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.”
The complete record
Every one of 418 lines we hold for Michael Healy-Rae, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 9.
“It is planned that approximately 80 further school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of a two-year rolling programme. Last week, the Minister's Department announced the investment of €90 million in the climate action summer works scheme, which involves the delivery of 297 projects, to support the ongoing investment in the maintenance and upgrade of the school estate. There is a strong modular programme to deliver the most urgent September needs, with a particular focus on educational needs. We will deliver on key climate initiatives, such as the solar PV programme, the EU retrofit programme and the pathfinder programmes, in participation with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI.”
“As part of this NDP allocation, the Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting the demand for school places. A focus of this plan will be, in the first instance, to maximise the capacity of existing school estates as much as possible. Additional capacity will be provided through targeted and prioritised projects, which will be delivered over the course of 2026 to 2030, to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. There are over 300 school building projects under construction to deliver over 30,000 school places. Most of these projects are expected to be completed over the course of 2026 and 2027.”
“I thank both Deputies. I acknowledge their commitment and support for the previous debate with regard to the N24 and N25. On behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, I am taking this debate. The Department of Education and Youth has a strong record of delivering the Government's school building programme. Since 2020, more than €6 billion has been invented in schools across the country under the national development plan, NDP, involving the completion of over 1,300 school buildings. In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026 to 2030 under the NDP.”
“The new contract operated by Bristow Ireland will increase the capacity and the capability of the Coast Guard to provide a range of essential services that are of strategic importance to the State, including maritime and inland search and rescue; aeromedical support; maritime environmental monitoring; and aviation support to the other State entities. The Minister particularly recognises the critical importance of this service to our offshore island communities who rely on the Irish Coast Guard to provide day and night aeromedical support.”
“The transition timeframe, following engagement and agreement between the two operators, was extended by just over six months. The transition will be completed in February 2026 at no additional cost to the Exchequer and without interruption to the four-base strategy. The operation of four bases continues to provide the resilience for service delivery so that when individual bases become temporarily unavailable for whatever reason, the workload is shared amongst the other bases and the specific requirements for each mission are assessed as they arise. In the case of both contracts, availability of any base can range from full availability to partial availability to temporary unavailability.”
“I apologise to both Deputies for not having time to give them an oral response in full, which they also now have. I recognise their concerns. Following on from what I said, I will be bringing this to the attention of the Minister. I also understand the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's time constraints. The Department of Transport is prioritising the safe and effective transition of the aviation contract, without the interruption of services, and is ensuring that the two contracted operators, CHCI and BIL, are providing sufficient capacity, expertise and resources to maintain safe search and rescue operations on a 24-7 basis across all areas of the country throughout this process. The Department engaged with both contractors to facilitate revised transition timelines.”
“As with existing arrangements, the new contract provides for the operation of four search and rescue helicopter bases located at Sligo, Shannon, Waterford and Dublin at Weston, and for a fixed-wing service also located in Shannon.”
“The new integrated aviation service will enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to deliver on its core services, including maritime and inland search and rescue; maritime environmental monitoring, including pollution checks; providing aeromedical supports to the HSE and the National Ambulance Service, including helicopter emergency supports and interhospital transfers; the provision of day and night-time aeromedical support to the offshore island communities; and provision of aviation supports to other State organisations. The new contract also provides improved crew accommodation facilities and enhanced mission management technology.”
“The fixed-wing service is a notable addition to the State, enhancing the Coast Guard’s SAR capabilities, including inland and maritime provision of top cover communications for longer range helicopter missions; a life raft drop capability; maritime environmental protection measures, including investigation of pollution and ship casualty reports; and capacity to transport up to three ambulatory patients for emergency national or international transfers.”
“The Minister has the discretion to extend both the rotary and fixed-wing elements to a maximum of 13 years. The new enhanced contract specification provides for the operation of six AW189 helicopters, five of which are newly built and have already been accepted into service by Bristow, with the sixth helicopter scheduled to arrive in Ireland later this year. These helicopters utilise latest-generation search and rescue technology, including modern night vision flying equipment. In addition, for the first time, the new contract includes a fixed-wing element, which is being delivered by 2Excel Ireland, subcontractors to Bristow Ireland Limited, BIL, using two King Air aircraft.”
