What they're asking about 4,621 questions asked · 20 departments

• Health 1,352 questions

  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has established a formal, national definition of “clinically critical medicines”; and if so, the criteria used to determine such classification; and if she will provide the current list of medicines designated under this definition. [27514/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a formal risk-assessment or stratification model is in place to categorise medicines by clinical criticality and patient safety risk; and the methodology used within such a model; and if she will outline how it is applied in practice across the health service. [27515/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether respiratory emergency medicines, including salbutamol nebules, are classified as clinically critical within any national prioritisation system; and if she will detail the specific safeguards applied to ensure continuity of supply for such medicines. [27516/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structure underpinning the Medicines Criticality Assessment Group; the decision-making authority within that structure; and the level at which final determinations are made in relation to supply risk mitigation actions. [27517/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether formal escalation thresholds exist within the medicines shortages framework based on clinical risk levels; and if so, the criteria for escalation; and the actions triggered at each level. [27518/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether minimum stockholding requirements or buffer stock policies are in place for medicines deemed clinically critical; and the basis on which such levels are determined; and the mechanisms used to monitor compliance. [27519/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether national early warning or predictive monitoring systems are in place to identify potential shortages of clinically critical medicines in advance; and if she will outline the data sources and indicators used within such systems. [27520/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of recorded patient safety incidents, adverse clinical outcomes, or treatment disruptions linked to medicine shortages in each of the past five years; and whether such data is centrally collected and analysed. [27521/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health which body holds ultimate accountability for ensuring continuity of supply of clinically critical medicines at national level; and the oversight mechanisms in place to monitor performance against this responsibility. [27522/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the preparatory steps that have been taken to align national policy with the forthcoming European Union list of critical medicines; and whether an interim national list is in operation pending the introduction of EU measures. [27523/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to specify the clinical and operational risk thresholds that must be satisfied before patient transfer to the National Children's Hospital can proceed, particularly during the November to March period [23677/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a formal written risk assessment on winter patient transfer has been completed; if so, to provide the date of completion and whether it will be published [23678/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the contingency protocols in place in the event that transfer coincides with peak winter pressures, including escalation triggers and deferral mechanisms. [23679/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to identify the individual or body with final decision-making authority regarding the timing of patient transfer to the National Children's Hospital. [23680/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent external clinical or operational review has been commissioned in respect of the transfer plan; and if so, to provide details. [23681/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to set out the current financial control and oversight mechanisms in place for primary care laboratory testing, including standard lipid profile testing, in circumstances where a national dataset on activity and cost is not held centrally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23704/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the total annual expenditure on primary care laboratory testing for each of the past five years, including any estimated or modelled figures used in the absence of a comprehensive national dataset; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23705/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any system is currently in place to attribute laboratory testing costs to individual service areas, patient cohorts, or primary care providers; and if not, the interim measures being used to support cost accountability pending the implementation of the National Laboratory Information System; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23706/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail any audits, reviews, or value-for-money assessments carried out in respect of primary care laboratory testing, including standard lipid profile tests, in the past five years; and if she will provide the findings of such assessments. [23707/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national or regional oversight mechanisms are in place to monitor patterns of laboratory test ordering in primary care, including safeguards against duplication or unnecessary testing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23708/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline how value-for-money in primary care laboratory testing is currently assessed and assured in the absence of a national dataset capturing the volume and cost of such testing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23709/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the implementation timeline for the National Laboratory Information System, including key milestones, expected completion date, and the governance arrangements in place to ensure delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23710/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health pending completion of the national Model of Care for gender healthcare services, to set out the current written clinical guidelines, protocols or directives that govern the assessment and referral of minors presenting with gender-related distress within the State [23734/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any mandatory pre-referral clinical requirements currently apply in respect of minors presenting with gender-related distress, including requirements for comprehensive psychiatric assessment, developmental history, autism screening and differential diagnosis; and to detail those requirements. [23735/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to identify the body or bodies that currently hold national clinical governance responsibility for gender-related assessment and referral pathways for minors, pending completion of the model of care. [23736/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national data currently collected by or on behalf of the State in respect of minors presenting with gender-related distress, including the number of referrals; the number of assessments completed; the number of referrals onward for treatment abroad; the number of approvals granted under the treatment abroad scheme; the expenditure incurred, and the recorded clinical outcomes [23737/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any interim audit, review or evaluation has been conducted in respect of gender-related assessment and referral pathways for minors, in circumstances where the national model of care remains under development; and to provide details of any such audit, including dates, scope and findings. [23738/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to specify the safeguarding and consent standards currently in force in respect of minors presenting with gender-related distress, including how capacity, parental involvement and best interests are assessed and recorded in practice [23739/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national policy framework governing the operation of the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to confirm whether this framework explicitly addresses procedures which are not available within the State but which may be subject to differing clinical or ethical considerations; and to clarify how the Department satisfies itself that such activity is subject to appropriate governance, safeguarding, and public expenditure controls. [23913/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national policy framework governing the operation of the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether this framework explicitly addresses procedures which are not available within the State but which may be subject to differing clinical or ethical considerations; and to clarify how the Department satisfies itself that such activity is subject to appropriate governance, safeguarding, and public expenditure controls. [23923/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of agency staffing expenditure by Regional Health Authority for 2025 and for the period to date in 2026; and to specify the variance in each region against the expenditure limits set under the HSE National Service Plan 2026. [24290/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the enforcement measures in place where HSE regions exceed agency expenditure limits; the number of instances where such limits were exceeded since July 2025; and the corrective actions taken in each case. [24291/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost differential between agency staff and directly employed HSE staff across key grades, including nursing and allied health professions; and whether this differential is incorporated into workforce planning decisions. [24292/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to the commitment to convert 960 Whole Time Equivalent agency staff to direct HSE employment, to provide a breakdown of the 869 WTE converted to date by grade, region, and service area; and the timeframe for completion of the remaining conversions. [24293/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the standards and criteria required of private companies before the HSE will award a contract to provide home support (home help) services; whether such requirements include Garda vetting of staff and the holding of relevant qualifications; and how the HSE ensures that these standards are maintained by any private company it procures. [24375/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of private companies currently procured, at a national level, to provide home support (home help) services on behalf of the HSE; and the total cost of these services to the HSE. [24376/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently awaiting assessment for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports; the number awaiting provision of AAC devices following assessment; the average waiting time for such supports; and whether additional funding has been allocated to reduce delays. [21443/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether national policy or guidance exists governing the suspension of healthcare professionals employed in public hospitals when they are the subject of serious criminal allegations; the procedures that must be followed by the HSE once such allegations become known; and whether these procedures are currently under review following the recent case involving a doctor at University Hospital Limerick. [21597/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the oversight mechanisms that are in place within her Department to ensure that the HSE promptly implements protective workplace measures when healthcare staff are accused of serious criminal offences, including sexual offences; and whether her Department has requested a report from the HSE on the handling of the recent case at a hospital (details supplied). [21598/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of cases since 2015 in which a healthcare professional employed by the HSE was the subject of a criminal investigation relating to sexual assault or rape; the number of cases in which suspension from clinical duties occurred; and the policy criteria used in determining whether suspension is applied. [21599/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national workplace protection protocols that are in place within the HSE to support healthcare staff who report sexual assault or violence perpetrated by colleagues; and whether her Department collects data on the number of such incidents reported annually. [21600/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether his Department intends to undertake a review of the disciplinary and safeguarding framework governing healthcare professionals in HSE employment, including coordination with the Medical Council, in light of the failure acknowledged by the HSE in the handling of a recent case (details supplied). [21601/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the barriers currently faced by patients in Ireland living with lipoedema, including the absence of a published national HSE care pathway, limited access to conservative management such as compression therapy and manual lymphatic drainage, and delays or difficulties accessing treatment through the Cross Border Healthcare Directive; what steps her Department and the HSE are taking to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22009/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE working group established in 2023 to develop a national care pathway for lipoedema has completed its work; when the pathway is expected to be published; and whether patient advocacy organisations, including the Lipoedema Support Network Ireland, will be included in the development and implementation of this pathway [22010/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department intends to review the operation of private health insurers in relation to coverage for medically indicated liposuction procedures for lipoedema patients, in light of concerns regarding inconsistent decision-making, the use of criteria designed for lymphoedema rather than lipoedema, and practices that may result in patients being forced to rely on the Cross Border Directive for treatment. [22011/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health in light of reports of meningitis cases in the United Kingdom, the immediate steps being taken to monitor the situation and protect public health in Ireland; whether any cases have been identified in the State to date; whether the HSE has issued or plans to issue public health guidance or alerts; the current capacity and readiness of services to respond to any potential cases; whether there are sufficient stocks of, and access to, relevant vaccines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22269/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of practising general practitioners in the State who have completed HSE-funded suicide prevention training programmes, including SafeTALK, ASIST, STORM, the Self-Harm Assessment and Management Programme for General Practitioners in Ireland (SAMAGH), or equivalent programmes, in each of the past five years; and whether her Department maintains a national database or monitoring system recording participation in such training. [21018/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has undertaken any national assessment or review of the adequacy of training supports available to general practitioners in managing suicidal ideation and self-harm presentations among children and adolescents; if such a review has been undertaken, when it was conducted; and whether the findings will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21019/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals made by general practitioners to the Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse (SCAN) service in each of the past three years; the number of those referrals relating to persons under the age of 18; and whether her Department monitors the utilisation of this pathway by primary care practitioners. [21020/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the geographic distribution of Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse (SCAN) services currently operating within the State; the counties or Community Healthcare Organisations currently served by these posts; and the timeline for the rollout of the additional posts funded under Budget 2026. [21021/26]
  • …and 1302 more questions on Health
