Written Answers Nos. 252-269
252. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the co-ordination that exists between his Department and electricity infrastructure operators to mitigate the risk of fallen trees damaging power lines during storms. [22720/26]
View answer253. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the assessment that has been undertaken regarding the impact of proposed 20-metre vegetation clearance corridors around electricity infrastructure on land available for afforestation. [22721/26]
View answer254. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the requirement for wider electricity line corridors will reduce the overall area eligible for afforestation under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. [22722/26]
View answer255. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has engaged with ESB Networks and other relevant agencies regarding how forestry policy will adapt to new infrastructure protection requirements. [22723/26]
View answer256. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether compensation or alternative supports will be provided to landowners whose lands become ineligible for forestry due to electricity corridor restrictions [22724/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 252 to 256, inclusive, together.
My Department is in regular contact with the ESB, Coillte and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in relation to forests and electricity infrastructure.
Following storm Darrragh 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 published. The objective of that plan is to enhance the resilience of the grid in the most vulnerable locations and along certain priority powerline forestry corridors. Some of this work, involving tree cutting in the vicinity of ESB lines in these priority areas, is ongoing in both Coillte and privately owned forests.
In relation to mitigating the risk of trees falling damaging powerlines, in July last year my colleague Darragh O Brien TD, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment brought a Heads of Bill to cabinet and the Government then approved the priority drafting of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025 which will enhance the resilience of the electricity grid.
I understand the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment are currently consulting with stakeholders in connection with this Bill. 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. The Bill will allow for wider powerline forestry corridors to be created. I understand there will be more detail around the new corridor widths in regulations following the enactment of the Bill.
The Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025 will deal with the subject of compensation for landowners. Currently the ESB provide compensation to landowners who cannot afforest under a powerline, as a result of the presence of the powerline.
The existing powerline forestry corridors are outlined in the table below. These areas under the powerlines are not eligible for afforestation grants and premiums. Wider corridors would therefore lead to more land being ineligible for the afforestation scheme and at reforestation wider corridors would reduce the productive area of the forest. This is a big concern for some of the stakeholders that I have met. Until new forestry corridor widths and designs have been decided on it will not be possible to determine the impact any increased widths may have on future afforestation levels. My Department continues to engage with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in relation to this matter. Any changes in relation to corridors will be reflected in my Department's Forestry Standards Manual.
|
Power line type |
Corridor width (Current) |
|
Low voltage (230V/400V0 |
None (clearance from branches and tree tops only) |
|
10kv and 20kv |
20 metres |
|
38kv |
20 metres |
|
110kv |
61 metres |
|
220kv |
68 metres |
|
400kv |
74 metres |
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]
View answerGovernment Departments have no role in setting, prescribing or regulating salary scales for employees of private sector organisations, including those working in privately-operated veterinary practices. Pay and conditions in the veterinary sector are matters for individual employers and employees, or their representative bodies, and are determined through normal contractual arrangements and labour-market negotiations.
The Veterinary Council of Ireland, which regulates the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing under the aegis of my Department has no statutory function in relation to remuneration, and neither does my Department. Accordingly, any salary structures or pay-scale considerations for Registered Veterinary Nurses or other staff within private veterinary practices remain entirely outside the remit of Government pay policy.
261. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 899 of 10 February 2026, to provide details of the greyhound track attendance statistics for 2025, covering both Greyhound Racing Ireland tracks and private tracks; the breakdown of the figures, by attendance at each track, type of entry, that is, paid entry, free entry, entry by adults, children, staff, owners and trainers, bookmakers, press, and so on, and type of event, that is, racing, trials, sales, and non-racing events, in tabular form, given a full breakdown was not provided by the RCÉ. [22863/26]
View answerRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body established under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The details sought in the question raised by the Deputy are operational matters for RCÉ and the question has been referred to that body for direct reply.
262. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the number of employees that were employed in his Department at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22866/26]
View answerMy Department is committed to ensuring that a skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet its priority business needs. Workforce planning processes are utilised to identify our requirements across all our grade streams and locations, aiming to ensure a long-term, proactive and strategic plan by which current and future staffing needs are addressed.
The number of employees that were employed in his Department at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form.