“The decision to award the next contract for the delivery of an enhanced contract specification followed a comprehensive and robust public procurement process, which was undertaken fully in accordance with all national and EU procurement rules. Bristow Ireland is a subsidiary of Bristow Group Incorporated, a US-based multinational company. Bristow Group Incorporated currently operates similar contracts for SAR services in other jurisdictions, including the UK and the Netherlands. They also have extensive experience in supporting the offshore oil and gas business internationally. The total cost of the new contract, as signed on 11 August 2023, for the standard ten-year contract term for rotary wing element, plus the five-year minimum term for the fixed-wing elements, amounts to €816 million, including VAT.”
“I thank the Deputies. At the outset, I acknowledge their work and commitment. I acknowledge their support and the support of their party for the N24 on behalf of the Government and recognise their contribution to that debate previously. On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, who has responsibility for international and road transport, logistics, rail and ports, I thank them both for raising this very important matter on behalf of their constituents. The Irish Coast Guard search and rescue, SAR, aviation services are provided under a contract that is currently transitioning to Bristow Ireland Limited. The previous contractor, CHCI, has operated the service since 2012. On 30 May 2023, the Government approved the decision to award a contract for provision of the next national SAR aviation service to Bristow Helicopters.”
“In line with the NDP and Government policy, TII has sought to allocate national roads funding to local authorities in a manner that seeks to achieve the following key outcomes: protection and renewal of the existing national road network; progressing major projects in or near construction; and progressing major projects that are at an earlier stage of the development pipeline. A number of new projects have already been delivered. They include the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom project, which is of great interest and has been of great interest to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, the Dunkettle interchange upgrade, the N5 Westport to Turlough, and bypasses of Moycullen and Listowel. The programme for Government commits to increased funding for new roads as part of the NDP review and the maintenance of existing roads.”
“I thank the Deputies for their diligence and commitment to their constituents, which are extremely strong. The Deputies' efforts on their behalf, with the heart of Government, is most welcome. A number of new road projects, which are included in the current NDP, have already been delivered. These include the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom project, the Dunkettle interchange upgrade, the N5 Westport to Turlough route, and the bypasses of Moycullen and Listowel. As the greater portion of the NDP funding for national roads becomes available in the second half of the decade, this meant there was a constraint on funding available for projects in 2025. However, approximately €502 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided to TII for national roads in 2025.”
“In the programme for Government, we have committed to investing in all road projects in the current national development plan and to increasing funding for the new roads as part of the NDP review. With the NDP review having been completed, the Department of Transport’s sectoral plan, which is based upon this review, will guide transport investment decisions in the coming years. At its outset, this Government gave a commitment to the people of Ireland that it wants tar and that is what it will deliver, namely, tar for projects such as what the two Deputies outlined and others that are going to be announced very soon. This Government is committed to providing tar to the people in the interests of road connectivity, road safety and ensuring people will have proper, safe sources and route selections to go from A to B.”
“Kilkenny County Council, as the lead authority for the project, is making final preparations for the publication of the route selection report. The report will be available from the project website once published. While it was not possible to allocate funding to progress the project to the design and environmental evaluation phase in 2025, it is important to point out that the project remains part of the NDP. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the N24 Waterford to Cahir project will be kept under review for 2025 and in future years and will be considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII. It is expected that allocations for 2026 will be announced very shortly in the coming weeks.”
“The project would bypass towns such as Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir, as well as deliver significant road safety improvements. In addition, the project would provide improved access to international markets, as the N24 connects to the N29, which links directly to the port of Waterford. The N24 also connects to Rosslare Europort via the N25. The project would improve the quality of life of commuters and local residents through improved journey times and the provision of new cycling and walking facilities. It is envisaged that the N24 will enable connection to the Waterford Greenway, which will in turn connect to the South East Greenway which will run from Waterford city to New Ross. The project is currently nearing the end of the route options selection phase.”
“This will ultimately deliver the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP. Funding allocated for new national roads projects under the NDP is intended to enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects that are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others. With regard to the N24 Cahir to Waterford project, this project aims to enhance regional accessibility and improve connectivity between Limerick and Waterford.”