• Justice 637 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he has been personally briefed on the findings or recommendations arising from the Internal Audit Unit’s examination of attendance management practices, including the exchange-of-duty system. [23951/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Internal Audit Unit’s examination of attendance management included specific consideration of unreciprocated exchanges, financial or cash-equivalent arrangements, or potential value-for-money implications. [23952/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific supports, services, and clinical care that have been provided to remand prisoners with acute mental illness in Irish prisons since January 2026; the number of staff, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses, that have been assigned to deliver this care; the protocols which exist to ensure timely access to assessments and treatment; the monitoring or oversight mechanisms that are in place to measure the standard and timeliness of mental health care; and to provide, by month, the number of psychiatric and psychological assessments conducted, the number of prisoners receiving active treatment plans, and the average waiting times for access to inpatient or specialist care. [25608/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the current certified operational capacity of Cork Prison; the current average daily occupancy for each month in 2025 and to date in 2026; the policy measures in place to address persistent overcrowding; and the timeline for any planned capacity expansion or alternative custodial arrangements. [25641/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether minimum accommodation standards, including access to a bed, are being met in Cork Prison; the number and proportion of prisoners required to sleep on mattresses on a nightly basis in 2025 and to date in 2026; and the actions being taken to eliminate this practice. [25642/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners in Cork Prison currently awaiting access to psychological services; the average waiting time for assessment and treatment; the staffing levels allocated to prison psychology services in Cork; and any plans to increase capacity. [25643/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisoners in Cork Prison currently awaiting addiction treatment services; the providers contracted to deliver these services; the annual funding allocated; and the steps being taken to ensure timely access to treatment. [25644/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Department has assessed the number of prisoners released from Cork Prison without receiving recommended psychological or addiction treatment in each of the past three years; and the policy implications of such outcomes for reoffending and public safety. [25645/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the extent to which overcrowding impacts clinician access within Cork Prison; whether any formal risk assessments have been conducted regarding reduced access to clinical services; and if so, to provide details. [25646/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Justice the national average rates of prisoners awaiting psychological and addiction treatment; how Cork Prison compares; and whether Cork has been identified as a priority site for intervention. [25647/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Department has assessed the effectiveness of delivering psychological and addiction services to prisoners serving short sentences; and whether alternative community-based or post-release treatment pathways are being developed. [25648/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration how current levels of overcrowding in Cork Prison impact the delivery of the Irish Prison Service rehabilitation strategy; and whether any elements of that strategy are currently not being delivered as intended [25650/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether additional capital investment, modular accommodation, or non-custodial sentencing reforms are under consideration to address overcrowding in Cork Prison; and the timelines associated with same [25651/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether Fiosrú has been granted any additional statutory powers by means of legislation; and if so, to provide details of same. [26095/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration following the rebranding of Garda community policing to community engagement, if additional powers by means of legislation have been granted; and if so, to provide details of same. [26096/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the total number of Garda stations in the State, the number currently classified as vacant, intermittently staffed or closed to the public, and whether his Department has undertaken any policy review of the role, function and future use of such stations within the national policing model. [26444/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the total number of sworn members of An Garda Síochána in each year from 2018 to 2026, in tabular form. [26447/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the number of Garda stations with no permanently assigned Garda member in each year from 2020 to 2026; a list of such stations by division and county. [26449/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Garda recruits entering Templemore in each year from 2020 to 2026; the number attested in each of those years; the number of Garda retirements and resignations annually over the same period. [26453/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of Gardaí assigned to community policing roles in each year from 2020 to 2026; whether there has been any reduction in community Garda numbers during this period; and the policy position of the Department on the role of community policing in crime prevention. [26454/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the ratio of Garda members per 1,000 population in each year from 2020 to 2026 [26455/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific actions that were taken to implement the recommendations arising from an investigation (details supplied) into protected disclosures concerning dysfunctional reporting systems; and the audit or verification that has been carried out to confirm their effectiveness in practice. [23472/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the assessment he has made of the impact of suspended or short custodial sentences on victims of child sexual abuse whose abuse material is circulated online, whether there is evidence that current sentencing levels act as a meaningful deterrent to child sexual abuse material offending and the legislative or policy tools he is prepared to deploy if judicial guidelines prove ineffective in producing consistent and proportionate sentences in such cases. [20212/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason, in the context of sustained public concern about lenient sentencing in CSAM cases, including statements by the Tánaiste calling for a more serious approach, he has indicated that he does not intend to change the current sentencing rules; whether he considers this position to be reconcilable with his obligations to ensure that the criminal justice system commands public confidence; and if he will reconsider introducing mandatory minimum sentencing provisions for such offences. [20213/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific reasons the Government has not introduced mandatory minimum sentencing legislation for persons convicted of possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), given the frequency with which such offenders receive suspended sentences; and whether he intends to bring forward such legislation before the end of this Dáil term. [20209/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Government's failure to introduce minimum sentencing for CSAM offences is connected in any way to concerns about prison overcrowding and capacity; whether he accepts the Tánaiste's statement that prison capacity must never be a factor in sentencing decisions; whether he agrees with the Tánaiste's statement that there are "too many examples of people who are given relatively short sentences" for heinous crimes; and the steps he is taking to ensure that resource constraints within the prison system do not result in lighter sentences for those convicted of serious child sexual abuse offences. [20210/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he has examined the sentencing frameworks for CSAM offences in comparable jurisdictions, such as Britain, or other EU member states; and whether Ireland's current legislative approach falls below international best practice. [20211/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of public servants recruited since 2013 in fast accrual professions including An Garda Síochána and the Prison Service who are members of the Public Service Single Pension Scheme; the estimated income gap that arises between retirement age for these professions and the age of eligibility for the State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21784/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether offences under section 14A of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as inserted by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, are recorded under a distinct offence code within the Garda crime-recording system or any successor national crime statistics framework; the number of such offences recorded, investigated, and referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions in each year since the commencement of that provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21186/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of complaints or reports made to An Garda Síochána alleging offences under section 14A of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as inserted by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, in each year since that provision commenced; and the number of investigations initiated, files submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, prosecutions brought and convictions secured. [21235/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he has been briefed, in any capacity, on the operation or regulation of the exchange-of-duty system within the Irish Prison Service, including the review of that system referenced in organisational communications in November 2025. [18292/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department or the Irish Prison Service has conducted an internal audit, compliance assessment, or control review of exchange-of-duty practices involving unreciprocated exchanges or private financial arrangements between staff; and, if so, when such review commenced and whether its findings have been finalised. [18293/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to outline the Department's policy regarding reviews of protected disclosure assessment decisions, including whether reviewers are required to be independent of the original decision-maker; whether reporting persons are informed of the reviewer's role or title; and the standard timeframe applied for issuing review outcomes. [18295/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has undertaken any review of the adequacy of the current legal and regulatory framework governing the use by private sector organisations of facial biometric processing technologies for identification, verification, authentication, or database matching purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19598/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether, following recent regulatory findings by the Data Protection Commission concerning the use of facial matching technology by public bodies, his Department has examined whether additional statutory safeguards, codes of practice, or legislative clarification are required in relation to the use of facial biometric technologies by private sector organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19599/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commission regarding the use of facial image capture or facial biometric processing technologies by private sector organisations, including financial institutions and retailers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19600/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he will consider the introduction of policy measures or legislation to ensure that, where private sector organisations deploy facial biometric technologies, individuals are provided with clear prior information, meaningful choice including a non-biometric alternative where appropriate, and accessible complaint and redress mechanisms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19601/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide, for each engagement by the Irish Prison Service with podcasts, broadcasters, or media providers since 1 January 2020, the procurement reference number, contract or purchase order reference, procurement route used, date of approval, and total final amount paid. [20343/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether a written sole supplier justification was completed in respect of the 2025 partnership with a podcast (details supplied); the date on which that justification was approved; by whom it was approved by grade; and if he will provide the reason an open or competitive process was not used. [20344/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Irish Prison Service obtained more than one quotation in respect of an engagement (details supplied); if so, the number quotations were sought and received; whether the comparator quotation related to like-for-like services; and if he will provide the total quoted amounts, without prejudice to commercial sensitivity. [20345/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether expenditure aggregation rules were applied in respect of repeated payments to the same media or podcast providers since 1 January 2020 for the purposes of procurement compliance; and if he will set out the manner in which those rules were applied in each case. [20346/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the annual and project-level breakdown of the 214 podcasts and five broadcast episodes referred to in his reply, including by provider, title or series, date, format, intended audience, and whether each output was commissioned for internal prisoner information use, public release, or both. [20347/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to specify the budget subhead, funding source, and legal or administrative basis under which each payment listed in the Irish Prison Service media expenditure table for 2020 to 2025 was approved. [20348/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether any internal audit, compliance review, procurement assurance review, or management assurance process examined Irish Prison Service expenditure on podcasts, media, broadcasting, influencer, or communications projects since 1 January 2020; and if so, to state the date, scope, and outcome of each such review. [20349/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific performance indicators, deliverables, milestones, or reporting requirements were attached to the Experts by Experience programme in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and the way in which achievement against those requirements was assessed. [20350/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measurable recruitment outcomes were attributed to a partnership (details supplied), including application numbers, click-throughs, campaign reach, conversion indicators, or any post-campaign assessment of value for money. [20351/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the project-specific evaluation, impact assessment, or cost-effectiveness review was conducted in relation to the Experts by Experience podcast and broadcast outputs funded since 2023, as distinct from general international literature or broader programme observations. [20352/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the governance arrangements within his Department and within the International Protection Accommodation Service for monitoring expenditure on the transport of international protection applicants between ports of entry, the International Protection Office, and accommodation centres; whether annual expenditure ceilings or budget controls apply to such transport costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20382/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether transport services used for the transfer of international protection applicants to accommodation centres are procured through national public procurement frameworks, individual accommodation centre service contracts, or other arrangements; the number of transport providers engaged for this purpose since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20383/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department or the International Protection Accommodation Service records the number of international protection applicants transported between ports of entry, the International Protection Office, and accommodation centres each year; and if such data is not recorded, whether the Department intends to introduce a monitoring system for these movements. [20384/26]
  • …and 587 more questions on Justice
