Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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376. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the annual operational costs for the Dublin Regional Vet Laboratory in Backweston; the annual salary bill by grade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28798/19]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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377. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of carcasses submitted to the Dublin Regional Veterinary Laboratory in each of the years 2015 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28799/19]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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378. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of carcasses diverted each year to the Kilkenny RVL from the Dublin Regional Veterinary Laboratory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28800/19]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of full driving allowances which apply to staff in the Dublin Regional Veterinary Laboratory at Backweston Campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28802/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 to 378, inclusive, and 380 together.

As part of the strategic re-development of the Department's Laboratories, the Dublin RVL is now primarily focused on providing diagnostic and investigative services to the pig and poultry sectors, including post-mortem examination. The staff resources available for this work is a Senior Research Officer with an annual salary of €98k, a Research Officer with an annual salary of €76k and two laboratory attendants with an average annual salary of €28k each. None of these staff are in receipt of a driving allowance.

The operational cost, excluding salaries and overheads, for Pathology Division of which Dublin RVL is a component but which also includes clinical microbiology, histopathology, the TSE National Reference Laboratory, biochemistry and toxicology is approximately €500k per annum. This relates specifically to the supply of laboratory consumables, equipment maintenance and proficiency testing.

Since 2017, farmers from Dublin and surrounding counties who contact the Department seeking to book in ruminant carcases for post-mortem examination have been advised to avail of the services provided by either Kilkenny or Athlone RVLs. However, it should be noted that over that time, while Dublin RVL has focussed on providing a diagnostic service to the pig and poultry sectors, no farmers who have presented themselves at Backweston have been turned away or refused a service.

Details of the number of carcasses submitted to Dublin RVL (Backweston) from 2015 to date is provided in the table:

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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379. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the cost of the category 4 laboratory at Backweston to date; when it will be fully operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28801/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Amelioration works have been completed on the Department's High Containment Laboratory at Backweston Campus so that this facility now complies with the highest international standards (the Australia/New Zealand standard for level 4 laboratories). This new facility will provide my Department with a suitable space within which any exotic virus of farmed animals can be safely and effectively handled.

Therefore, Ireland will be entirely self-sufficient in respect of laboratory diagnosis in the event of an outbreak of an exotic viral disease and will no longer be reliant on our counterparts in the UK. The total cost of these amelioration works, the ancillary works that were required on a heat treatment plant and the associated consultancy fees was €7.5 million. Commissioning of the new laboratory has commenced.

In tandem with this, the High Containment Laboratory team is in the process of moving all of its exotic disease diagnostics operations into the new laboratory on a phased basis. This will ensure continuity of service and is in line with best international practice in bio-containment of the high risk agents involved (all of which are exotic to Ireland). Commissioning and relocation will be completed over the next few months.