“I thank Deputies McGrath and Murphy for raising this very important issue. Deputy McGrath is correct, in that I travelled the road recently. I know Deputy Murphy has important issues for me to see. I will be going to meet him in the near future because of issues he is raising on behalf of his constituents. I confirm that I will be doing what he wishes. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local roads authorities concerned.”
“We really have to start looking at measures like that. We should be encouraging initiatives like that. We should be encouraging it from the manufacturer stage first, but obviously an awful lot of quads are out there without these now. If we could encourage farmers through funding or whatever to have an implement like that on their quads, it could save a person from being trapped under it. A quad is a very heavy type of thing if it is up on top of you and if you are in a bad corner. The number of injuries is frightening. I have probably gone on too long. I apologise, but this issue is so important and I am so grateful to everyone for allowing the opportunity and for the two Ministers of State to come here today and have our say on it.”
“They are such an amazingly useful thing but predominantly, when you are away on a quad, you are far from home because you have probably gone up the side of a hill, you are on your own, you may or may not have telephone coverage and they are dangerous. If you saw a tractor tomorrow going along the road with no cab on it, you would stand and look at it because it would look very odd and it would stick in your head for the day that you had seen a tractor without a cab, but we take no notice of seeing quads with no attempt at all of a rollover bar. It amazes me. I met people at the ploughing championships who now have a method of installing a very imaginative type of roll-bar that comes out when the quad is starting to tilt. It is not out full all the time but it comes out if the quad starts to go over.”
“If a person needs to put a bit of investment into their farm yard and if it will be of any help with them doing their job more safely, we should be able to fund that. The use of quads is of great concern. I met a man recently who told me the three most important things in his life were his wife, his quad and his dog. He said he would not manage without any of them. He was a lovely man and he was so serious and so nice about it. We were talking about an incident that had happened on a quad and he said those were his three things and that if he did not have one of them, he would not manage. However, the quads are dangerous.”
“I take this opportunity to welcome a famous farmer to the Seanad, the great Deputy William Aird, who everyone in all the Houses of the Oireachtas is fond of. He is a man who knows an awful lot about farm safety because he has been farming all his life. We really have to try to keep the conversation going around farm safety. That is why I am so grateful to Senator Daly for organising this today. We all need to keep chipping away at it and keep the money going into it. It is not that it needs a fortune to be spent on it, but we have to spend enough so that we are able to back up groups like the IFA and others that will go out on the ground and do health and well-being checks at marts and all that sort of thing. We also need to have money there for the initiatives such as the TAMS and safety measures on farms and cattle handling facilities.”
“The job, of course, is important and doing the work on the farm is important but the most important thing of all is that you do not get hurt doing it, you do not hurt anyone else and you will get to go home that night and sleep in your own bed and not be in a coffin, a morgue or a hospital. It is as blunt and as hard as that. We have to get that message across because when you look beyond, say, the 17 fatalities this year so far – that is frightening; it is an awful number of people affected so horribly and adversely – and think about the 4,500 people who survived. That tells us farming and farm activities are not safe. We are not safety conscious enough and we have to really up our game.”
“What we should be trying to do with farming is to make it in such a way that we could get this into our farmers' heads. It is not easy, because it takes cultural changes. It is like when you are using your chainsaw and you wear your chainsaw pants and chainsaw gloves and give yourself the best chance. If there is some job to be done up high and if you are like all of us and are getting a little bit older and your head is not as good for heights as it used to be, you should not be shy about saying you are going to get someone younger to do that. If there is a tree to be knocked in an awkward place, you might spend a few pounds and get the proper man to do that job because he is younger and livelier than you and he might have a better judgment of how to knock it. We have to try to make people see beyond the job.”
“The Leas-Chathaoirleach will be interested to know that when men are now going to work in the morning, before they go into a building site or onto a road one of the most common things they do in the van early in the morning is take out the computer. They are all tuned into the computer, and they do safety checks, tick boxes and make sure their work plan is recorded for the day, regardless of whether their employer is a local authority, a large contractor, a subcontractor or whoever. They are logging in on that in the morning, and you can be sure that they would not go without their safety pins and reversing cameras and everything right. That is part of it. That is part of their day. The point I am making is that building sites, construction and working on the roads are safe places to be now because we were made to change.”