• Finance 434 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his Department’s current assessment of the potential inflationary impact on the Irish economy arising from sustained increases in global energy prices; to detail any modelling undertaken regarding second-round effects on food prices and household purchasing power; and to outline the fiscal policy options available to Government to mitigate cost-of-living pressures arising from such external shocks. [23589/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to outline the Government’s cross-departmental contingency planning for a scenario involving simultaneous energy price inflation and economic slowdown; to detail whether any updated cost-of-living support framework is being prepared; and to set out the criteria under which additional public expenditure interventions would be triggered. [23592/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of claims made for the Incapacitated Child Tax Credit in each of the past five years; the number approved and refused in each year; the number selected for compliance review or audit; whether the Revenue Commissioners have identified any concentration of claims supported by medical certification from a single medical practitioner or a small number of practitioners, including the number of cases involved (anonymised); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24962/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of applications for the incapacitated child tax credit received by the Revenue Commissioners in each of the past five years; the number of applications that were supported by medical certificates from registered medical practitioners in the same period; the number of such applications that were reviewed by the Revenue Commissioners as part of compliance/audit checks; and the number that resulted in confirmation of eligibility versus rejection; the criteria and safeguards that are in place to ensure that medical certifications submitted in support of claims are valid and compliant with statute; whether the Revenue Commissioners routinely analyses trends in claims by category for example, geographic origin or other appropriate demographic breakdowns for the purpose of detecting unusual patterns; if so, the fields of analysis that are available, the statistics broken down accordingly, subject to data protection and equality law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24968/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to outline the estimated full-year and short-term Exchequer cost of a 25 percent reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel, including the associated reduction in VAT receipts arising from the lower pump price. [23348/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to detail the modelling undertaken by his Department on the expected reduction in average pump prices resulting from the proposed excise duty cut, including the assumed pass-through rate to consumers. [23349/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the alternative policy options considered by his Department to reduce fuel costs for households and businesses, including reductions in VAT on fuel, targeted rebates, or broader excise adjustments, and the estimated cost of each option. [23350/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the rationale for limiting the proposed excise reduction to a temporary and defined period, and whether longer-duration or scalable measures were considered in light of ongoing volatility in global oil markets. [23351/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to provide details of any distributional analysis carried out by his Department on the impact of fuel price increases and proposed mitigation measures on different income groups, including middle-income working households not eligible for social welfare supports. [23352/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Government’s current budget surplus influenced the scale and duration of the proposed fuel price interventions, and if so, how this assessment was balanced against current cost-of-living pressures. [23353/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the engagement undertaken at EU level regarding coordinated responses to energy price shocks, including any discussions on excise flexibility, VAT measures, or joint purchasing mechanisms. [23354/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to provide the range of oil price and supply shock scenarios currently being modelled by his Department. [23355/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his views that the continued application and scheduled increases of the carbon tax on petrol and diesel, at a time when motorists are already facing significant increases in fuel prices due to global instability, is placing an unfair and disproportionate burden on working people, families and rural communities who rely on their cars; the additional VAT revenue being collected by the Exchequer as a result of these higher fuel prices; and whether he will immediately suspend or freeze the carbon tax on transport fuels in order to prevent the State from effectively profiting from rising fuel costs at the expense of Irish motorists. [19569/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has engaged with the Central Bank of Ireland regarding the use by regulated financial service providers of facial image capture, facial recognition, or other facial biometric processing technologies for customer onboarding, authentication, fraud prevention, or identity verification purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19592/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Central Bank of Ireland has issued, or is preparing to issue, supervisory guidance for regulated financial service providers regarding the use of facial biometric processing technologies, including requirements relating to lawful processing bases, consumer transparency, data minimisation, storage limitation, security safeguards, and the availability of non-biometric alternatives for customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19593/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether regulated financial service providers operating in the State are required, as a matter of supervisory expectation or consumer protection regulation, to provide customers with a reasonable non-biometric alternative where facial image capture or facial biometric verification is used for onboarding, authentication, fraud prevention, or account access purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19594/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department or the Central Bank of Ireland maintains information on the number of regulated financial service providers using facial image capture or facial biometric processing technologies for identity verification, customer onboarding, authentication, or fraud prevention; if so, the number of such firms and the general purposes for which such technologies are used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19595/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has considered whether the Consumer Protection Code or other financial regulatory frameworks should be updated to provide explicit standards governing the use of facial image capture and facial biometric technologies by regulated financial service providers, including standards concerning transparency to customers, consent mechanisms where applicable, retention periods, and alternative access methods for customers who do not wish to use biometric verification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19596/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department or the Central Bank of Ireland holds data on operational incidents, data protection incidents, or consumer complaints reported by regulated financial service providers relating to the use of facial image capture or facial biometric processing technologies since 1 January 2023; if so, the number of such incidents by year and general category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19597/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance when he will publish the approach to the taxation of retail investment referenced in Budget 2026; whether that publication will include specific proposals regarding the eight-year deemed disposal regime for funds and ETFs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20391/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has prepared an internal options paper, memorandum, or comparative analysis on reform of the eight-year deemed disposal regime for investment funds and ETFs, including options such as abolition, extension of the interval, or replacement with a savings and investment account model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20392/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether, in the work underway on the taxation of retail investment, his Department has identified which EU member states and OECD jurisdictions operate an eight-year deemed disposal or equivalent forced realisation regime for retail fund investors; and if he will provide that list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20393/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question replies of 4 March 2026 on deemed disposal, whether his Department considers it satisfactory that the State cannot isolate the specific tax yield, taxpayer numbers, compliance burden, or administrative cost associated with the eight-year deemed disposal regime; whether he will direct that improved reporting be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20394/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he will require Revenue to introduce a separate reporting field for tax arising specifically from eight-year deemed disposal events, as distinct from other chargeable events under the investment funds regime, in order to inform future tax policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20395/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the work underway on retail investment taxation includes analysis of whether the eight-year deemed disposal regime diverts household savings away from diversified fund investment and toward cash deposits, property, pension wrappers, or direct shareholdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20396/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the review of the Special Assignee Relief Programme published with Budget 2026 examined any exit pathway, sunset clause, or replacement model for the scheme; if not, the reason a continuing relief to 2030 was considered preferable to a broader competitiveness strategy based on structural tax and non-tax measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20397/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Budget 2026 review of SARP examined the sectoral distribution, salary distribution, and regional distribution of beneficiaries; whether any assessment was made of the extent to which the relief supports multinational employers as distinct from indigenous enterprise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20398/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Government has considered introducing a sunset provision for the Special Assignee Relief Programme with a view to transitioning to a broader competitive corporate tax environment that does not rely on individual income tax distortions to attract foreign direct investment; the assessment that has been made of whether the scheme remains necessary, given Ireland's established position as a leading destination for foreign direct investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17437/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total revenue collected by the State specifically from deemed disposal taxation on EU-domiciled Exchange Traded Funds and other collective investment undertakings subject to the eight-year deemed disposal rule in each of the years 2015 to 2025 inclusive; the estimated revenue projected for each remaining year of the current tax regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17594/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total number of individual taxpayers who filed a deemed disposal liability on Exchange Traded Funds or other collective investment undertakings in each of the years 2015 to 2025 inclusive; the average deemed disposal tax liability per individual in each year; the total number of individuals who were required to sell holdings in order to meet a deemed disposal tax liability in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17595/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the total administrative cost to Revenue of collecting deemed disposal taxation on Exchange Traded Funds and collective investment undertakings, including staff costs, systems costs, compliance overhead, and enforcement activity, in the most recent year for which data are available; how this administrative cost compares to the total revenue collected from deemed disposal on these instruments in the same year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17596/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department or Revenue has conducted any assessment of the ratio of administrative cost to revenue collected specifically in respect of the deemed disposal regime as it applies to Exchange Traded Funds; if not, the reason therefor; whether he considers the current regime to represent value for money from a tax collection efficiency standpoint; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17597/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he is aware of any other EU member state or comparable OECD jurisdiction that operates a deemed disposal or equivalent forced realisation taxation mechanism on unrealised gains in Exchange Traded Funds or equivalent collective investment products held by individual retail investors; if so, to identify those jurisdictions; if not, whether he considers it appropriate that Ireland operates a taxation mechanism with no equivalent in comparable economies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17598/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has conducted any comparative analysis of the taxation treatment of Exchange Traded Fund investments by individual retail investors across EU member states; whether such analysis informed the decision to retain the deemed disposal regime in recent budgets; whether this analysis has been published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17599/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he accepts that Ireland's deemed disposal regime, which imposes a 41% tax on unrealised gains in EU-domiciled Exchange Traded Funds every eight years with no provision for loss relief against other income, represents a materially more punitive taxation environment for retail investors in collective funds than that which applies in any comparable EU member state; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17600/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the reason the exit tax rate applicable to gains on Exchange Traded Funds and other collective investment undertakings subject to deemed disposal is set at 41%, exceeding the 33% capital gains tax rate applicable to direct shareholdings and other assets; whether he considers it appropriate that an individual who invests in a diversified EU-regulated fund product is taxed at a higher rate on gains than an individual who invests directly in equities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17601/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the reason losses arising on Exchange Traded Funds and other collective investment undertakings subject to the deemed disposal regime cannot be offset against gains on other assets or against other income for the purposes of income tax; whether he considers this prohibition on loss relief to be equitable relative to the treatment of losses on direct equity investments under the capital gains tax regime; whether he has received any advice from the Tax Strategy Group or Revenue on the rationale for this asymmetry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17602/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of individual taxpayers who crystallised a deemed disposal loss on Exchange Traded Funds or collective investment undertakings in each of the past five years; the total value of those losses; whether those taxpayers were entitled to any relief on those losses against other income or gains; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17603/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he has considered introducing a provision allowing losses realised under the deemed disposal regime on Exchange Traded Funds to be offset against capital gains tax liabilities on other assets; the estimated cost to the Exchequer of such a provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17648/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether Revenue or his Department has conducted any assessment of the volume of retail investment that has been diverted away from EU-domiciled Exchange Traded Funds and into non-EU domiciled funds, direct equity shareholdings, or other asset classes specifically to avoid the deemed disposal regime; if not, the reason therefor; whether he intends to commission such an assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17649/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has assessed the impact of the deemed disposal regime on the concentration of Irish household wealth in residential property relative to diversified investment assets; whether the regime has been considered in the context of any government policy document addressing wealth concentration in property, housing affordability, or long-term savings behaviour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17650/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he accepts that the deemed disposal regime, by making long-term diversified investment in EU-regulated fund products uniquely punitive relative to property investment, actively disincentivises the exact savings and investment behaviour that government policy in areas including housing, pension adequacy, and financial resilience explicitly seeks to encourage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17651/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether any assessment has been made of the impact of the deemed disposal regime on compliance behaviour; specifically whether the regime creates an incentive for individual investors to hold investments through corporate structures, self-directed pension vehicles, or non-Irish domiciled accounts in order to avoid the eight-year crystallisation event; the estimated revenue impact of such behavioural responses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17652/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the deemed disposal regime has been assessed for its impact on the financial planning decisions of workers in defined contribution pension schemes who hold Exchange Traded