rehabilitation services available in Oberstown Children Detention Campus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71379/25]
View answerOberstown is Ireland’s national centre for the detention, care and education of young people under 18 years referred by the courts on detention or remand orders. Established under the Children Act 2001, the campus provides individualised care to young people through an integrated multi-professional approach, enabling young people to address their offending behaviour and return successfully to society.
Oberstown delivers individualised care to each young person on campus. Each individual’s journey through care is informed by CEHOP®, a comprehensive framework to address needs in five key areas – Care, Education, Health, Offending behaviour and Preparation for leaving. Rehabilitation is the focus of all work with young people at Oberstown. Young people’s programmes are central to the Oberstown CEHOP® framework, helping young people address the underlying factors that contribute to their offending behaviour as well as promoting personal development and social skills. The suite of programmes is reviewed on an ongoing basis and expanded in line with the needs of young people. Placement planning, equipping young people for reintegration into society following release, is the focus of individualised care provided at Oberstown.
The campus offers young people a range of opportunities to develop vocational skills along with raising their awareness of employment and career opportunities. Vocational skills and work opportunities programmes currently on offer for young people include practical courses in horticulture, fitness instruction, catering, forklift and warehousing skills, motor mechanics, podcast and digital skills. Oberstown also offers young people courses leading to certificates that enhance their employment credentials, covering manual handling, SafePass, HACCP food safety, fire safety Awareness, and decorating skills.
The range of options is reviewed and expanded to meet the needs of young people and has developed in recent years in partnership with partner organisations including employers and other agencies, along with significant initiatives enabled by the Dormant Accounts Fund and Creative Ireland. Oberstown plans to continue to develop these options in line with its Strategy 2022-2026, Goal 3 of which states “We will partner with families, communities, agencies and services to deliver the best possible outcomes for our young people”.
811. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of communal foster homes that are currently in operation in Ireland; broken down by location, number of residents and year opened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71380/25]
View answerAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
812. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently in the foster care system by those who have been housed with a family and those currently in the care of the state in a communal facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71381/25]
View answerAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
813. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of foster carers currently registered in Ireland, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71382/25]
View answerAs this question relates to operational information held by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the question has been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy.
814. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason funding was not provided for equipment for person (details supplied). [71409/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
815. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE social workers based in South Kildare Children's Disability Network Team in 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [71412/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
816. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a place will be provided for a person (details supplied) given they urgently require a structured plan for their future care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71440/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
817. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to expedite an application for transport to the National Learning Centre in Tralee, County Kerry for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71470/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
818. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when Ireland will ratify the UNCRC second optional protocol; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71521/25]
View answerThe Government is firmly committed to ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the UNCRC, and work is ongoing to ratify the protocol as soon as possible.
In Irish treaty practice, the State must be in a position to meet the obligations it assumes under the terms of an international agreement from the moment it enters into force. Often it will not be possible for the State to meet these obligations without first taking steps required by domestic law, or otherwise, enabling it to do so.
As work towards ratification of the protocol continues, the State is obliged to ensure that all legislative provisions are in place for it to meet these obligations. Considering this, the Department is seeking the advice of the Office of the Attorney General. As soon as we can proceed with ratification of the Second Optional Protocol, we will do so without delay.
819. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the breakdown of the number of disability organisations in Cork and Kerry that are availing of the capital assistance scheme in supporting the transition from congregated settings to community based living; the details of each proposal, and stage it is at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71546/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
820. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the breakdown of the number of disability organisations nationally, per HSE area, that are availing of the capital assistance scheme in supporting the transition from congregated settings to community based living; the details of each proposal, and stage it is at; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71547/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon possible.