“We changed because we had to. If we did not and we had a couple of misdemeanours because we were caught doing something we should not have been doing, it was no bother in the world; we were told that the gate was over there and we were quite welcome to leave and take our machinery with us. We were not long copping on because we were made to cop on. I have said before in open forums that we might have been critical at the time of a heap of people like the HSA. We are so grateful to them now, but we might have been cursing them at the time. They were doing an important job because they changed our mindsets and made us become more safety conscious.”
“I make the important point that a short number of years ago, working on building sites in Ireland was dangerous. There was a great likelihood that you would finish up seriously injured or injured in a small way. There was even a strong possibility of dying at work. That has all changed. Why is that? I make a confession about this as a person who worked in building sites for all of my years. Up to this day we are working on building sites. I do not deny that when it became strict we were not best pleased because, to be honest, we classified it as a nuisance to have beepers on dumpers and reversing cameras on diggers, to have to wear helmets and to ensure that you were wearing steel toe-caps at all times. There were safety at height protocols. I will not say we resisted it, but we were not embracing it. Why did we change?”
“Recognising the unique challenges faced by the sector I assure the House that I will continue to work closely with ministerial colleagues to prioritise improvements in farm safety, health and well-being through strengthened supports and initiatives where possible. I also highlight one basic thing that has happened over the past number of years. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, and thank him for the excellent work he is doing in his Department. It has a lot of people out doing good work every day, who are critically aware because they are well trained and experienced in how to do jobs properly and safely. I know that farm safety and safety at work is an important issue for the Minister of State. I welcome his guests.”
“In addition, the HSA's guidance on managing fatigue with farm work was included in the 2025 BISS packs distributed to over 125,000 farmers. The Department continues to fund research into farm safety, health and well-being so we gain a better understanding of the issues facing Irish farmers and ensure that initiatives are led by evidence and are effective on the ground. We heard from our discussions how critical farm safety and mental health is, the linkages between them and the impact that farm safety incidents and poor mental health can have on farm families. As the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, mentioned in her opening statement, the programme for Government prioritises farm safety, health and well-being with a specific focus on farmer mental health and well-being.”
“Farmer health and safety training is also included in a range of Department schemes, such as the suckler carbon efficiency programme, the ACRES training scheme and the knowledge transfer programme. Safety is part of everything a farmer does. I want to ensure it is part of all schemes for farmers across the Department. The accelerated capital allowances scheme, which is expanded in budget 2025, covers a range of eligible farm safety equipment and adaptive equipment for farmers with disabilities. The additional farm safety measures and investments are eligible for TAMS and the accelerated capital allowances. Earlier this year, the Department partnered with the HSA to deliver targeted media campaigns focusing on livestock safety and farmer fatigue.”
“They complement initiatives funded by the Department such as On Feirm Ground 2, a programme that the Department co-funds with the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Authority. They also complement projects funded under our open call for farm safety, health and well-being projects such as health check projects delivered by the Irish Farmers Association, Croí and the Irish Heart Foundation. The Department continues to support investment in farm safety through the CAP strategic plan. The TAMS 3 farm safety capital investment scheme provides grant aid at a higher rate of 60% for a wide range of farm safety-related investments. All TAMS applicants are required to complete a half-day of farm safety training.”
“Earlier this year the Department collaborated with the Department of Health, the HSE and the Health and Safety Authority to ensure that our open call for projects for farm safety, health and well-being projects targeted the critical areas that impact on farmers and the wider farming community. Speaking about the open call, this year I allocated €1.68 million for 40 projects, over half of which include a focus on farmers' mental health and well-being. A key strength of many of these initiatives is their effort to engage with farmers who are hard to reach by providing resources and services in places where farmers meet, such as marts. I welcome the Department of Health's initiatives which provide free supports for men experiencing poor mental health.”
“The whole area of farm safety, health and well-being and the linkages between them is highlighted in the programme for Government, which places a clear emphasis on farm safety and mental health. It is a priority for me and my colleagues, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Grealish and Dooley. I am delighted to have secured increased funding of €3 million for farm safety, health and well-being initiatives in budget 2026. There is good collaboration between the Department and other agencies, not only in relation to farm safety, but also in relation to farmer health and well-being.”
