Results 4,761-4,780 of 4,911 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Poultry Sector (7 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am very aware of the contribution of the poultry production sector to Irish agri-food sector as a whole, supporting significant levels of direct employment and contributing to the rural economy. Securing market access and diversifying trade remains a key aim for Government. Developing market opportunities at home and abroad is one of the goals of Food Vision 2030. The recently launched...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Horses (7 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 to 496, inclusive, together. My Department is responsible for all policy and legislation in relation to the Control of Horses Act 1996. Operation of the Act comes under the remit of Local Authorities. Under the Control of Horses Act 1996, local authorities may take a range of actions in relation to equines including prohibiting horses in certain...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Correspondence (7 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am arranging to have this examined and a response will issue in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (7 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: The following data is based on the 6,824 remaining applicants for the 2024 Nitrates Derogation when those who withdrew their applications and those deemed ineligible arising from my Department's checks are excluded. Please note checks have not fully concluded regarding the 2024 Nitrates Derogation so this data is subject to change. Table 1 below provides a breakdown of 2024 derogation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Slaughtering (8 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: The repealed Slaughter of Animals Act 1935 is available on the Irish Statute Book website: www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1935/act/45/enacted/en/html. The passage of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, can be viewed on the Oireachtas website: .

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Teagasc Activities (8 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department has no role in relation to Teagasc staffing arrangements. As this is an operational matter for Teagasc, I have asked Teagasc to directly provide the Deputy with a response.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS), is a measure under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3), which provides support to farmers wishing to invest in renewable energy.  To encourage on-farm renewable technology uptake and usage, grant aid is provided to assist farmers in maximising their contribution to the production of renewable energy through the installation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Inquiries (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 284, 285, 288, 289, 290, 292 and 293 together. Animal welfare is a key priority for me, as Minister, and for the Government. I would like to acknowledge the important work carried out, often in very challenging circumstances, by animal welfare organisations and their dedicated volunteers and staff across Ireland. Animal welfare charities play a crucial role...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 287 together. In November 2024, my Department provided funding of almost €6 million to 101 animal welfare charities throughout the country. The figure awarded represents a very significant increase on previous years and greatly exceeded the Programme for Government commitment to double the €2.4 million of funding available to animal...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: Animal welfare is a key priority for me, as Minister, and for the Government. My Department was notified of a potential merger involving the organisations in question. However, my Department has no involvement in the day-to-day running of animal welfare charities. It is therefore at the discretion of an organisation to deploy resources where they deem they can have the maximum...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is responsible for the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations (SI 113 of 2022, as amended). These are commonly known as the GAP Regulations and my Department works closely with Minister Browne's Department with regard to these Regulations and the Nitrates Action Programme. As part of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: My colleague Minister Browne's department is responsible for leading development of Ireland's Nitrates  Action Programme (NAP) and my department works very closely with his department on this important work area. Ireland's current NAP introduced significant changes and is providing the strongest protections to date nationally for water quality from an agricultural...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Sheep Improvement Scheme is funded under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan. It provides support to sheep farmers for carrying out actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector, and builds on the progress made by the previous Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS). As part of the eligibility requirements applicants are required to submit a Sheep Census return within the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I wish to inform the Deputy that the information requested, in relation to the number of external consultancy contracts entered into by my Department in the past five years, is set out in the attached table. My Department seeks to minimise the use of consultants and only engages consultancy companies when particular additional expertise is required for delivery of the services which support...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Equipment (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department’s policy is that official data must be stored centrally in appropriate file management systems and that data should not be stored locally on end user devices such as Laptops or Mobile Phones. The Department secures all laptops with advanced encryption and employs multilayered security protocols on official devices to safeguard data. All mobile devices are managed using a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department has not procured any software or IT system that was not fit for purpose within its expected lifetime of operation in the Department. As regards the agencies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the agencies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: As the Deputy will be aware, at the Nitrates Committee meeting in December 2024, my officials advised that in accordance with the Nitrates Directive, Ireland wished to apply for permission to continue applying in excess of 170 kg of livestock manure Nitrogen per hectare from 2026, subject to a set of conditions that will ensure that application is scientifically justified and will continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Correspondence (9 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: Under Section 40 of the Wildlife Act, 1976, as amended by the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, growing vegetation cannot be burnt between 1 March and 31 August of any given year (the closed period), on any land not yet cultivated. In general, land burnt during the closed season (March 1st to August 31st) is not eligible for the purpose of payment under the Basic Income Support for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Emergency Planning (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important issue. In the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, the Government increased its focus on storm preparedness and building resilience. My Department has been contributing to an extensive review of the whole-of-government response to the storm. The review, co-ordinated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is examining all...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Emergency Planning (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Heydon: Absolutely. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, and I intervened with emergency supports for the horticulture and forestry sectors. The measures I introduced under TAMS and to change the rules around TAMS were all in response to what was an absolutely seismic weather event. It is really important that we learn from it because we know that, with climate change, we are likely to...