Ireland is very strongly supportive of the Common Agricultural Policy. The EU Commission will publish the multi-annual financial framework proposals later today. This is only the beginning of a long process. The Presidency that Ireland will hold in the latter half of 2026 will be important in the context of finalising issues around the multi-annual financial framework. There is a long road to travel yet. We believe in ring-fenced funding for the Irish agriculture industry, just as we believe in good, strong, robust trading agreements with countries like Canada, Japan and others all over the world. If Irish farmers do not have markets to sell their beef, their milk, their poultry and their pigs to-----
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-----then their livelihoods will go down. I do not understand Sinn Féin's position of opposition to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, particularly as it would damage Irish farming.
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First, Cork is quite happy to accept the underdog label-----
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-----that the Deputy has clearly ascribed to us. I would never have the degree of confidence he would have. We are humble people.
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In respect of the cost of living, fundamentally, since Covid and the war in Ukraine, there has been volatility, uncertainty and turbulence in world markets. Supply chains have been disrupted. That has been a factor in the very high inflation we experienced in the immediate aftermath of Covid and during the energy crisis caused by the war and the Russian invasion. One of the problems now is with the tariff policy adopted by the US Government. The latter is creating further uncertainty and volatility in markets, which does not help to settle the situation in respect of pricing. There are fundamental market issues here-----
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-----that have to be addressed.
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That is a bizarre assertion.
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What the Deputy said about forestry.
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The Government has not turned anything into anything.
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The new forestry programme is the biggest and best-funded forestry programme to date in Ireland, at €1.3 billion. A huge allocation has been made.
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It provides unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees. This can provide a valuable addition to farm income and help to meet national climate and biodiversity objectives. The forestry programme offers a very generous package to farmers, with premiums increased by between 46% and 66% and the length of premiums increased to 20 years. One licence is required now to plant a forest. There are strong environmental requirements around planting, particularly on peatlands, so that will not be there. Then there is the protection of the hen harrier, breeding waders and high nature value farmland. The Deputy could be a bit more serious in her analysis of forestry.
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There are cultural and behavioural issues-----
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-----around adoption of forestry for agricultural use.
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In respect of guardianship, there has been change.
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The Deputy has to acknowledge that. The Minister for justice has moved on that matter legislatively. I do not have the background in respect of the NPWS and how it is dealing with this, but I will find out and come back to the Deputy.
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is obviously a matter of real concern to people in Ardgroom, Eyeries and Castletownbere. I have had discussions but not specifically on this issue. I did not realise the Deputy was going to raise the matter this morning, but I will follow up on it. I have asked Uisce Éireann, in respect of rural communities in particular, to develop bespoke solutions to deal with water supply and wastewater treatment under the umbrella of standards and facilitating an inspection regime subsequently. If the Deputy can send on the details, I will follow up.
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There is a lot of merit in what he is saying. The Government is endeavouring to develop greater flexibilities for people in rural Ireland in particular. I understand guidelines are under consideration in that respect to enable people to build their own homes. With the vacant grants and the grants to restore derelict houses, we have facilitated quite a number of people in rural Ireland, and young couples in particular, to establish homes. However, I know what the Deputy is saying, in that many people have the wherewithal to build a house. We just need to facilitate and enable them to do that.
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AI is an enormous issue of enormous consequence for the future of Ireland and the future of the world in terms of economy and society. Its impact will be as significant as the industrial revolution of the 19th century. I spoke to the Minister of State, Niamh Smyth, on this after the committee meeting. Certainly, we will give consideration to this. I did attend the AI summit in Paris. It was a significant and enormous event involving governments across the world and was co-hosted by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and President Macron. There was also a lot of private sector involvement in the conference. I have met a lot of companies in the last while recently and there is absolutely no doubt that the impact of AI on work, behaviour and the economy will be profound. We need to be very clear about the regulatory environment but also see if there are areas in which we can develop particular strengths, given the strengths we already have in human capital on AI and in terms of some of the industries we have here, too.
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I thank the Deputy. I do not have the details of the individual case. The model of general allocation is one that was favoured by school bodies and principals when it was originally introduced, giving more flexibility to schools to deal with the numbers of children they may have in respect of additional needs. I introduced the SNA system back in the late nineties when I was Minister for education and we had no SNAs in mainstream schools. By September, we will have 23,179 SNAs in the country. That is double the number of SNAs that were in our schools ten years ago. This year’s budget provides for about 1,600 additional special needs assistants. There is no cutting back on this. It is also the case that the number of children identifying with additional needs is growing. If the Deputy sends the details, we can forward them to the NCSE and see what it can do in respect of this particular case.