|
Administrative Officer |
48 |
|
Advisory Counsel Grade 2 |
1 |
|
Advisory Counsel Grade 3 |
3 |
|
Agricultural Inspector |
106 |
|
Area Superintendent |
15 |
|
Assistant Agricultural Inspector |
205 |
|
Assistant Chief Engineer |
1 |
|
Assistant Harbour Master |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
206 |
|
Assistant Secretary |
8 |
|
Chief Analyst |
2 |
|
Chief Inspector |
1 |
|
Chief Veterinary Officer |
1 |
|
Cleaner |
2 |
|
Clerical Officer |
785 |
|
Clerical Officer (Temporary) |
5 |
|
Craft Worker |
9 |
|
Deputy Chief Analyst |
6 |
|
Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer |
2 |
|
District Superintendent |
92 |
|
Engineer Grade 1 Civil |
7 |
|
Engineer Grade 2 Civil |
6 |
|
Engineer Grade 3 Civil |
10 |
|
Engineer Technician Grade 1 |
2 |
|
Engineer Technician Grade 2 Civil |
1 |
|
Executive Officer |
681 |
|
First Assistant Solicitor Agriculture |
1 |
|
Forestry Inspector Grade 1 |
15 |
|
Forestry Inspector Grade 2 |
19 |
|
Forestry Inspector Grade 3 |
35 |
|
General Operative |
48 |
|
Harbour Constable |
2 |
|
Harbour Master |
6 |
|
Head Laboratory Attendant Specialist |
1 |
|
Head Of Agricultural Laboratories |
1 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
393 |
|
Higher Seed Analyst |
1 |
|
Industrial Foreman |
6 |
|
Laboratory Analyst |
134 |
|
Laboratory Attendant |
9 |
|
Laboratory Attendant Specialist |
14 |
|
Librarian |
1 |
|
Ministers Staff |
4 |
|
Principal Officer |
49 |
|
Professional Accountant |
2 |
|
Professional Accountant |
2 |
|
Quality Manager |
4 |
|
Research Officer |
24 |
|
Secretary General |
1 |
|
Seed Analyst |
2 |
|
Senior Inspector |
17 |
|
Senior Laboratory Analyst |
47 |
|
Senior Research Officer |
15 |
|
Senior Seed Analyst |
1 |
|
Senior Serological Assistant |
1 |
|
Senior Superintending Veterinary Inspector |
9 |
|
Serological Assistant |
16 |
|
Services Staff |
30 |
|
State Solicitor |
1 |
|
Statistician |
3 |
|
Superintending Senior Research Officer |
6 |
|
Superintending Veterinary Inspector |
53 |
|
Supervising Serological Assistant |
1 |
|
Supervisory Agricultural Officer |
166 |
|
Technical Agricultural Officer |
406 |
|
Veterinary Inspector |
308 |
|
Wholetime Temp Vet Inspector |
4 |
|
#N/A |
2 |
|
Grand Total |
4066 |
#N/A - Staff awaiting position data update at time of database extract.
263. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of employees in each of the agencies under his Department's remit at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22888/26]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy regarding the 13 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves.
I have referred the Deputy’s question to the State Bodies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
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]
View answerGovernment Departments have no role in setting, prescribing or regulating salary scales for employees of private sector organisations, including those working in privately-operated veterinary practices. Pay and conditions in the veterinary sector are matters for individual employers and employees, or their representative bodies, and are determined through normal contractual arrangements and labour-market negotiations.
The Veterinary Council of Ireland, which regulates the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing has no statutory function in relation to remuneration, and neither does my Department. Accordingly, any salary structures or pay-scale considerations for Registered Veterinary Nurses or other staff within private veterinary practices remain entirely outside the remit of Government pay policy.
265. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) requests received in each of the years 2020 to 2025; the total number of AIE requests received; the total number of internal reviews sought; the total number of appeals to the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (OCEI); the outcomes of those appeals, including the number upheld, annulled and remitted; the same information specifically in respect of forestry related AIE requests for the same period, including the number of individuals submitting forestry related requests each year; and where available the number of requests submitted per requester. [23036/26]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is being collated by my Department and a response will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
266. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23069/26]
View answerThe new Programme for Government, “Securing Ireland's Future”, was published in January 2025. Of the 122 actions in the Agriculture and Food, and the Fisheries and Marine sections, my Department was identified as the lead organisation for 105 of these. 32% of the actions are either ‘Target achieved’ or ‘Substantial action undertaken & ongoing’, with another 61% reported as ‘Action commenced & progressing’.
The table below provides a status overview of these actions.
|
Action Status |
Number of Actions |
|
Total actions where DAFM is the lead Department |
105 |
|
Target achieved |
5 |
|
Substantial action undertaken and ongoing |
28 |
|
Action commenced and progressing |
64 |
|
Action not yet commenced |
8 |
Some of the main achievements since January 2025 include:
• Continued Government support for farmers under the €9.8 billion CAP Strategic Plan and via specific sectoral supports.
• Preparations for a new round of CAP post-2027 have commenced.
• Ireland has secured the continued availability of the Nitrates Derogation for a further three years.
• Ongoing implementation of Food Vision 2030, our shared stakeholder-led strategy for the continuing development of the agri-food sector, including progress across the dairy, beef & sheepmeat, tillage, horticulture, organics forestry and fishery sectors. A new dashboard to track economic, environmental and social progress has been launched. A mid-term review of Food Vision has also been announced. A 'Food Vision Seafood Sector Group' was established.
• My Department issued more than €2.18 billion in payments to farmers and fishers over the course of 2025.
• The launch of the Bovine TB Action Plan.
• The launch of the second National Farmed Animal Biosecurity Strategy (2025-2030).
