Michael Healy-Rae
Kerry · Independent · Ireland
“This motion is timely because, with the massive increases for people running their homes and businesses, people who are working have never been at more of a disadvantage because of the high cost of going to work, childcare and fuel. What we need is a more targeted approach by the Government.”
“In County Kerry alone, the number of businesses that are closing weekly is frightening. These businesses are owned by people who have been in business for many years, who are very much valued in our communities and who create local employment, but they are closing their doors. It can be small shops, public houses or gift stores.”
“We should be doing more about providing our own energy, and doing more in a forward-thinking way to try to ensure that these types of measures will help us to reduce the cost of energy.”
“However, at the end of the day, the people that we always have to consider are people on low incomes, people who are working and people who are struggling. We have to try to help them in every way we can through targeted approaches. We have to look at the bigger picture, like the high cost of fuel and the tax take on fuel.”
“I sincerely thank Deputy Charles Ward for bringing forward this important motion. It is a reasonable motion. I acknowledge the work that has been done by people from the Government and the Opposition in securing the situation with IS 465:2026. Large sums of money have been put forward to help the affected families.”
“I urge the Government to outline its position on the EU lead ammunition proposal. This is the proposal to take lead out of ammunition, which could have a negative effect on 150,000 licensed shotgun owners in Ireland.”
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“When a herd goes down with TB, the herd owner selects a valuer from an independent panel of livestock experts who visits the holding to value the animals on farm using up-to-date market values. Each week our Department issues summary market prices which are compiled of sales data collected nationally from marts by Department officials and accurately reflect current values for each category of animal, ensuring that affected farmers receive appropriate value for their animals. I know this is the issue the Senator has a big problem with. Once a valuation has been agreed by both parties, the animals are removed for slaughter.”
“These measures are targeting both transmission between wildlife and cattle and transmission between cattle. Budget 2026 provided an increased budget for the TB programme, with €157 million allocated for 2026. This will allow the TB programme to focus on driving down disease through the implementation of the measures laid out in the bovine TB action plan. Our Department provides various financial supports designed to help farmers with the direct and indirect losses from TB outbreaks on their farms. The primary support scheme is the on-farm market valuation scheme, which compensates farmers for the market value of animals that are removed due to TB, as if they had not been identified as reactors.”
“In recognition of a need to tackle the increased disease levels in recent years, on 9 September this years the Minister, Deputy Heydon, launched the Bovine TB Action Plan: Addressing Bovine TB in Ireland. There are five measures and 30 actions underpinned by scientific research and veterinary expertise. These are: to support herds free of bovine TB to remain free; to reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bovine TB; to detect and eliminate bovine TB infection as early as possible in herds with a bovine TB breakdown and avoid a future breakdown; to help farmers improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity; and to reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bovine TB. The aim of the action plan is to reset the bovine TB programme in the context of putting in place measures necessary to tackle the current disease situation.”
“I apologise for the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and I am glad to be here on his behalf. I thank Senator Kyne for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline the current situation with the bovine TB eradication programme. The Senator's timing in this debate is important given what has been happening in my county in recent weeks, on top of every other thing we had to do with TB. We seem to have an awful serious problem at the moment, which the Senator is rightfully recognising in the House. Bovine TB is an ongoing challenge for Irish farmers, and I know it takes a toll both emotionally and financially on farming families.”
“This is also a type of activity on the land. I just want to make sure because sometimes the forest can be dangerous, so it is to make sure they are dealing with proper registered people and get paid. They will have their reconstitution scheme, and they can have every confidence. I thank my staff in the Department, the head of forestry, Mr. Barry Delany, and all the others who worked so diligently in this reconstitution scheme and, of course, the co-operation of the Minister and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in ensuring we are able to deliver this.”
“I love straight questions, and I like giving straight answers. Yes, absolutely, before Christmas, people will know exactly how much they will be able to receive per hectare to reconstitute so, again, there is no reason in the world anybody should not go ahead and carry out their works. The one thing I would advise people on the record of the Dáil is to please deal with registered people. As the Deputy knows, if someone is selling an animal tomorrow morning, he or she wants to do it in a proper way to make sure he or she will be paid. We have a template for people who are selling and engaging in clearing timber from their forests to make sure they are dealing with reputable people and that they will get paid and, again, carry out their work in a safe fashion. Unfortunately, farm deaths have increased.”
