I wish to ask if the Government has or is developing a policy for the development of industrial hemp production in Ireland. Industrial hemp is a remarkable plant. It is a recognised crop grown largely in France, Belgium and Germany and is governed by an EU regulatory framework to keep the active tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, content lower than 0.3%, which is important because it is part of the cannabis family. I think it is prejudiced because of that.

We had farmers, processors, building industry representatives and construction academics at the agriculture committee last night. This remarkable crop has over 70 recognised uses, including hemp concrete, insulation, textiles and building blocks. It is grown quickly, with immediate carbon sequestration, and is sustainable and profitable for farmers, with an estimated profit of €250 per acre. It is a most suitable building material for Ireland with our damp climate. However, it requires a co-ordinated approach by Government to support it as an industry. Does the Government have a policy on industrial hemp production and will it encourage the Departments of Health, agriculture and enterprise to progress this, because at the moment it is licensed by the Department of Health and not by the Department of agriculture? In my constituency, a €20 million investment in a hemp production factory was turned down because we could not get the funding from the just transition programme. Part of the reason for that was the prejudice against this plant because of its association with cannabis.

I do not honestly know the answer to the question of whether we have one. I have not seen it if we do, so I presume we have not. On foot of the Deputy raising this, I will ask the relevant Ministers to take a look at it because I am conscious he is a doctor as well as a Deputy and there is a very clear differentiation between what he is trying to achieve from an economic point of view and the broader discussion in relation to cannabis and the likes. That idea of the industrial use of hemp and the good that could come of it is certainly something that should be explored. I will perhaps ask the Minister, Deputy Burke, in the first instance to come back to the Deputy.