“International research establishes clear associations between the physical and mental health status of farmers and increased propensity for farm injuries. Poor health increases injury risks while injuries worsen both physical and mental health creating a concerning cyclical pattern. Research has revealed particularly high rates of burnout and sleep issues among Irish farmers. It is concerning that despite facing significant mental health stressors, the availability of mental health services and help seeking is not common among farmers. They are not inclined to put out their hand and say they need help and somebody to talk to. Studies have shown that a significant number of farmers are unaware of the signs of poor mental health and subsequently may not realise they need help.”
“It was a profound event. I had never been there before. I saw pictures of all the people who had lost their lives on farms. In particular, I saw the children. They were young children and teenagers. I was early for mass, and I was on my knees looking at their pictures. I was thinking of their lovely little faces and their whole lives in front of them. They lost their lives on our family farms. I was thinking of their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and of the impact and devastation their deaths will have had. That will go on for generations because such an event happened on a farm. As politicians, Senators, TDs and all elected people, there is a massive onus of responsibility for us to try to do everything we can to help with this important matter.”
“In addition, based on available information from national farm safety, there are approximately 4,500 non-fatal incidents each year on Irish farms, some of which result in life-changing injuries. One of these was described earlier with regard to the young girl who was working diligently on a family farm, picking stones with a family relative. Unfortunately, there was an incident with a tractor and she is now struggling and doing her best to recover here in Dublin. She will be here for a long time trying to get over her life-changing injuries. Farmers also experience a disproportionate burden of health problems related to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and mental health. I also acknowledge Embrace FARM for the great work it does. I will not say I had the pleasure, but I had the education of going to the remembrance mass in Leixlip earlier.”
“I thank and acknowledge the contribution the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, has made already in her role of supporting mental health. Everybody across all political divides knows she is deeply committed to her job and her Ministry. She is now, has been in the past and will always be, because that is a special and important thing she is very good at. Farming accounts for almost half of all workplace fatalities this year. That is completely wrong. It should not be happening. Tragically, there have 17 confirmed farm fatalities this year, which is the highest number since 2020. I extend my sympathies to the families and communities impacted by these devastating losses.”
“He was out doing his day's work on Saturday at a farm building and an event happened, unfortunately. He was 63 years of age and a fine, strong, hard-working, respectable man from Glencar. I always said nobody bad, not a woman or a man, ever came out of Glencar. They were all good. Unfortunately, Pat Morris lost his life on Saturday morning. That is keeping with the theme of what we are talking about. I am sure every one of the visitors in the Gallery and everybody have been affected by issues that have happened. We hear about the deaths and there are also thousands and thousands of injuries. As Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, I thank the Seanad, particularly Senator Daly, for their great work in addressing the critical issues of mental health and farm safety.”
“I also welcome the visitors in the Gallery. I very sincerely thank Senator Paul Daly for initiating this debate today. I thank all the Senators for their very valuable, sensible and sound contributions. I also acknowledge that I am accompanied by Mr. John Canny, who is an inspector with the Department and is in charge of the farm safety division. A debate like this in the Seanad is very important because farm deaths are something that affect everybody. I took very great notice of people explaining situations they had to go through themselves. In keeping with that, and with the Leas-Chathaoirleach's permission, because it is my first time speaking publicly since Saturday either in the Seanad or the Dáil, I will talk about a very close friend of mine, a great man by the name of Mr. Pat Morris from Glenvickee in Glencar.”
“I sincerely thank the workers and the people who strive so hard and put so much effort into trying to clear the lines. That job of work was done. It is now up to all of us from a political point of view to make sure the strengthening legislation is there to help this work to be carried on in the future and to protect the property rights of the people who will be affected. I thank everybody. This is not an us-and-them situation; this is all of the people inside of this House. All we want is safety, power going to homes, heat going to homes, the continuity of supply and being fair to the people who own the land. That is all we are trying to achieve.”
“The people who are a lot more important in this debate are not the people in this House in suits, with all due respect; it is the people who had to go out at night, working to clear the lines and trying to restore power in bad and dangerous conditions. They are the people who we all want to thank and we want to say how grateful we are for them. There is no worse place a person could be than inside a forest with trees criss-crossed every way and dangerous power lines knocked and understanding and knowing how important it is to get the power going to those homes and people. We had them throughout County Kerry. We had them throughout the country and in the counties I have referenced. People had no power or heat. It was horrendous for everybody.”