“The senior Minister and I have stated clearly and publicly that people can come along and carry out the necessary works but they should do so in a safe fashion, and they will get their reconstitution scheme after.”
“I would like to confirm again that all forest owners who have been affected will not be disadvantaged by undertaking works to clear windblown material, and if they do not currently have a felling licence, they should consult with a registered forester as soon as possible. The answer to this is that it was a bad story but it has been dealt with adequately. If it was not, I would tell the Deputy. There is a reconstitution scheme. It is going to be in place. It will be implemented and delivered in the coming weeks. People will know exactly what they can get. However, in terms of going ahead now and working on their forest, the Deputy knows from his time in local authorities that a person should never engage in any work without getting approval.”
“To further speed up the process, my Department has allowed the use of both thinning and felling licences in removing storm damaged trees, and our data now shows that over 77% of windblown trees already have a felling licence issued by the Department. All this means is that more than 90% of the harvesting capacity in the country is now working in windblow areas. My Department is currently finalising negotiations of the administration of a reconstitution scheme, which is expected to provide supports to those affected by windblown sites, and I will make an announcement on this matter in the coming weeks.”
“I recognise the impact that Storms Darragh and Éowyn have had on the forestry sector throughout the country. This presents significant challenges for the forestry stakeholders. I also welcome the positive progress that has been made by the forestry sector on the mobilisation of windblown materials in forests. The volume of timber normally felled over a 2.5 year period was blown down overnight during storm Éowyn. The latest damage assessment maps show that over 27,000 ha of forests were windblown, with 11,400 ha impacted in private forestry. Following the storms, I quickly established the forest windblow task force and delivered an action plan, created in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, which focused on the mobilisation and processing of windblown timber.”
“Again, I put on record these are people who love their greyhounds. They care for them and nurture them. To think there are people here this evening who would totally disregard this and want to starve them of much-needed public funding is wrong, but everybody is entitled to their opinion.”
“They get the bus or pool together and come for a night out and it is a great social occasion. There is also the small matter of jobs. This is a massive industry in rural Ireland. There are 4,000 direct and indirect jobs and 6,000 active owners. Horse racing provides 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. I always tell a story about one Sunday morning when I was on a certain road heading down to a beach and met a man coming up against me with quite a good motor car. It was a fairly fresh new motor car. He was after having his greyhound down on the beach that morning because it was good for the greyhound to walk on the sand. Where was the dog? It was inside in the back seat of the car standing up. The man was as proud as punch after carrying his dog out for the walk in the morning and a bit of a run on the beach.”
“What is lovely to see is that the new generation of young people, who will be there when the Minister, the Members present and I will no longer be there, will carry on that tradition of racing greyhounds because they love their dogs and the dogs love being raced. There are people inside here who have no regard whatsoever for rural pursuits like that. They do not appreciate, for example, that track in Tralee and the way funds are raised there every week. It could be for our local hospital for cancer care or it could be for local schools. It is a community-type of a gathering and event. It is a safe place. There is food and beverages and, of course, the greyhounds. It is a social outlet. I meet older people who I might not get to meet at all under normal circumstances.”
“For example, in County Kerry, we have Mr. Liam Dowling and his family. He is what I would call "a shining light" in the greyhound industry. He is respected throughout Kerry, Ireland and Europe for the way he takes care of his greyhounds, the way he breeds them and the excellent way that he and his family conduct their business. It is not just a business, however; it is the love of dogs. On Friday and Saturday nights, I can go to the greyhound track in Tralee, and I know I am biased because I go there and love to see the greyhounds racing. I see the way the greyhounds are brought there and cared for after a race and the loving nature of the people who own them.”