• Ongoing market access work, including the opening of the Thai and Vietnamese markets for Irish beef exports, priority export markets for the beef sector.
• The announcement of a new €30 million National Tillage Sustainability Support Scheme.
• The publication of the Report of the Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming.
• The re-establishment of a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries and Marine issues.
• The allocation of €27.75 million for capital projects in Ireland’s publicly owned harbours through the 2025 Fishery Harbour Centre and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme.
• The signing of a €105 million Partnership Agreement with the World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, over the period 2025 to 2027.
• The launch of Phase 2 of the €26.2 million VistaMilk Research Ireland Centre and the launch of DAFM’s €30 million Thematic Research Call 2025.
• The opening of the National Centre for Brewing and Distilling in Oakpark, Teagasc, which has been allocated funding of €2.3 million by DAFM since 2020.
• The establishment of the One Health Oversight Committee.
I will continue to lead the development of the agri-food and fisheries sector in collaboration with stakeholders and to deliver on our Programme for Government commitments.
267. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a detailed breakdown of the way in which the €20 million EU allocation for greyhound racing is spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23093/26]
View answerThe horse and greyhound racing industries receive financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, under Section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001. Payments are made from the Fund to Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and to Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ).
The decision on the proposed amount to be allocated to the Fund in any year is made in the context of the annual budgetary estimates process. The Estimates for my Department, following approval by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food and passed by both Houses as part of Budget 2026, include an allocation of €99.1 million for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund. This will be distributed in accordance with Section 12(6) of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, with 80% or €79.3 million going to HRI, and 20%, equating to €19.8 million to RCÉ.
Following Oireachtas approval of the Fund, my Department issues a "parameters letter" to RCÉ advising the body of the allocation from the Fund and the split between current and capital expenditure. The letter also advises RCÉ that it must comply with certain conditions in relation to this funding which include that 10% of the Fund allocation is ringfenced for welfare matters, including integrity, and the remainder of the Total Fund is to be applied in the following manner; not more than 60% on prize money, not more that 3% on operational grants to private tracks and not more than 27% on Regulatory and administrative costs and other statutory functions of RCÉ.
A certificate of assurance, (signed by the CEO and CFO or equivalent executives) certifying that the funding provided was used in accordance with the conditions under which it was granted, must be provided to my Department after all the money provided for 2026 has been expended.
269. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason the National Childcare Service is not structured so that funding follows the child rather than being contingent on provider participation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22532/26]
View answerThe National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides both universal and income-assessed subsidies to help parents to meet the cost of early learning and childcare. All families can receive a universal subsidy, but the highest subsides are provided to families with the lowest levels of income through the income-assessed subsidy.
The National Childcare Scheme is a national scheme, and the funding follows the child. Families who apply for the NCS in respect of their children will receive a CHICK code in relation to their child which they can then bring to the provider of their choice. Once the provider registers the CHICK and the parent confirms the details, the funding will go directly to the provider. Once a parent has a CHICK, it can be used in multiple providers, if appropriate. A parent could choose to use one provider in term, and another out of term, or different providers on specific days of the week, once they do not exceed the maximum 45 hours.
The NCS is designed to be flexible and acknowledges that childcare needs differ widely across different families. For this reason, NCS subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for.
The actual subsidy payment is based on the hours agreed between the parent and the provider and claimed on the NCS system.
“Demand side measures” (i.e. funding directly to parents) and “supply side measures” (i.e. funding directly to providers to assist in the meeting the cost of early learning and childcare provision and/or to reduce parents fees) were explored in the context of the development of the NCS.
The 2016 policy paper, which informed the subsequent development of the NCS, concluded that supply-side measures offer the State greater “steering capacity in terms of ensuring equity of access and driving quality in early learning and childcare services. This is because well-designed supply-side measures offer the State several policy levers (e.g. subsidy levels linked to quality, conditions for provider participation, regulation of co-payments etc.) through which policy objectives can be pursued.
The emphasis on supply-side funding allows the Department to leverage quality of the sector and make progress towards a more publicly managed service, where policy levers can be used to support quality, affordability, availability, access, and sustainability.
In line with the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Year Services) Regulations 2016, the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Year Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018 and the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Childminding Services) Regulations 2024, those wishing to operate an early years service that offers the NCS (whether a preschool, school age or childminding service) are required to register with Tusla in line with the relevant regulations.
The NCS has undergone a number of enhancements in recent Budgets with the minimum NCS subsidy steadily rising from €0.50 in 2022 to €2.14 in September 2024 alongside extensions to eligibility. Additionally, since September 2024, the NCS has been open to Tusla-registered childminders who wish to participate in the scheme. Families availing of childminders who are participating in the NCS can claim a subsidy towards their costs. Further enhancements to the income-assessed subsidy are being introduced from September 2026, raising the base threshold from €26,000 to €34,000 and the maximum threshold from €60,000 to €68,000, with additional increases to the multiple child discounts.