“Such works are a matter between the ESB and anyone acting on its behalf and the landowner in question and do not require a felling licence from my Department. The proposed Bill, however, aims to enhance the resilience of the electricity grid and therefore provides additional, proactive measures that allow for the establishment and maintenance of designated forestry corridors within existing forestry and the maintenance of clear land around existing infrastructure, which, of course, is very important. When debating the Bill, I would like to ensure that the new legislation provides the protection needed for the public, but it also has to be proportionate for the forest owners in the State who will also be affected. I thank everybody for their work on this. I acknowledge the work of the Minister and of all the other people.”
“As part of this co-operation, my Department has contributed to the winter resilience plan 2025, which has been finalised by ESB Networks earlier this year. My Department has also inputted extensively to the framework for the draft legislation being discussed. It is my intention to ensure that the ESB will be fully empowered to better manage this issue in the future. To be clear, we have in place long-standing forest corridor requirements in legislation to protect the electricity network where it interacts with forestry land. In fact, the ESB and its representatives are empowered under current legislation to lop or cut any tree, scrub or hedges which obstructs or interferes with electric wires.”
“It is important to emphasise that the clearance of windblow areas is a complex, slow, difficult and dangerous process. As the Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety and for safety in general in those type of hazardous conditions, I am placing a big significance on the importance of the work, the protection of our power lines, keeping energy going to people's homes and the protection of the people doing that hazardous work. That is also very important. That is a top priority for all of us. Both my Department and Coillte are continuing to engage with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and the ESB on the forestry corridor working groups. I thank the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien very much for his work.”
“This includes the corridors along ESB lines where possible. This includes a detailed assessment of areas of potential risk through drone images. Coillte is working closely with the ESB. I have been informed that power lines adjacent to trees are a priority for tree-felling works for energy reasons. Based on this information, Coillte has developed a programme of works to incorporate these prioritised power line clearance works into its own harvesting programme. Work is well under way in that regard. Both Coillte and the private forestry industry have undertaken huge efforts to deal with the damage. Currently, more than 90% of the harvesting capacity in this country is working in windblown areas. Again, that is very important. A total of 90% of the machinery involved in harvesting is working on windblow sites.”
“As I have said previously, I will ensure that forest owners that carry out clearance or replanting now will not be disadvantaged when the scheme will be introduced. That is very important for those forest owners to know. I acknowledge the contribution Coillte has made to helping home and farm owners who are impacted by storms to have their power restored. Coillte's staff and contractors were immediately available. They worked tirelessly and in hazardous conditions to clear trees and open road access immediately after the event. Coillte has also laid the satellite mapping of the storm damage and I have worked with it in close co-operation with my Department to establish the impact across all counties that were affected. Since then, Coillte has moved on to prioritising the salvaging of the storm damage material.”
“Immediately after the storm, I established a windblow task force, which has since finalised an action plan to guide our response, identify bottlenecks and rectify them. I thank the people from the different sectors and the officials from my own Department who really worked diligently with regard to putting all of this in place and getting things going. There was an awful volume of work to be done. Considerable damage was also caused to electricity lines and other infrastructure by the storms. To further speed up the process, we have allowed the use of both thinning and clear-fell licences in removing storm-damaged trees. Our data now shows that 77% of windblown trees already have a felling licence issued by my Department. My Department also continues to progress the introduction of a reconstitution scheme for storm-affected forest owners.”
“I am thankful for the opportunity to provide an update to the Chamber on the progress being made with responding to the significant damage caused by last winter's storms, particularly in forestry. 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 27,000 ha of forests were windblown, with 11,400 ha impacted in private forestry. This equates to approximately over 40 million trees blown down by that storm. Counties Leitrim, Roscommon and Cavan were worst affected, where 48% of the windblow occurred. Considerable damage was also caused to electricity lines and other infrastructure by the storms.”
“In dairy, various problems arise but ultimately it is sometimes easier to read your plan for the next 12 months. Tillage can go very wrong or it can go right, and that is why we are having this debate tonight. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for allowing it. I am not making little of other debates but Members will know what I mean when I say this debate is terribly important. It allows us to recognise the tillage sector and the fact that we are all stakeholders in it in one form or another. I am thankful for the opportunity to speak.”