“I acknowledge the Minister's commitment to the horse and greyhound racing industries and to ensuring they achieve their maximum potential. The world-class reputation for excellence in horse racing, greyhound racing and breeding that Ireland enjoys today has been enabled by the support provided through public funds. I thank the Minister, the programme for Government and previous Governments, which have ensured that public funds to into these two important industries. I also recognise the Minister's requirement that at least 10% of public funding be used to support welfare and safety in the greyhound industry. There are many people, including maybe some in this Chamber, who think this funding should not be made available. I remind them that people love their greyhounds. People might not take account of this.”
“This would allow for a more considered and evidence-based potential amendment of the existing Act, and within a shorter timeframe. I would like to thank very sincerely the members of the Independent Technical Group for bringing forward a debate on the protected disclosures legislation. For the reasons I have made clear, the Government must oppose this motion and is tabling an amendment for the House to note that the existing legislation already provides the protections desired by the Independent Deputies and that both the national and EU scheduled reviews should be allowed to take place, unhindered, in order to achieve a rounded, evidence-based policy position for any potential amendments to the legislation in the future.”
“Further, on 3 July 2024, the European Commission presented a report on the transposition of the EU whistleblowers directive 2019/1937. This report stated that a review of the directive, which is referred to in Article 27(3), would be finalised no later than 2026. This review or evaluation will assess the functioning of the directive and consider the need for additional measures, including amendments with a view to extending its scope to further EU acts or areas. Given that a European Commission review is due to be finalised and a statutory review is due to commence well in advance of the review of the proposed provisions set out in the motion, it is necessary to oppose the motion and await the results of the European Commission review and the statutory review.”
“Besides the technical flaws that are evident in the proposals put forward by the group, there are other fundamental issues and reasons to oppose these proposals. Section 2A of the Act requires a statutory review to be carried out no later than five years after the Act has passed. The Act was passed in July 2022 and, therefore, a review is due to completed in 2027. A public consultation will be carried out in advance of this commencement date and the views of all stakeholders will be sought. This public consultation will provide a complete picture of the experience of the Protected Disclosures Act since commencement and will lead to well-thought-out and evidence-based recommendations for improvements to the legislation.”
“Section 14A states that any person who breaches the duty of confidentiality as set out in section 16 commits an offence. The penalty for committing this offence is, on summary conviction, a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both; or on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €75,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or both. It should be noted that, given the nature of some reports of wrongdoing, simply anonymising progress reports would not be sufficient to prevent the transmission of information from which the identity of the reporting person could be directly or indirectly figured out. In short, this proposal is not workable, taking into account the duty to protect the identity of the reporting person already enshrined in the Act.”
“In relation to the proposal requiring transparent investigations, it is important to note that neither the Act nor the EU directive that it transposed requires that an investigation be carried out for every report of alleged wrongdoing received. In many cases, an investigation may not be appropriate as no prima facie evidence of a relevant wrongdoing may have been discovered or the issues highlighted in a report may not meet the definition of a relevant wrongdoing as set out in section 5(3) of the Act. Some reports may also highlight issues that are more appropriately addressed through complaints or through HR processes. The group also proposes a requirement for the provision of anonymised progress reports. Section 16 of the Act sets out that every effort must be made to protect the identity of the reporting person.”
“It is clear, therefore, that the existing Act already protects workers against criminal liability and the use of NDAs. The group also proposes a provision: to establish a statutory duty on all public bodies to initiate timely, impartial, and transparent investigations, require publication of anonymised progress reports, and empower the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner (OPDC) to levy financial and disciplinary sanctions for failure to act ... The essence of this provision is already included in the existing Act. Sections 6A and 7A of the Act set out the requirements for timely and impartial assessment and follow-up of reports of wrongdoing through both internal and external reporting channels.”
“The group's proposal to amend the Protected Disclosures Act to prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements does not take account of the fact that section 15 of the Act already states that workers are immune from civil legal action by an employer, for example, for breach of confidentiality clauses in their contract of employment, and that section 23 of the Act prohibits the use of clauses in agreements: (a) to prohibit or restrict the making of protected disclosures, (b) to exclude or limit the operation of any provision of this Act, (c) to preclude a person from bringing any proceedings under or by virtue of this Act, or (d) to preclude a person from bringing proceedings for breach of contract in respect of anything done in consequence of the making of a protected disclosure.”