Funds outside their pension wrapper as a supplementary long-term savings vehicle; whether the regime creates a disproportionate burden on such individuals relative to those whose savings are entirely within pension vehicles not subject to deemed disposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17653/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the basis upon which the eight-year period was chosen as the deemed disposal interval for Exchange Traded Funds and collective investment undertakings; whether any economic modelling was conducted to assess the optimal interval from the perspective of revenue collection, investor behaviour, and administrative efficiency; whether a longer or shorter interval was considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17654/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of individual investors who will face their first deemed disposal event on Exchange Traded Fund holdings in each of the years 2026, 2027, and 2028; the estimated aggregate tax liability that will crystallise in each of those years; whether Revenue has assessed the capacity of individual investors to meet these liabilities without being required to sell holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17655/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the Tax Strategy Group has produced any paper assessing options for the reform or abolition of the deemed disposal regime as it applies to Exchange Traded Funds; if so, whether that paper has been published; if not, whether he will commission such a paper in advance of Budget 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17656/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of abolishing the deemed disposal regime on Exchange Traded Funds entirely and replacing it with a standard capital gains tax charge on actual disposal at the standard 33% rate; how this cost compares to the current annual revenue generated by the deemed disposal regime on these instruments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17657/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he has considered, as an alternative to full abolition of the deemed disposal regime, extending the deemed disposal interval from eight years to fifteen or twenty years; the estimated revenue impact of such a change; whether such an extension would materially reduce the distortive effect of the regime on long-term investment behaviour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17658/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether the retention of the deemed disposal regime at its current 41% rate and eight-year interval is consistent with the Government's stated objective of encouraging long-term household saving and investment diversification; whether any policy coherence assessment has been conducted between the deemed disposal regime and broader Government policy goals relating to household financial resilience, pension adequacy, and the reduction of wealth concentration in residential property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17659/26]
  • …and 384 more questions on Finance
• Housing 381 questions

  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether, prior to the commencement of the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme on 1 December 2023, his Department prepared any policy modelling, capacity assessment or impact analysis of potential participation levels among local authority tenants; whether such analysis informed Cabinet approval; and whether he will provide the aggregate findings [16002/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of applications received, approved and paid under the vacant property refurbishment grant scheme since its commencement; the total amount of public expenditure disbursed under the scheme to date. [15809/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of approved and paid applications under the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme the number and percentage of recipients who were Irish citizens; the number and percentage of recipients who were citizens of another EU Member State; the number and percentage of recipients who were non-EU citizens; whether the Department or local authorities collect data on the length of legal residence in the State of grant recipients at the time of application; whether the Department collects or verifies information on prior income tax or PRSI contributions in the State as part of the eligibility or compliance process; whether tax clearance certification is required prior to approval or payment;(g) whether any assessment is carried out regarding an applicant’s previous contribution to the Exchequer before public monies are disbursed; and if the information requested is not centrally collated, the data that is available and whether consideration has been given to enhancing reporting transparency in respect of the scheme. [15810/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has undertaken any formal governance review of the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme since its commencement on 1 December 2023; whether any briefing was prepared by his Department regarding scheme performance relative to projected uptake; and whether any policy modifications are under consideration arising from that review. [15968/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether a formal decision was taken at Department level to cease centralised data collection and monitoring of the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme after December 2024; the date on which that decision was made; whether the decision was recorded in writing; and the governance basis upon which that decision was taken [14681/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any written impact assessment, performance review, or evaluation report was prepared prior to the cessation of central monitoring of the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme; and, if so, whether he will publish or provide the title and date of any such document. [14682/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department holds any current aggregate national participation figure for the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme for the period after December 2024; and, if not, the mechanism by which he satisfies himself that the scheme remains operational and effective across all local authority areas. [14683/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has undertaken any behavioural or financial analysis of the impact of treating income earned under the Room for a Student – Local Authority Tenancies Scheme as reckonable for differential rent purposes; and whether any policy review of that provision is currently under consideration [14684/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date his Department decided to conclude centralised monitoring of the ‘room for a student – local authority tenancies scheme’ after December 2024; the analysis or performance metrics informed that decision; whether any formal submission, briefing note, or internal recommendation supported that decision; and whether he will provide the criteria used to determine that the scheme no longer required ongoing national oversight [13471/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the administrative costs incurred by his Department and local authorities in developing, promoting, and operating the ‘room for a student – local authority tenancies scheme’ between December 2023 and December 2024; whether any value-for-money review has been conducted; and whether the cost per additional room delivered has been calculated [13474/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the formal reporting framework now exists, if any, to provide his Department with ongoing national oversight of the scheme’s performance; whether any standardised reporting template has been issued to local authorities; and the way he satisfies himself that the scheme remains operational and effective across all local authority areas [13475/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department maintains an internal monitoring framework, dashboard or structured reporting mechanism which tracks the number of Notices of Termination issued in the private rental sector as a core housing performance indicator; if so, the frequency at which such data is formally reviewed at senior management or Ministerial level; whether any thresholds, trend analyses or risk alerts are applied to this data to identify emerging pressures in the rental sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13662/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether a formal policy decision was taken in 2025 to reduce or limit the use of tenant-in-situ acquisitions under the Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme; if so, the date of that decision; whether Cabinet approval was sought; and the policy rationale underpinning the change [13854/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total capital allocation provided for tenant-in-situ acquisitions in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the originally approved allocation for 2026; whether any revised spending ceiling has been issued to local authorities for 2025 or 2026, by local authority. [13855/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of tenant-in-situ acquisitions completed nationally in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the number approved but not yet completed; and the number of applications refused or withdrawn in each year. [13856/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Department has undertaken any assessment of the impact of reduced tenant-in-situ acquisitions on entries into emergency accommodation in 2025; and if so, if he will publish that assessment. [13857/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any circular, directive or written guidance was issued to local authorities in 2025 limiting, prioritising or redefining the criteria for tenant-in-situ acquisitions; and if so, if he will provide a copy of that guidance. [13858/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether funding previously allocated for tenant-in-situ acquisitions has been reallocated to the Buy and Renew programme; the value of any such reallocation; and the policy justification for that shift [13859/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average acquisition cost per dwelling under the tenant-in-situ approach in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and how this compares to the average cost per dwelling under the Buy and Renew programme in the same period [13860/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Government intends to continue the tenant-in-situ approach as a core homelessness prevention measure in 2026; and if so, what target number of acquisitions has been set [13861/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total annual population increase in each of the years 2022 to 2025; the number of residential housing completions in each corresponding year; and whether the Department has assessed the impact of net migration on housing demand projections to 2030. [13868/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department will provide a directive to local authorities to increase the fresh start mortgage initiative, in line with rising property prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11153/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he accepts that treating income earned by local authority tenants under the tenant rent-a-room scheme as reckonable for the purposes of calculating differential rent significantly reduced participation in the scheme; whether this impact was assessed prior to the scheme’s introduction; and whether he will now introduce a mandatory national income disregard for differential rent purposes to remove this disincentive. [11394/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department carried out any formal impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis or behavioural modelling prior to the roll-out of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants; and, if not, how the Department satisfied itself that the scheme would deliver additional housing supply in practice. [11395/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of additional rooms his Department projected would be made available nationally under the tenant rent-a-room scheme at the time of its launch; the number of rooms actually delivered during the first twelve months of operation; and whether the scale of any shortfall has been examined at departmental level [11396/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of reported breaches of wildlife protection legislation in each of the past five years involving illegal hunting, coursing, or the use of dogs to kill or injure protected wildlife; the enforcement actions taken by the National Parks and Wildlife Service or other authorised bodies; and whether the Minister has assessed the effectiveness of existing penalties as a deterrent. [11429/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to the scheduled commencement of revised rent control and rental sector reforms on 1 March 2026, whether all necessary statutory instruments required to give effect to those reforms have been finalised; whether any instruments remain in draft; and whether the Department is satisfied that full operational readiness has been achieved for commencement on that date. [11451/26]
  • 2026-02-05 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department receives regular reports, briefings, or statistical updates from the Residential Tenancies Board in respect of notices of termination or eviction notices issued by private landlords; if so, the frequency of such reports; the format in which they are provided; whether they include quarterly or annual aggregate data; and the manner in which this information is used by his Department in the formulation, review, or evaluation of housing and rental sector policy. [8856/26]
  • 2026-02-05 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department plans to compile, hold, or publish a centralised official dataset on notices of termination or eviction notices issued in the private rental sector, drawing on data held by the Residential Tenancies Board; if not, the reasons such data is not centrally maintained by his Department despite its policy responsibility for housing; his views on the way in which transparency and oversight in this area are to be ensured; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8857/26]
  • 2026-02-05 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he considers the number of notices of termination or eviction notices issued in the private rental sector to be a core housing performance and policy indicator; if so, the way in which this indicator is monitored and assessed by his Department; if not, the reasons for his position; and his views on the role such data plays in assessing pressures within the rental sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8858/26]
  • 2026-02-05 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any rental accommodation scheme tenant whose tenancy ends through no fault of their own is guaranteed an offer of alternative accommodation or housing support sufficient to prevent homelessness; to set out the specific statutory, policy, or administrative basis for such a guarantee, if it exists; to clarify the criteria by which a household is deemed "vulnerable" or an "emergency case" for the purposes of tenant-in-situ acquisitions; to provide the number of RAS tenancies where tenant-in-situ was pursued or completed in each local authority, in each of the past three years; to state the average timeframe between receipt of a valid notice of termination and the provision of alternative accommodation or support; and to indicate when confirmed 2026 funding allocations for homelessness prevention and second-hand acquisitions will be communicated to local authorities. [9075/26]
  • 2026-01-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when his Department first issued formal guidance to local authorities on the operation of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants; which local authorities formally confirmed to his Department that the scheme had been implemented; and the steps his Department took to ensure the scheme was operational in every local authority area. [7207/26]
  • 2026-01-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department required local authorities to submit data on the tenant rent-a-room scheme, including applications received, approvals granted, and rooms made available; whether any regular monitoring or reporting framework was put in place by his Department for this scheme; and if not, the reasons no such oversight mechanism was established. [7208/26]
  • 2026-01-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has carried out any internal review or evaluation of the tenant rent-a-room scheme for local authority tenants since its introduction; whether the significant gap between projected housing supply and actual delivery has been examined; and the policy changes or corrective actions which are now being considered at departmental level. [7209/26]
  • 2026-01-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department issued any circulars, directives, or follow-up instructions to local authorities where no applications were received or where the tenant rent-a-room scheme was not operational; and the steps that were taken by his Department to address non-implementation by local authorities. [7210/26]
