I ask the Minister of State for an update on negotiations around the EU's multi-annual financial framework, MFF, with particular regard to Ireland's priorities for these negotiations. The EU budget has to reflect the realities facing Europe today, including competitiveness, energy security, defence and, importantly, food security. For Ireland, one of the most important elements of that budget is the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. Will the Minister outline the Government's priorities for protecting t…

I thank the Minister of State. I will focus specifically on the Common Agricultural Policy and rural Ireland. The CAP is not simply a payment for farmers. It is an investment in the viability of family farms and the communities that depend on them. When a farm is viable it supports agricultural contractors, machinery businesses, vets, hauliers, merchants, local shops and services. The money circulates through the rural community and economy and remains within it. When farming is going well rural Ireland goes well, …

Following up on my last point, it brings up the broader argument of food security. With Ireland being one of the world's greatest food producing nations, we have a globally recognised reputation for quality, safety and traceability of the food we produce. Our agriculture and agrifood sectors are fundamental to the Irish economy and rural Ireland. Recent events have shown that we cannot take food security for granted. We would never suggest that Europe should compromise on energy security or defence, because they ar…

I met with a number of equestrian centres in north Tipperary this week. They raised serious concerns with me about the commercial rates financial burden they are facing. Equestrian centres require large areas for stables, indoor and outdoor arenas, yards and car parks but the size of those premises does not mean that all of those spaces gather commercial activity. The valuation of these premises can therefore create a significant rates burden. I have also been told of inconsistencies in how car parks and outdoor ar…

I raise the concerns and annoyance of the thousands of people whom I represent in Newport, Ballina and Birdhill and who faced a disastrous summer in the context of water quality, a lack of drinking water and boil water notices as a result of Uisce Éireann's ill-handling of communications and a lack of clarity from Uisce Éireann on exactly what was happening. We are talking about thousands of households, or customers, as Uisce Éireann calls them. These are thousands of people whom I represent. On numerous occasions,…

What does the Government intend to do to meet the programme for Government commitment to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in our schools to 19:1?

I acknowledge the work that was done by the previous Government in reducing the pupil-teacher ratio. Good work was done and, to be fair, in the last budget, good work was done in respect of the capitation grants to schools and that needs to be recognised. It was a huge issue this time last year, particularly at the Oireachtas education committee. The pupil-teacher ratio is key and we have committed very clearly to 19:1 by the end of this Government. I will highlight some data that has come out of the Department in …

The ask from this budget from the INTO is very important - 1,000 additional teachers - to help us reduce class sizes for every child to give him or her more attention, to support inclusive education, to meet growing pupil needs, to ease the workload pressure and potential burnout for teachers facing those very high numbers within the classroom and to bring stability to school and strengthen leadership. Coming from a rural constituency, I acknowledge a lot of those rural schools that are struggling at the moment to …

Before I ask my final question before the summer recess, I thank the Minister and Minister of State for all of their engagement throughout the year, and I wish them both a very productive summer recess. With my better half being a Galway woman, I had also better wish the Minister the best of luck for Sunday. I hope the Minister of State next to her will soon forgive Galway for what its team did to his in the semi-final. Will the Minister give me an update on the climate action summer works scheme and make a stateme…

I thank the Minister for that. On her final point, I will raise one school to begin with. Presentation Primary School in Thurles originally applied in 2016 for works to its car park and school yard in terms of tarring, relining, safer access and drop-off zones. Cars have to yield going in and out because there is only one space for one car, but it has the land to increase the width of the entrance and reline it. There is also a bus pulling up in the yard every day for the early intervention class. Generally, six te…

The Minister mentioned labs, which is fantastic because that is my next point. St. Mary's Secondary School in Nenagh has been approved for its science labs. The tender has been done and the proposed contractor is to be appointed. The school sent its information to the Department on 10 June and followed up on 29 June. Essentially, the school will be somewhat of a building site certainly up until Christmas, but the sooner we can get it started, the better because it has the funding and approval. It just needs to get …

I want to read an excerpt from an email I got today in relation to Skyclarys for people with Friedreich's ataxia: At 19 years old, I should be excited about my future. I should be looking forward to building a career, travelling, making memories with friends and planning the life I want to live. Instead, I wake up every day wondering what ability I will lose next. My future is overshadowed by fear, knowing that my condition will continue to deteriorate while a treatment exists that could slow the decline. The Fried…

Many communities I represent in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny want to know when the Government is going to introduce updated guidelines for onshore windfarms. Last December in this Chamber I received a commitment that we would see regulations this year to update the 2006 regulations we are currently dealing with. In April I received a response to a parliamentary question which stated that a review of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines had been undertaken as part of a national planning statement o…

I wish to raise the issue of difficulties of building a one-off rural house, particularly in my constituency of Tipperary North and in north-west Kilkenny. From restrictions around access onto regional roads that do not always need to be there, to sight-line issues, ribbon development and the difficulty of building on one's own land, it should not be a privilege to build a house and live in the area in which you grew up. What is the Government doing to make it easier to build that one-off rural home, particularly f…

I have been contacted by farmers across north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny, who are currently finding it difficult to access funding under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, for the installation of solar panels on their farm buildings. A recent parliamentary question reply stated that the solar capital investment scheme has been hugely popular with farmers wishing to invest in renewable energy, thereby reducing their dependence on fossil fuels. That same reply from the Minister, Deputy Heydo…

-----be prioritised in the next round for funding?

I welcome the opportunity to contribute during national biodiversity week and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, who I appreciate had to step out, for his continued commitment to biodiversity projects, nature restoration and engagement with rural communities. I say this to acknowledge a visit he made with me to Cloughjordan in my constituency last November. This visit involved a number of stops, one of which was Scohaboy Bog, which is a rewetting project in north Tipperary. It is extremely successful…

Does the Minister, his Department or the Government have any plans to reintroduce the waiver for development levies, particularly in this case on one-off rural homes; to incentivise drive-on but also to make the building of a one-off home in rural Ireland more affordable, particularly for young people?

If I consider a young person or couple building a home for the first time in a rural part of my constituency outside of the villages or towns - for example someone building a house outside Toomyvara village, in a rural part of the parish, or outside Cloghjordan, Ballynahinch or Ardcrony - they will not get a footpath or public water most probably. They certainly will not be connected into any form of sewage system or wastewater mains system and they will not get any public lighting. As far as I am concerned, the de…

In relation to the potential of a waiver, it would be important that central government step in and continue to fund the local authorities to the same level they would have been funded if the individual was paying this. I am conscious, however, of those houses that are already there. Some people might be paying for sites, if they do not have one they can get from a family member. There is the cost of building at the moment and the shortage of labour increases the costs further. This is one way in which we could hel…