“Section 14A makes it an offence for any person to hinder or attempt to hinder a worker in making a report, penalise or threaten to penalise a reporting person, bring vexatious proceedings against a reporting person, breach the confidentiality of a reporting person, provide false information, or fail to comply with the requirement in section 6(3) to establish, maintain and operate internal reporting channels and procedures referred to in the said section 6(3).”
“Some of the proposed provisions are conceptually and technically flawed as they call for the introduction of sanctions and protections and the establishment of statutory duties that are already enshrined in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. For example, the Independent Technical Group proposes the introduction of "personal accountability provisions making it an offence for any officer or employee of the State to obstruct or delay an investigation, destroy or alter documents, or knowingly provide false information". However, these kinds of provision are very clearly set out in section 14A of the Act.”
“Whistleblowers can appeal decisions of the WRC to the Labour Court and also have recourse to sue for damages in court. As well as these protections, the Act provides for criminal penalties for penalising a reporting person, taking vexatious legal proceedings against a worker or reporting person, or disclosing the identity of a reporting person. I note that the Independent Technical Group has not introduced a draft Bill or heads of Bill but has simply put forward a number of broad proposals for the amendment of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. I would like to go through some of these proposals and our reasons for opposing them. There are technical flaws.”
“On foot of the EU Whistleblowers Directive - Directive (EU) 2019/1937 - the Act was expanded and enhanced by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, which was signed into law on 21 July 2022. The protected disclosures legislation provides comprehensive protection for whistleblowers from penalisation or threats of penalisation. These protections cover unfair dismissal and unfair treatment such as suspensions, demotions and loss of pay, change of working hours, reassignment, disciplinary actions, coercion, intimidation and harassment. Statutory protection from penalisation is provided mainly by the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, which can make orders for restitution and payments of up to five years' salary in compensation.”
“I welcome the debate on the protected disclosures legislation. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, I sincerely thank Deputy Richard O'Donoghue and the Independent Technical Group for bringing this very important matter before the Dáil. I also acknowledge the presence of the people in the Gallery. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 is Ireland's national whistleblower protection law. This legislation was designed to protect workers from penalisation for speaking up about wrongdoing in the workplace. Persons who make protected disclosures, often referred to as whistleblowers, should not be treated unfairly, lose their jobs or face legal proceedings because they have made a protected disclosure.”
“for breach of confidentiality clauses in their contract of employment); — Section 23 of the Act also provides that it is not permitted to have clauses in agreements that: — prohibit or restrict the making of protected disclosures; — exclude or limit the operation of any provision of the Act; — preclude a person from bringing any proceedings under, or by virtue of, the Act; and — preclude a person from bringing proceedings for breach of contract in respect of anything done on consequence of the making of a protected disclosure; — Section 14A of the Act already sets outs the actions in relation to processing a protected disclosure that are deemed to be a criminal offence, and administrative fees may be considered in the context of the statutory review; and — the courts are already empowered to award costs and damages in relation to protected disclosures, and Section 14A provides for criminal charges to be brought against a person/official.".”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all the words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, protects workers from penalisation for speaking up about wrongdoing in the workplace; and — persons who make protected disclosures or 'whistleblowers' should not be treated unfairly, lose their job or face legal proceedings because they have made a protected disclosure; recognises that: — the enacted Protected Disclosures Act 2014, was further enhanced by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022; — the amended Act gives effect to the European Union (EU) Directive 2019/1937 ('the Whistleblowing Directive'), which requires Member States to ensure that: — whistleblowers have at their disposal effective channels to report breaches of EU rules confidentially, both internally (within an organisation) and externally (to a competent authority); — whistleblowers' reports are properly investigated and acted upon by the organisations and competent authorities; and — whistleblowers are protected from retaliation; — the Directive provides that the European Commission (EC) must furnish a report to the European Parliament and to the Council, assessing the impact of national law transposing the Directive, and the report must consider the functioning of the Directive and whether additional measures are appropriate; — in July 2024, the EC indicated that this report would be finalised 'no later than 2026'; — Section 10A of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, provides for