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I thank Deputy Crowe for raising this issue. The National Council for Special Education, I understand, has advised that Sixmilebridge national school has resubmitted a previous special needs assistant review request, which now includes additional new junior infants due to start in September 2025. The NCSE has confirmed that the SNA review will be completed and the outcome notified to the school in advance of the new school year. It is important that that would happen. I gave the figures in an earlier reply but, by September, we will have 23,179 special needs assistants. When the school receives its SNA allocation from the NCSE, it may recruit two SNA posts as it would have done in previous years, so there is no change to the recruitment process. I understand the particular issues facing the school in terms of its expansion and growth. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, have announced work is under way on a redeployment scheme for special needs assistants, which will be in place in the 2025-26 school year.
Sentiment score: 0.28
The Minister moved early in terms of the national planning framework and the follow-through on that is a circular to all local authorities on zoning and to get more land zoned for residential use. That is absolutely vital and we expect every executive and every county council to follow through on that and to zone more land because that will be essential for the level of housing we require in the coming decade. The Minister had to go through certain procedures before the direction could issue. I will get the exact date for the Deputy.
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An appeal was lodged yesterday at about 2.40 p.m. even though people have suggested that an appeal could have been lodged a week ago, but for some reason, that did not happen. I am genuinely perplexed about how all of this has been handled - not by the Department, but just generally. Normally in situations like this, the lead association would approach the Government or a Department with a plan and say it was intending to do this, and then one would get things lined up and people would understand what was required in respect of applications for visas. That is a fairly basic thing. There are basic rules there that apply to everybody in every situation. That has not quite happened on this occasion for some reason, and it has come late in the day in some respects - certainly from my perspective, if I am honest. There is something about this that has me surprised. In any event, we are open. The appeal has gone in and is being considered by the Department, and the Department will respond as soon as possible.
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It is horrific what is happening at the aid centres, where people have been mowed down, slaughtered and murdered. It is beyond any moral compass. I have condemned unreservedly the Israeli conduct in Gaza and the war in Gaza, particularly the last phase, which without question represents collective punishment of the people of Gaza and an attempt to drive them out of Gaza or make life so unbearable that people feel they have no alternative but to leave. That is something the international community has to respond to. The legislation is currently going through the House. The Minister has asked for further legal advices in respect of services. In terms of the latter two points regarding the export of goods to the occupied territories, that is not an issue for us. In the past four to five years, goods worth about €600,000 have come in from the occupied territories, which is a tiny amount. Nonetheless, the symbolism of the Bill is important. When we get the legal advice back, we will have greater clarity regarding the inclusion of services.
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I presume it must know because it is a contractual issue.
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There is an issue between the Department and the contractor, so I presume the board of management must be aware of this. The board would be in-----
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It must know.
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In any event, I will ask the Minister for education to talk to the Deputy in respect of it.
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That was the subject of a debate in the Seanad recently. The Government has an open mind on this. I will give consideration to it but there is a time lead into this and so forth.
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There is a broad range of factors. Ireland is late to the phenomenon described by the Deputy in many respects because we would have had the highest birth rate across Europe, and still do, is my understanding, or we have one of the highest. Nonetheless, the Deputy's point merits broader reflection in terms of the society we organise, how society is organised and supported, and challenges in terms of housing. They are all interrelated, so there is no one particular solution or idea that could change that trend. These are long-standing trends. The Deputy is right to raise the issue for reflection and for people to think about and I have no doubt that it could be a matter of discussion for some Oireachtas committee.
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Is it the two wind farms?
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Are all of them causing concern?
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I will say something at the outset in a broader sense. The Government does not develop wind farms. The Government does not develop solar farms. The prospect of doing that would involve a multibillion euro speculative kind of investment by the State, so they are privately led. The fundamental difference between us in terms of economic philosophy is that I believe there has to be a private sector and there has to be private sector investment in these matters. There have to be guidelines. The Deputy's point is interesting because he instanced wind energy, solar and gas, and there are problems with all three. We have a significant energy security problem. In fact, one of the biggest issues facing the Government for the future is energy security and how we provide for a growing population in terms of household energy, companies, business and industry and how we deal with the AI revolution that is coming. We need a debate on energy, because if we are going to reject all three types, then we have a very bleak future from an energy perspective.
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I thank the Deputy very much for raising the issue. I welcome the community from Knocklong. I have a small connection. My grandfather was in the rescue party for Seán Hogan at Knocklong when he was rescued during the ambush there. They took him away and he was a sentry in the Galtee Mountains for a while.
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Well, the Deputy mentioned Knocklong and I was reared on the stories about it in my family. Deputy O'Donoghue raised a more serious point about wheelchair users. I was at an event recently with the Department of Social Protection in terms of supporting the employment front. The Deputy makes a fair point. In schools and some other areas of life, we do support adaptation.
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There is Local Link as well whereby we give incentives and supports in terms of facilitation for wheelchair users. There is certainly more we can do now with the sports grants because to the credit of sports clubs, of all codes, they are now developing really good streams of participation in sport-----
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-----for those with additional needs.
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It is very good that rugby union is doing it. The GAA and soccer are doing it now as well.
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