  • 2026-01-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department assessed administrative, insurance, tenancy, or welfare interaction barriers faced by local authority tenants under the tenant rent-a-room scheme prior to its rollout; whether such barriers contributed to the extremely low uptake; and the responsibility his Department accepts for the failure of the scheme to translate policy intent into delivered housing supply. [7211/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to ensure that RAS tenants who receive an eviction notice are guaranteed access to alternative accommodation or support to prevent homelessness including through the Tenant-in-Situ scheme; and the timeline by which these protections will be implemented. [6349/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department (or the Residential Tenancies Board under its remit) maintains and publishes up to date statistics on the number of eviction / termination notices issued by private landlords; if so, for each quarter since 2022, the number of notices which have been issued; his views on the trends in this figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6350/26]
  • 2026-01-22 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current status of the drafting of the regulations and statutory instruments required to implement the Government’s revised rent control and rental sector reforms due to commence on 1 March 2026; the number of such instruments required; the stage each has reached within his Department; the remaining steps necessary before publication; and the timeline by which he expects all required regulations to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. [5313/26]
  • 2026-01-22 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has conducted, commissioned, or relied upon any economic, rental supply, or market impact analysis in advance of implementing the revised rent control framework scheduled to commence on 1 March 2026; if so, the nature of that analysis, the bodies involved, whether the findings will be published; and if no such analysis has been undertaken, the reasons for proceeding with significant regulatory changes in the absence of published modelling on rental supply, affordability, and landlord behaviour. [5314/26]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department currently collects or holds construction and delivery cost data at individual housing unit level for social housing schemes funded or approved by his Department; if not, when a decision was taken not to collect such data; who authorised that approach; and whether he intends to introduce unit-level cost reporting for future social housing delivery. [73643/25]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has conducted any internal analysis, review or assessment since 2023 to explain increases in the average cost per social housing unit in Cork city and Cork county; and if so, to detail the factors identified as contributing to those cost increases and the actions taken in response. [73644/25]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average total development cost per dwelling for affordable purchase homes supported under the local authority affordable purchase scheme in Cork city and Cork county for each year since 2023; and to outline the methodology used by his Department to calculate or verify those costs. [73645/25]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department requires local authorities to submit detailed cost breakdowns for affordable purchase housing schemes funded under national affordable housing programmes; if so, the nature of those cost breakdowns; and if not, the way in which his Department assures value for money in the delivery of affordable purchase homes. [73646/25]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has prepared any projections or forecasts relating to future construction and delivery costs, per social and affordable housing unit under Housing for All or any successor programme; and if so, to outline those projections and the assumptions on which they are based. [73647/25]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department benchmarks the cost of delivering social and affordable housing units in Ireland against comparable EU member states; if so, to detail the most recent benchmarking exercise carried out; and if not, the reasons such benchmarking is not undertaken. [73648/25]
  • 2025-12-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date on which his Department last received an update from the Building Control Management System on the validation of Modern Methods of Construction data; the expected completion date for this validation; and the internal deadline his Department has set for publishing the first tranche of MMC statistics. [72306/25]
  • 2025-12-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department has taken since 2022 to establish a residential-specific productivity baseline for use in housing policy formation, including any internal memoranda, assessment frameworks or technical guidance issued to inform national housing targets. [72307/25]
  • 2025-12-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has conducted any assessment of the budgetary or value-for-money risks arising from the absence of residential-specific productivity indicators in the construction sector; and the outcomes of any such assessment. [72308/25]
  • 2025-12-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date on which his Department last requested the Central Statistics Office to examine residential construction productivity separately from other construction activity; and to provide details of any technical workstreams, consultations or data-sharing arrangements agreed since 2022. [72309/25]
  • …and 331 more questions on Housing
• Children 290 questions

  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any independent or externally commissioned value-for-money review has been conducted on the use of private providers for residential childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide the dates, authors, scope and key findings of each review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27504/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average annual cost per child associated with private residential placements, private foster care placements, and special emergency arrangements, for each year from 2022 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27505/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the outcome measures used at Departmental level to assess the effectiveness of privately delivered residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; whether such outcome measures are formally linked to funding allocations or contract renewals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27506/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department requires Tusla to assess the underlying cost structures, including profit margins, of private providers of residential childcare placements as part of value-for-money considerations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27507/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any internal audit, external audit, or examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General has been carried out on the cost-effectiveness or value-for-money of private childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide details and findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27508/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of private providers contracted to deliver residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; the proportion of total placements accounted for by the five largest providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27509/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy basis on which pricing for private residential childcare placements is set by Tusla, including whether pricing is benchmarked against international comparators or independently validated cost models; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27510/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total additional Exchequer funding approved to support increases in rates paid to private providers of residential childcare and foster care placements in each of the years 2023 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27511/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered publishing summary value-for-money assessments or aggregated cost data relating to private childcare placements funded by Tusla, in the interest of transparency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27512/26]
  • 2026-04-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether there is a defined national policy framework governing the reliance on private providers for residential childcare placements, including any targets, limits, or strategic objectives in relation to public versus private provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27513/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if no such guidance has been issued, how employers are expected to ensure compliance with their obligations under the Employment Equality Acts in circumstances where competing rights arise. [24031/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current average caseload per clinician within Children’s Disability Network Teams; the recommended caseload level for such clinicians; and whether the Minister accepts that current staffing levels are preventing children with complex needs from receiving timely intervention. [21444/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory and organisational purpose of Horizons as a Children’s Disability Network Team; whether Horizons currently has the staffing and funding necessary to fully meet the needs of children referred to the service; the number of children awaiting assessment and intervention, broken down by type of support (details supplied); the average and maximum waiting times for children to access each type of support; the sanctioned staffing levels for Horizons compared to the number of posts currently filled; her views on whether the current resource levels are sufficient to allow Horizons to fulfil its statutory and organisational obligations; the additional measures, including funding and staffing, are being taken to eliminate delays; and in light of a response received by this Deputy’s office on 13 March 2026, in which a network manager stated that service delivery is constrained by staffing and funding shortages, whether the Minister will confirm the steps being taken to ensure that no child is prevented from accessing essential disability supports due to insufficient resources. [21440/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of sanctioned posts within children’s disability network teams nationally and broken down by CHO area; the number of those posts currently filled; the number currently vacant; the grades affected, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists and therapy assistants; and the steps being taken to address these vacancies. [21441/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently on waiting lists for assessment and intervention through each Children’s Disability Network Team, broken down by CHO area; the average waiting time for services; and the longest waiting time recorded. [21442/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total annual expenditure by Tusla on placements purchased from privately operated children’s residential centres in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024; the total expenditure on all residential care placements in those years; and the percentage share represented by private placements in each year, in tabular form. [21240/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department, or Tusla, has conducted any analysis of the cost differential between privately operated residential placements and placements within Tusla-operated centres; and if she will provide the average weekly cost per placement under each model. [21241/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has set any strategic target to reduce reliance on privately operated children’s residential placements, given that approximately 73% of placements were provided by private operators in 2024. [21242/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department, or Tusla, has engaged with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding the expenditure incurred on privately operated children’s residential care placements; whether the Comptroller and Auditor General has examined or intends to examine the governance, procurement arrangements or value-for-money considerations associated with such placements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21243/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department, or Tusla, has conducted any value-for-money or cost-effectiveness analysis comparing privately operated residential care placements with placements within Tusla-operated residential centres; and whether any such analysis has been provided to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. [21244/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she will introduce mandatory autism and neurodiversity training requirements for Tusla social workers involved in child protection, family support and care proceedings. [20353/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Department has conducted any review of the adequacy of training provided to Tusla staff in relation to autism, neurodiversity and disability awareness. [20354/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla records the number or proportion of social workers who have completed autism or neurodiversity training programmes. [20355/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether guidance exists to support Tusla staff when assessing families where a child or parent has autism or another neurodevelopmental condition. [20356/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to introduce national standards for neurodiversity awareness training across Tusla services. [20357/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a consolidated Department-level governance and risk oversight framework in respect of privately operated children’s residential centres funded by the Exchequer; whether her Department receives structured, periodic reporting on safeguarding, compliance or regulatory concerns relating to such providers; and whether she is satisfied that the current oversight architecture provides sufficient visibility at Ministerial level over the scale of private provision within the residential care system. [17457/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department formally requires Tusla, under the oversight agreement or any governance framework, to provide annual or periodic age-disaggregated statistical data on applications for emergency care orders under section 13 of the Child Care Act 1991, including a specific category for children under one year of age; and if not, whether she will consider introducing such a reporting requirement [15821/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether emergency child removal decisions under sections 12 and 13 of the Child Care Act 1991 are explicitly identified within Tusla’s corporate risk register as a governance or systemic risk category; whether the Tusla board reports trend analysis on such removals to her Department; and if she will outline the reporting mechanism involved [15823/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla’s internal audit function, or any external audit process since 2018, has examined evidential thresholds, proportionality standards, or quality assurance mechanisms in relation to section 13 emergency care order applications; and whether any reports or recommendations were made available to her Department [15824/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any national policy guidance approved, noted or overseen by her Department requires Tusla to apply disability-informed assessment protocols, reasonable accommodation standards, or specialist procedural safeguards when child protection proceedings involve a parent with a diagnosed autism spectrum condition or intellectual disability; and if she will outline the relevant framework [15826/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she has, at any time since 2013, issued a general policy direction under section 8 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 in relation to evidential standards, proportionality assessment, or quality assurance in emergency child removal cases; and whether she is considering issuing such a direction [15827/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total Exchequer expenditure in each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 on placements purchased from privately operated children’s residential centres; the proportion this represented of total residential care expenditure in each year.