the establishment of the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, which commenced operations on 1st January, 2023; — Section 2A of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, provides for a statutory review of the Act to be commenced not later than five years from the date of this Act being passed; and — this review is due to complete in 2027, and a public consultation will be carried out prior to this review; and further notes that: — the Government remains committed to supporting and protecting whistleblowers; — a review of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, took place in 2018; — a comprehensive public and stakeholder review of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, is statutorily due to take place by 2027, with a public consultation on same to begin next year, and Section 14A of the Act already makes it an offence for any person to hinder, or attempt to hinder, a worker in making a report, penalise, or threaten to penalise, a reporting person, bring vexatious proceedings against a reporting person, breach the confidentiality of a reporting person, provide false information or fail to comply with the requirement in section 6(3), to establish, maintain and operate internal reporting channels and procedures referred to in the said section 6(3); — neither the Act nor the EU Directive requires that an investigation is carried out for every report of wrongdoing that is received, and in many cases an investigation may not be appropriate as no prima facie evidence of a relevant wrongdoing may have been discovered, or the issues highlighted in a report may not meet the definition of a relevant wrongdoing, as set out in section 5(3) of the Act, and some reports may also highlight issues that are more appropriately addressed through complaints or human resources processes; — statutory protection from penalisation is already provided primarily by the Workplace Relations Commission, who can make orders for restitution and the payment of up to five years' salary in compensation, cases can be appealed to the Labour Court or, alternatively, a whistleblower can sue for damages in court, where there is no maximum award of compensation; — Exchequer grant support has been provided to Transparency International Ireland since 2016, for the provision of a free 'Speak Up Helpline' and Free Legal Advice Centre service for persons considering making a protected disclosure, or who have made a protected disclosure; — Section 15 of the Act already states that workers are immune from civil legal action by the employer (e.g.”
“In relation to the post of clinical specialist radiographer, we all know recruitment processes can take time, but I wish to assure the Deputy that progress is being made in this regard. I acknowledge again his commitment to this. Most importantly, the Minister for Health is keen to emphasise that the HSE has confirmed there will be no disruption to patient care or service delivery. All clinical services will continue to operate as normal, ensuring that patients and service users experience no change in access, quality or continuity of care.”
“The waiting list action plan 2025 was published in February, representing this Government's continued commitment to reducing waiting times for patients and improving access to hospital care. With the multi-annual action plan approach, we are progressing towards the ultimate vision of a public healthcare service in which everyone has timely access to high-quality scheduled care where and when they need it. The Department of Health is engaging with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund to develop the action plan for 2026, building on this progress delivered to date, renewing the focus on improving waiting times for patients and considering the learnings from the challenges that arose in 2025.”
“I want to once again recognise Deputy Ó Murchú's work and commitment to this very important issue. I thank him again for raising it on behalf of his constituents. It is important to recognise that significant investment has been allocated to both LCH and Drogheda hospital in recent years, which has uplifted capacity, staffing and bed numbers in each of the hospital sites. These two hospitals operate conjointly and provide a comprehensive suite of services for the people of Louth. The Minister for Health acknowledges that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. The delay in treatments is of concern, and it is putting a burden on patients and their families.”
“The Minister has also been advised by the HSE that the clinical specialist radiographer will be primarily based at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, with integrated managerial and clinical governance responsibilities across Louth County Hospital, demonstrating this integrated approach. I am informed that many of the outpatient CT and ultrasound appointments from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda are performed in the radiology department in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk.”
“Subject to suitable applications being received, interviews will be scheduled in due course. The Minister has been assured by the HSE that while this recruitment process is ongoing, there will be no disruption to patient care or service delivery. All clinical services continue to operate as normal, ensuring that patients and service users experience no change in access, quality or continuity of care. I also understand that enhanced governance arrangements are being implemented for this position. These are designed to strengthen oversight, improve co-ordination and ensure clear lines of accountability across LCH and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda.”
“This will ensure that patients are administratively managed in a safe, timely, fair and equitable manner while waiting, as well as facilitating the improved data collection and reporting. Publication of the validated radiology diagnostic waiting list information will enable full analysis of diagnostic waiting times and provide a more completed understanding of how many patients are waiting, how long they are waiting and the specific services for which they are waiting. This is scheduled for quarter 3 of 2026. As the Deputy is aware, a clinical specialist radiographer vacancy has arisen in Louth County Hospital. A recruitment process to fill this vacancy is under way and I am advised that the position is currently being advertised. The closing date for receiving applications is 30 November 2025.”
“The purpose of this data is to provide a national level overview of the number of patients waiting for modalities of CT, MRI and ultrasound. These reports are heavily caveated, including, for example, that in addition to data in respect of urgent and routine activity, the reports also include surveillance of planned activity. As such, the current reports make it difficult to draw conclusions about the number of patients actually waiting for access to a scan. The quarter 2 report indicates that at the end of June 2025, less than ten patients in the county hospital in Louth and 6,414 patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda were waiting for an ultrasound. What is important for patients is the implementation of the NTPF's national radiology diagnostic waiting list management protocol by all hospitals published in October 24.”
“I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health. At the outset, I sincerely thank the Deputy and his party for their commitment to the radiology services in County Louth and giving me the opportunity to speak on this important issue. Louth County Hospital is part of the HSE Dublin and North-East health region. In conjunction with Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, these hospitals operate with an integrated managerial and clinical governance system, care pathways and support functions. In relation to diagnostic waiting lists generally, the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, and the HSE are currently carrying out an exercise to progress the collection of national radiology waiting list data.”
“I once again strongly reiterate the Minister, Deputy Heydon's personal commitment to making sure that during his tenure as Minister for agriculture that he, the Department and all of us will work together in reducing the TB outbreaks. I thank the Deputy for raising this most important matter on behalf of the people of County Kerry.”
“This budget allocation will support and enable farm families, who are currently dealing with the stress of a bTB outbreak, to navigate a way out of the bTB restrictions and protect those herds currently free from bTB from the stress of a TB outbreak.”
“Some of these measures require work on IT systems, which is being prioritised, and will be rolled out in the coming months. Farmers and all stakeholders will be notified in advance of any changes to the TB programme through communication campaigns. The bovine TB eradication programme has secured an increased budget allocation in 2026, providing a total of €157 million. This additional funding is vital in addressing the disease. I am confident it will help drive down the instances of bovine TB levels in future years. Through the implementation of the new measures in the action plan, the Minister and I believe that it is vital that the cost of this disease is reduced for the coming years.”
“Current TB levels are leading to stress for farmers who have had a bovine TB outbreak. For those who are living in fear of having TB outbreaks and are worried about the impact it would have on their livelihoods, we need to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to reduce disease levels and ultimately take the stress associated with bovine TB out of farmers' lives. The aim of the action plan is to reset the bTB programme in the context of putting in place measures necessary to tackle the current disease situation throughout the country. These measures are targeted at both transmission between wildlife and cattle and transmission between cattle. Some of the measures will be introduced immediately in terms of communication and engagement with farmers. Some will be introduced over the coming months into 2026.”
“The Minister and I believe that by continuing to build our TB policies on a foundation of science and veterinary-based advice, which farmers can act on to reduce risks, we can together focus our efforts to protect cattle from infection and farmers from the stress of uncertainty and costs of a breakdown. I acknowledge that the Deputy's statement that the way people are compensated is unsustainable is correct. I have grave concerns about this myself. Based on current prices, the compensation does not reflect what cattle make at the mart. If we take cases like that of our neighbour Mikey Joe, this puts people at an awful and unfair financial disadvantage when they have an outbreak. That is a matter of grave concern to the Deputy.”