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15841/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains a formal risk register entry relating to reliance on privately operated children’s residential centres; if so, the risk categorisation and mitigation measures identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15842/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Oversight Agreement or Performance Framework between her Department and Tusla requires the formal notification to the Department of governance, safeguarding or regulatory compliance concerns relating to privately operated children’s residential providers funded by the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15843/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department maintains or receives a consolidated annual report aggregating safeguarding, compliance, or regulatory concerns relating to privately operated children’s residential centres funded in whole or in part by the Exchequer; and if not, whether she intends to establish such a reporting mechanism in the interests of governance transparency and value-for-money oversight. [15844/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the contractual governance, audit, and performance reporting requirements are imposed at Departmental policy level on Tusla in respect of its procurement and funding of privately operated residential care providers; and whether these requirements have been reviewed since 2020. [15845/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department formally reviewed the 2023 University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks for children in residential and emergency care; the status of its recommendations (including how many were accepted, implemented or remain outstanding); the policy or regulatory changes which have been made in response; whether national policy on absconding from care includes mandatory consideration of sexual exploitation risk; and the ministerial briefings or actions which have arisen since 2021 in relation to links between absconding and sexual exploitation. [15730/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has prepared a formal implementation plan, action tracker, or recommendation matrix in response to the 2023 University College Dublin report entitled “Protecting Against Predators: A Scoping Study on the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People in Ireland”; if so, the date on which it was approved; whether it assigns responsibility, timelines, and measurable outputs; and if she will publish the document.. [14717/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a numbered breakdown of each recommendation contained in the 2023 University College Dublin report on sexual exploitation risks in residential and emergency care; to state, in respect of each recommendation, whether it has been accepted in full, accepted in principle, rejected, or remains under consideration; the implementation status of each; and the reason any recommendation has not yet been implemented. [14718/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a formal cross-departmental or inter-agency oversight group was established to coordinate the State response to the 2023 University College Dublin report; if so, the date of establishment, its chairing authority, the Departments and agencies represented, the number of meetings held to date, and whether minutes or progress reports are maintained by her Department. [14719/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether compliance with any policy or procedural changes arising from the 2023 University College Dublin report is subject to formal monitoring or audit; whether such monitoring forms part of a centrally approved governance framework within her Department; and to outline the performance indicators or reporting mechanisms used to assess implementation. [14720/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department or Tusla maintains a data architecture capable of linking duration of time spent in State care with post-18 outcomes including housing stability, educational attainment, employment status and engagement with aftercare services; whether such linkage is currently operational; and if not, whether the absence of such linkage has been formally recorded as a governance or accountability gap. [14721/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a unique identifier or integrated administrative dataset exists that would permit longitudinal tracking of care leavers across Departments and agencies; if not, whether legislative or policy changes are under consideration to enable such integration; and the timeline for any such proposal. [14722/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to publish an annual outcomes dashboard for young people leaving State care, including cohort-based analysis by length of time spent in care; and if not, the reason such reporting is not currently provided. [14723/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the current statutory framework governing Garda vetting requires mandatory re-vetting at defined intervals for individuals working in regulated child-care or early years settings; if so, to specify the legislative provision underpinning such requirement; and if not, whether legislative amendment has been considered [13461/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department receives, on an annual or periodic basis, aggregated statistical reports from Tusla on the number of emergency child removal applications made under Section 13 of the Child Care Act 1991; whether such reports include age breakdowns, including children under one year of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13613/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she requires Tusla, under any governance framework agreed with her Department, to report on the outcomes of emergency child removal proceedings, including rates of reunification, care orders, guardianship or adoption; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13614/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department requires Tusla to conduct internal audit, quality assurance review, or evidential compliance review of emergency child removal applications; whether summary findings of such reviews are reported to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13615/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has sought or received any data from Tusla in the past five years regarding emergency child removal applications in which material allegations were subsequently amended, withdrawn, or corrected during proceedings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13616/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any national policy guidance, approved or noted by her Department, requires Tusla to apply additional procedural safeguards, specialist assessment protocols, or disability-informed practice standards when child protection proceedings involve a parent with a diagnosed autism spectrum condition or intellectual disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13617/26]
  • …and 240 more questions on Children
• Transport 243 questions

  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department maintains a central dataset or reporting mechanism on the duration of Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for major transport infrastructure projects; if not, whether he will introduce such a reporting framework to allow for systematic monitoring of project timelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21169/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has undertaken any analysis since 2015 of the average time taken to complete Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for transport infrastructure projects with an estimated value exceeding €200 million; and if he will publish any such analysis or assessments carried out by his Department. [21170/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the baseline data, benchmarks or performance metrics his Department uses when assessing delays in the delivery of major transport infrastructure projects; and whether those benchmarks include the duration of environmental assessment and planning stages. [21171/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority are required to report to his Department on the duration of Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for major transport infrastructure projects; if so, the frequency and format of such reporting; and if he will publish the most recent reports received by his Department. [21172/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the number of NCT appeals lodged in each of the years since 2015; the cost of lodging an appeal; and whether his Department has reviewed whether the appeals mechanism is accessible and proportionate. [19949/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether any independent external review mechanism exists for audit findings relating to NCT inspectors. [19950/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether service credit penalties have ever been applied to a company (details supplied) under the NCTS contract; the value of such penalties; and the circumstances in which they were applied. [19951/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has assessed the impact of operational efficiency bonuses on inspection quality in the NCTS. [19952/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether consideration is being given to introducing multiple providers in the next NCT contract after 2030. [19953/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether he has issued, or intends to issue, any policy direction to the Road Safety Authority requiring the publication of centre-by-centre national car test pass and fail statistics; whether he is satisfied that current publication practices meet standards of public transparency and accountability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16754/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the total monetary value of the current national car testing contract approved by his Department; the date of its commencement; its scheduled expiry date; whether provision exists for extension; and the anticipated timeline for the next competitive procurement process. [16755/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether he is satisfied that the audit and assurance framework operated by the Road Safety Authority in respect of the national car test includes statistical variance analysis of pass and fail rates across centres; whether threshold parameters are applied to identify anomalies; and whether such analysis is reported to his Department in aggregate form. [16756/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether the Road Safety Authority has adopted, approved, or reviewed any performance metrics applied to national car testing inspectors relating to inspection throughput, efficiency targets, or statistical outcomes; whether any such metrics are linked to contractual key performance indicators; and whether he is satisfied that such arrangements, if in place, do not create perverse incentives [16757/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether he has received, in aggregate form, data from the Road Safety Authority on the number and percentage of national car test fail decisions overturned on appeal in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and whether he will publish this information in the interests of public confidence [16758/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has conducted any policy review since 2021 of the effectiveness of section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 and section 109A of the Road Traffic Act 1961 in deterring the unlawful use of mechanically propelled vehicles in public places; whether such review included analysis of annual seizure volumes, recovery rates, and disposal rates; and if he will publish any internal briefing or policy paper prepared on this matter. [16827/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has conducted a regulatory impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, or deterrence modelling in advance of the proposed increase in release fees for seized scramblers; the behavioural or economic evidence is being relied upon to determine the revised fee structure; and whether projected fee levels have been benchmarked against enforcement regimes in other EU jurisdictions. [16828/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport if he will set out the proposed revised release fee and daily storage charge for seized scramblers under forthcoming regulations; whether the intention is to introduce a tiered or escalating penalty framework; and whether any element of the revised charge will be retained centrally or applied to offset enforcement costs. [16829/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether the N/M20 Cork to Limerick road improvement scheme remains designated as a strategic inter-urban priority under the current National Development Plan; and whether the project’s funding profile for 2027 and 2028 has been provisionally approved at Ministerial level. [16833/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department holds the most recent estimated capital cost range for the N/M20 project; whether this estimate has been adjusted for construction inflation since 2022; and what total Exchequer commitment is anticipated over the lifetime of the scheme. [16834/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether he will confirm the current phase of the N/M20 project within the Transport Infrastructure Ireland Project Management Guidelines lifecycle; the anticipated date for completion of route selection and statutory approval; and whether a projected construction commencement date has been approved at departmental level. [16835/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether legal advice has been received confirming that section 35A of the Road Traffic Act 1994, as amended, provides sufficient statutory authority to prohibit the use of scramblers in all public places including parks, greenways and housing estates; whether primary legislation was considered; and whether he will publish the statutory interpretation underpinning the proposed regulations. [16886/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the average duration in months of environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment stages for major transport infrastructure projects approved between 2015 and 2025; and the baseline data being used to assess current delays. [18048/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether any post-implementation review has been conducted by his Department of the Road Traffic Act 2024 provisions relating to graduated penalty points; whether an impact assessment was undertaken prior to enactment regarding proportionality and licence disqualification risk; and if he will publish any such assessment. [16041/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department conducted modelling or analysis on the projected increase in licence disqualifications arising from the interaction between reduced statutory speed limits and the graduated penalty points framework; and if he will provide details of same. [16042/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether consideration has been given to introducing a lower-tier administrative margin for minor excess speeding of 1–5 km/h above the posted limit, including the option of warnings or reduced penalty points; and if he will outline the policy position of his Department on such a tier. [16043/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the policy rationale for permitting the accumulation of multiple sets of penalty points arising from a single incident under the Road Traffic Act 2024; whether any cap on cumulative points from a single roadside detection was considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16044/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has examined the road safety regimes of other EU Member States that differentiate penalty thresholds by road type, including urban, rural and motorway classifications; whether any comparative analysis was undertaken prior to introducing the current graduated system; and if he will publish any such analysis. [16045/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether any review has been initiated by his Department into the proportionality of mandatory disqualification periods under roadside drug testing legislation where no observable impairment is recorded; and whether amendments to incorporate impairment-based assessment or judicial discretion are under consideration. [16046/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has examined the introduction of accredited driver awareness or rehabilitation programmes as an alternative to penalty points for minor offences; and if he will outline any proposals in this regard. [16047/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department requires the National Transport Authority to collect and report vandalism data for public transport infrastructure on a county-by-county or local authority basis; if not, the policy rationale for permitting exclusively national-level reporting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16048/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the total annual expenditure incurred by the National Transport Authority in each of the past five years in respect of vandalism-related repair and replacement costs for bus shelters; whether this expenditure is reported to his Department in aggregated or disaggregated form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16049/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether key performance indicators or contractual provisions within the national bus shelter contract include targets relating to vandalism frequency, asset durability, or cost containment; and if he will provide details of any such oversight mechanisms. [16050/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned any cost-benefit analysis comparing standard laminated glass panels with alternative vandal-resistant materials for bus shelters; and if he will outline the conclusions of any such analysis. [16051/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether local authorities are provided with incident-level or location-specific data in respect of vandalism to bus shelters within their administrative areas; and if not, whether the Minister considers the absence of such local reporting consistent with transparency and value-for-money principles. [16052/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether he has undertaken any review of the adequacy of statutory seizure powers under the Road Traffic Acts and related legislation in addressing the misuse of scrambler bikes and quad bikes in urban areas; and whether legislative amendment is under consideration [14605/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether additional legislative reform, funding allocations or policy measures are planned to strengthen enforcement tools and deterrent provisions relating to the unlawful use of mechanically propelled vehicles in public spaces [14606/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the current status of the N20 Cork to Limerick road improvement scheme; the stage the project has reached under the Transport Infrastructure Ireland project lifecycle; the total estimated capital cost as most recently assessed; the amount of funding allocated to the scheme in 2026 and projected for 2027 and 2028 under the National Development Plan; the anticipated timeline for completion of route selection, statutory approvals and land acquisition; the projected commencement date for construction; and whether the project remains designated as a strategic inter-urban priority within national transport policy. [14673/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to publish the detailed statistical analysis carried out by the Road Safety Authority concerning scramblers involved in fatal and serious injury collisions on public roads over the past five years, including a year-by-year breakdown of serious injuries and fatalities, age profile of drivers and injured parties, and geographic distribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14689/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any formal trend analysis of the increase in serious injuries involving scramblers on public roads between 2022 and 2025; what policy conclusions have been drawn from that analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14690/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has examined the legislative and policy implications of extending the statutory remit of the Road Safety Authority to enable the collection and publication of data on serious injuries and fatalities involving mechanically propelled vehicles in public places other than public roads, including parks, housing estates and green spaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14691/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the statutory provision under which he proposes to introduce regulations to prohibit the use of scramblers in public places; whether he is satisfied that the enabling power is sufficient to support a total prohibition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14692/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether draft regulations concerning the prohibition of scramblers in public places have been circulated to An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority or any other stakeholder for consultation; and if he will outline the consultation process and timeline. [14693/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has reviewed the effectiveness of section 30 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 in preventing the supply of mechanically propelled vehicles to persons under 16 years of age; whether enforcement data has been analysed to assess compliance levels; and whether amendments are under consideration to strengthen retailer obligations. [14694/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to outline the proposed financial penalties to be applied to seized scramblers under the forthcoming regulations; whether a regulatory impact assessment has been conducted regarding deterrent effect. [14695/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to state, in respect of each major transport infrastructure project commenced in the past five years and requiring environmental impact assessment, the date on which environmental impact assessment scoping formally commenced, the date on which the environmental impact assessment report was finalised for submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála, and the total duration in months between those dates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14729/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport to state the average duration in months of Environmental Impact Assessment processes for major transport infrastructure projects commenced in each of the past five years, and to provide the equivalent average duration for Appropriate Assessment processes over the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14730/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has undertaken any internal review, audit, benchmarking exercise, or performance assessment of environmental assessment timelines for major transport infrastructure projects in the past five years; if so, to provide details of the findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14731/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the statutory or administrative timeframes applicable to Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment processes for major transport infrastructure projects, to state whether those timeframes have been consistently met in each of the past five years, and to detail any instances of delay beyond prescribed timeframes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14732/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the minimum educational and professional qualifications required for vehicle inspectors employed at National Car Testing centres; the duration and content of their initial training programme; whether this training is externally accredited; and the body responsible for certifying inspectors prior to conducting independent inspections [15064/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the total number of quality assurance audits conducted on NCT inspection decisions in 2024 and to date in 2026; the percentage of inspections subject to secondary review; and the rate at which initial fail decisions were overturned on formal appeal in each of those years. [15065/26]
  • …and 193 more questions on Transport
• Education 206 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rules and conditions governing job sharing arrangements for primary school teachers; to clarify whether teachers who are job sharing are permitted to undertake substitute teaching in other schools during the period in which they are not rostered for duty in their own school; and if so, the safeguards or restrictions in place to ensure the scheme operates as intended. [25188/26]
  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of a child in Cork (details supplied) that has been without a school place since October 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23327/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons for the recent closure of a school (details supplied), including the dates on which the school has been closed; the formal health and safety or other legal powers relied upon by the patron or board; and any directions or guidance issued by his Department to the school or patron in relation to this closure. [18751/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the prolonged closure of a school (details supplied) is compatible with the State’s constitutional obligation to provide for the education of every child and with statutory duties in respect of children with special educational needs [18752/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific measures she will put in place to ensure that a special school cannot again be closed for an extended period because of behavioural incidents or staff injury, including mandatory contingency and continuity-of-education plans for all special schools; clear national protocols favouring partial or phased provision rather than full closure; and maximum timelines within which such plans must be activated when serious risk to health and safety is identified. [18753/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will introduce binding national guidelines on the management of dysregulation and high-risk behaviour in special schools, including positive behaviour support, trauma-informed practice, and de-escalation approaches, with monitoring and compliance mechanisms; and if so, the timeline for their development and implementation. [18754/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the risk-assessment, occupational health and staff support frameworks that will be mandated in all special schools in order to reduce the risk of staff injury while maintaining children’s access to in-person education; and whether these frameworks will be subject to regular independent review. [18755/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the long-term corrective actions being implemented in a school (details supplied) to address the underlying causes of dysregulation and staff injury, including changes to class sizes and staffing ratios; additional specialist and substitute staff; enhanced training, in-school therapeutic supports; any environmental or infrastructural works; and if she will provide a timeline and funding allocation for these measures. [18756/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to commit to a time-bound, fully resourced action plan for a school (details supplied), co-designed with parents and staff, with clear milestones, reporting requirements and accountability structures to restore and sustain safe, full-time education for all enrolled pupils; and if she will publish this plan. [18757/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed the extent to which shortages in therapeutic supports and specialist staff in special schools contribute to increased dysregulation and health and safety incidents; and if so, the national measures she will introduce to ensure that all special schools have adequate therapeutic and behavioural supports to prevent future closures. [18758/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the assessment, if any, which was carried out of the impact of the closure of a school (details supplied) on the rights of the child, including the right to education and to equality of treatment for children with disabilities; whether any child-rights or equality impact assessment was completed; and if she will publish any such assessment. [18759/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she accepts that prolonged denial of in-person education for a cohort of highly vulnerable children with complex needs, through the closure of a special school, would not be considered acceptable in a mainstream setting; and the steps she will take to ensure parity of treatment between children in special schools and those in mainstream schools in relation to continuity of education. [18760/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to commission an independent review of the circumstances leading to the closure of a school (details supplied) including consultation with parents and staff, with a view to making system-wide recommendations on how the State can better vindicate the educational rights of vulnerable children and avoid similar situations in future; and if they will publish the findings. [18761/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth state whether they are satisfied that parents of pupils attending a school (details supplied) have been provided with timely, accurate and sufficient information on the reasons for the closure, the expected duration, and interim educational arrangements; and if not, what minimum standards on communication will the Department now put in place for parents in special schools in crisis situations. [18762/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline what interim education provision (including home tuition, outreach teaching, temporary placements, remote or blended supports or other measures) is being put in place for pupils of a school (details supplied) during the closure; how these supports are being allocated and accessed, and how the Department is ensuring that these children’s right to education is being vindicated while the school remains closed. [18763/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to statements from the National Council for Special Education that special class places are available in Cork, to clarify the number of vacant and immediately available special class places currently in Cork; the names of the schools where these places exist; the type of special classes involved (for example autism classes or other specialist units); whether these places are fully operational and accepting students at present; and if not, the timeline for when these places will become operational. [19771/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in Cork that are currently awaiting placement in special classes for the upcoming school year; the way in which this number compares with the number of vacant places identified by the National Council for Special Education; and the steps being taken to ensure that children without placements are offered appropriate places without delay. [19772/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the review of Circular 32/2017 will introduce national guidance requiring schools to provide reasonable accommodation within uniform policies for children with sensory processing difficulties or other additional needs; and the timeline for completion of that review. [20403/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth in the context of the Education Plan 2025 and commitments relating to cost-of-living supports and inclusive education, the measures currently in place to reduce the cost burden of school uniforms on families, including steps taken to limit compulsory branded items and exclusive supplier arrangements; and whether her Department has issued guidance to schools regarding reasonable accommodation in uniform policies for children with sensory processing difficulties or other additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17352/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether national guidance has been issued requiring schools to provide reasonable accommodation within uniform policies for children with sensory processing difficulties or additional needs; if no if such binding guidance has issued, whether she plans to introduce same in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17353/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to publish in full the current national criteria, weighting factors, assessment instruments and decision thresholds used by the National Council for Special Education in determining annual Special Needs Assistant allocations to primary schools; and to confirm whether any amendments, recalibrations or procedural changes were introduced for the 2026/27 review cycle. [15925/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools notified of a reduction of two or more Special Needs Assistant posts for the 2026/27 school year prior to the decision to pause the review process; and to provide a county-by-county breakdown of same. [15926/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total whole-time equivalent Special Needs Assistant allocation to primary schools in County Cork for the 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 school years respectively; and to confirm whether the 2026/27 figure reflects the position before or after the pause of the review process. [15927/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether a formal impact assessment, equality screening, child rights assessment, financial analysis or cost modelling exercise was conducted prior to issuing Special Needs Assistant reduction notifications for the 2026/27 school year; and, if so, to provide the title, date of completion and authoring body of each such assessment. [15928/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the Interdepartmental Group established to examine the issue of historic child sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools has completed its work; if so, the date on which its report or recommendations were furnished to her; whether Government has considered the report; whether a formal decision has been taken regarding the establishment of a redress scheme for survivors of historic child sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools; and the current timeline, for legislative or administrative action in this regard. [14679/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the State’s current legal and administrative framework provides an effective remedy for survivors of historic child sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools; whether the Government has undertaken an assessment of the State’s obligations arising from the judgment of the European Court of Human in a case (details supplied) in the context of survivors who do not fall within existing redress schemes; whether any formal review has been carried out to determine if additional legislative or administrative measures are required to ensure compliance with Articles 3 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14680/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether in recent special needs assistant review cycles, any revised guidance has issued to the National Council for Special Education distinguishing between level 2 and level 3 primary care needs for the purpose of determining reductions in SNA allocation; and if she will clarify the policy basis for any such distinction [13546/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the safeguards which exist within the special needs assistant review appeals process to ensure that schools are not discouraged from lodging appeals; whether any departmental guidance addresses the possibility of further