“Bovine TB is not a new challenge for farmers, their families and rural communities but engagement with farmers and all stakeholders tells me there is an appetite for change to address the current disease levels. However, these changes will need to be supported and implemented by everyone to have an effect on the current disease levels throughout the country. This action plan is one of the single largest resets of the TB programme since its inception. The Minister and I believe these changes are vital to protect farming families throughout the country from TB. The Minister is committed to ongoing constructive engagement with all farmers and stakeholders as it is vital that all involved in the programme continue to work together to protect farmers from TB.”
“On 9 September, the Minister launched the bovine TB action plan, addressing bovine TB in Ireland. There are five measures and 30 actions underpinned by scientific research, evidence and veterinary expertise in this action plan. These are to support herds free of bovine TB to remain free; reduce the impact of wildlife on the spread of bovine TB, which is what the Deputy spoke about; detect and eliminate bovine TB infection as early as possible in herds with bovine TB breakdown and avoid future breakdowns; help farmers to improve all areas of on-farm biosecurity; and reduce the impact of known high-risk animals in spreading bovine TB, including badgers and deer.”
“As of 23 November 2025, on a 12-month basis, herd incidence has fallen below 6% nationally and is 5.9% in Kerry, which, of course, is still too much. One of the key priorities of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, has been to address and review the bovine TB programme to tackle disease levels. Over time, our understanding of TB has increased and evolved, and research has shown our current approach to addressing disease levels on its own is not enough to control and ultimately eradicate TB. The Deputy is correct. Earlier this year, the Minister had extensive engagement with stakeholders and farming organisations to agree measures to tackle the current disease levels. In June, he received the support of the Government to introduce additional measures to the bovine TB programme.”
“I sincerely thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for raising this very important issue for farmers in Kerry and throughout the country. I have the exact same concerns with regard to badgers and deer and their role in spreading this disease. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in bovine TB, with levels nationally causing an economic and emotional burden for farmers, their families and rural communities. Bovine TB is a difficult disease to control and eradicate but it can and has been done in other countries. If we do not do something now, it will continue to affect more farmers and their families throughout rural Ireland. In 2024, more than 6,000 farming families were affected by a TB outbreak and the herd incidence was over 6%.”
“The Department of Education and Youth's NDP implementation plan will be published shortly. It will set out in more detail the planned capital investment programme across the school building programme. I again acknowledge the Deputies' commitment to this issue. I appreciate Deputy Byrne's analogy. It is almost like the Bermuda triangle. It can be very frustrating but at the end of the day, both Deputies are doing their best on this very important issue. I express my appreciation to Deputy 'Chap' Cleere for his commitment recently with regard to forestry issues. I am straying but I thank him for his concern on behalf of his constituents. I thank both of the Deputies very much.”
“I again thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. The Department of Education and Youth capital investment programme helps to ensure that close to 1 million primary and post-primary students in schools across the country learn in fit-for-purpose buildings. This includes many thousands of children with additional needs who are supported in special schools and classes across the country. Funding under the NDP for 2026 to 2030 will allow the Government to continue to prioritise the effective use of the existing school estate, special educational needs provision and the delivery of additional accommodation, where required. This will be supported by targeted and prioritised project roll-outs to provide required additional capacity where there is no sufficient existing capacity across the schools in an area.”
“The current status of all projects is set out on the Government's website, which is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction. I strongly acknowledge, on behalf of the Minister, the commitment of both Deputies to this issue. It is important to teachers, parents, grandparents and, most important, the students. I appreciate the Deputies diligently going to the schools in their localities. They are meeting the concerns of those people and, most important, the students head-on. The Deputies have put that message on the record of the Dáil. On behalf of the Minister, I acknowledge their work and commitment on this important issue. It will be relayed to the Minister. I have read the Minister's response.”
“Project delivery is managed as part of an overall capital programme in line with the Government's infrastructure guidelines and taking account of budgetary parameters. Delays can occur in large capital programmes for many reasons, including factors beyond the control of the Minister and the Department, such as the time taken to secure a site or the relevant statutory permissions, including planning consent. These are managed as effectively as possible, prioritising the most urgent projects where capacity is fully utilised and deploying modular accommodation where additional space is needed in the short term. I take on board the Deputy's concern over that type of accommodation.”