allocation changes following an appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13547/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the quality assurance procedures that are in place within the National Council for Special Education to ensure accuracy in SNA allocation correspondence issued to schools; whether any internal review has taken place following instances of incorrect allocation notifications, and if she will outline the governance framework governing such communications. [13548/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth Education the current operational status of the special needs assistant redeployment scheme referenced in Circular 0032/2025; whether it is fully operational nationwide; and the way allocation reductions are managed in schools pending full implementation of the scheme [13549/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools in County Cork that have experienced a reduction in special needs assistant allocation following National Council for Special Education review during the 2024 and 2025 school years; and whether her Department is satisfied that reductions are being applied consistently and proportionately [13550/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered establishing a national reporting framework requiring schools to submit anonymised data on serious disciplinary incidents involving weapons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13620/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has issued specific national disciplinary guidance addressing incidents involving weapons on school premises, distinct from general critical incident guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13621/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth how her Department satisfies itself that current governance arrangements adequately monitor trends in serious safety incidents, including weapon-related incidents, in the absence of centralised data collection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13622/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any formal or informal guidance has been issued by her Department or by the National Council for Special Education in the 2025–26 review cycle indicating that pupils in fifth and sixth class in mainstream primary settings should not be considered eligible for special needs assistant support solely by reference to their class level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13779/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the eligibility criteria for special needs assistant allocation are based exclusively on documented care needs rather than age or class grouping; and to outline the current policy position governing this. [13780/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any revised circular, directive, operational instruction or internal policy guidance was issued to the National Council for Special Education or to Special Educational Needs Organisers in advance of the 2026 SNA review cycle altering the weighting of mainstream primary care needs; and if so, to provide details. [13781/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the SNA appeals mechanism permits a reduction in allocation beyond that originally notified where an appeal is submitted; and to outline the procedural safeguards in place to ensure that the exercise of the right of appeal does not expose schools to additional allocation loss. [13782/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted any review of the operation of the SNA redeployment scheme for the 2025–2026 school year; to provide the number of SNA posts redeployed nationally in that period; and to outline how redeployment interacts with reductions notified to schools. [13783/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the net national change in mainstream SNA posts, excluding special class allocations, between the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 school years; and to provide the number of primary schools experiencing a reduction of one or more full-time equivalent SNA posts for September 2026. [13784/26]
  • 2026-02-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the national criteria and methodology used by the NCSE in determining annual SNA allocations to primary schools; whether this methodology has changed for the 2026/27 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13225/26]
  • 2026-02-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools notified of a reduction of two or more SNA posts for the 2026/27 school year and if she will provide a county-by-county breakdown [13226/26]
  • 2026-02-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any impact assessment has been carried out on the educational and care implications of SNA allocation reductions; and if she will outline same [13227/26]
  • 2026-02-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of SNAs allocated to primary schools in Cork for the 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and projected 2026-2027 school years respectively [13228/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department maintains, receives, or collates any national dataset on the number of children in mainstream primary and post-primary schools who are placed on reduced or partial timetables for reasons related to additional or special educational needs; if so, the number recorded in each of the past five years, broken down by year and school level; and if not, the rationale for the absence of such a dataset given her Department’s statutory responsibility for educational inclusion and oversight. [10810/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether schools are required, under Departmental circulars, guidance, or policy, to formally notify her Department or an agency under her remit when a child ceases attending mainstream education, or is placed on a reduced timetable, due to the school stating it cannot meet the child’s additional or special educational needs; when such requirements were last reviewed; and if no such mandatory reporting requirement exists, whether she accepts this represents a governance gap. [10811/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to set out the legal basis, Departmental policy position, and any issued guidance governing the use of reduced or partial timetables for children with additional or special educational needs; the circumstances in which such timetables are considered permissible; the maximum duration envisaged under policy; and the safeguards in place to ensure reduced timetables are not used as a substitute for the provision of appropriate in-school supports. [10812/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth what mechanisms her Department uses to monitor and oversee cases where children with additional or special educational needs are no longer attending mainstream schools on a full-time basis, including cases involving reduced timetables, home tuition, or alternative provision; the specific indicators or thresholds that trigger Departmental review; and how accountability is enforced where unmet needs, rather than parental choice, are the primary driver. [10813/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department tracks educational pathways for children who exit mainstream schooling due to unmet additional or special educational needs, including subsequent placement in alternative education programmes, home tuition, or no provision; and if not, whether she will commit to establishing a tracking mechanism to ensure no child is effectively excluded from education without visibility or oversight. [10815/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to clarify the formal role of special educational needs organisers in cases where a child’s attendance at mainstream school is reduced or discontinued due to unmet needs; whether SENOs have authority to require schools to maintain full-time attendance where supports are lacking; and how her Department measures the effectiveness of SENO interventions in preventing de facto exclusion. [10844/26]
  • …and 156 more questions on Education
• Social 168 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any assessment has been carried out on the feasibility of introducing real-time residency verification, including the use of exit-entry data or airline passenger data, to ensure that payments do not continue to issue to persons no longer resident in the State; and if he will provide the outcome of any such assessment. [24545/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to quantify the average duration for which a payment continues to issue after a recipient ceases to satisfy the habitual residence condition before detection occurs; and the estimated financial exposure arising from this delay. [24546/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to explain the increase in child benefit overpayments arising from absence from the State between 2023 and 2025; and to outline the specific control or enforcement measures introduced during this period to address this trend. [24547/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of overpayments arising from absence from the State that are ultimately recovered in full; the average recovery timeframe; and the proportion written off or unrecovered. [24548/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide details of any internal audit or compliance review carried out since 2022 specifically examining payments issued to persons no longer resident in the State, including any control weaknesses identified and corrective actions taken. [24549/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which his Department holds, or has access to, data on social insurance contributors, disaggregated by nationality; if he will provide, for the most recent year available, the number of active contributors to the PRSI system by nationality; the proportion this represents of the total number of persons of that nationality resident in the State, where such comparative data is available; the details of the sources, methodology, and dates associated with these figures; and any engagement between his Department and the Central Statistics Office or other relevant bodies regarding the compilation or publication of such data, in tabular form. [25979/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which his Department holds, or has access to, data on social insurance contributors disaggregated by nationality; if he will provide, for the most recent year available, any such data including the number of active contributors to the PRSI system by nationality; the proportion this represents of the total number of persons of that nationality resident in the State, where such comparative data is available; the details of the sources, methodology, and dates associated with these figures; and if he will outline any engagement between his Department and the Central Statistics Office or other relevant bodies regarding the compilation or publication of such data. [26108/26]
  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the real-time verification mechanisms in place to ensure that recipients of social welfare payments, including child benefit and disability allowance, continue to meet residency requirements within the State; whether these systems include routine cross-checking with immigration, Revenue, and airline or travel data; and if he will outline any plans to introduce automated exit-tracking or enhanced data-sharing to prevent payments issuing to persons no longer resident in the State. [22753/26]
  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total value of welfare overpayments made to persons not resident in the State in each of the past five years, broken down by scheme; the number of individuals involved annually; and the extent to which these figures represent identified fraud, administrative error, or delayed notification of departure. [22754/26]
  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual recovery rate of overpayments made to persons absent from the State; the average duration required to recover such funds; whether penalties, interest, or legal enforcement mechanisms are applied; and if he will outline measures to improve recovery performance. [22755/26]
  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the safeguards in place to ensure that child benefit payments are made only where eligibility conditions, including habitual residence, are satisfied; the number of child benefit claims identified as incorrectly paid to non-resident recipients in each of the past three years; and whether additional verification requirements are being considered. [22756/26]
  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of internal audits or compliance reviews conducted by the Department relating to payments issued to persons outside the State since 2022;the findings of these audits; and whether any systemic control failures were identified and addressed. [22757/26]
  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any legislative or regulatory gaps have been identified which allow welfare payments to continue after a recipient has left the State; and if he will outline any proposed legislative amendments to strengthen eligibility enforcement and prevent recurrence. [22758/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for disability allowance in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to-date in 2026; the number approved; the number refused; and the approval rate in each year, in tabular form. [16711/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients of disability allowance by primary medical condition category in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will provide the percentage increase or decrease in each category over that period. [16712/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the average duration of time recipients have remained on disability allowance; the number of recipients on the scheme for more than five years; and the annual exit rate from the scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025. [16713/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any internal administrative guidance, medical assessment protocols, or decision-making frameworks relating to eligibility for disability allowance have been amended, revised, or updated since 1 January 2020; and if so, if he will outline the nature and date of those revisions. [16714/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated gross annual expenditure on disability allowance in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and the projected expenditure for 2026. [16715/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of clients classified as beneficiaries of temporary protection who were referred to the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of such clients who secured employment; the number who sustained employment for at least 6 months and 12 months respectively; and the corresponding figures for all other clients referred during the same period [15833/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total actual expenditure incurred in respect of all clients referred to the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and the proportion of that expenditure attributable to beneficiaries of temporary protection in each year [15834/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the average actual cost per client referred to the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the average cost per client classified as a beneficiary of temporary protection; and the average cost per client not so classified. [15835/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the contractual payment structure for providers under the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services differs in respect of beneficiaries of temporary protection compared to other clients; whether payment triggers, milestone payments or outcome payments vary by cohort; and if he will provide details of same. [15836/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has estimated the reduction in welfare expenditure arising from beneficiaries of temporary protection securing sustained employment through the National Employment Service or Local Area Employment Services; the estimated increase in income tax and PRSI receipts attributable to such employment; and whether any cost-benefit or value-for-money assessment has been conducted in this regard. [15837/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the average duration in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment prior to referral to contracted employment services for beneficiaries of temporary protection; the equivalent duration for all other jobseekers; and whether any differential activation pathway applies. [15838/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether additional supports, including English language training, translation assistance or tailored integration measures, are funded within the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services in respect of beneficiaries of temporary protection; and the total cost of such supports since 2022 [15839/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any formal review, audit, performance evaluation or value-for-money assessment has been undertaken since 2022 in respect of referrals of beneficiaries of temporary protection to contracted employment services; and if he will provide the title and completion date of any such review. [15840/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the legal classification of payments made to athletes under the international carding scheme administered by Sport Ireland; whether such payments are treated as employment income, self-employment income, or non-insurable grants for the purposes of PRSI and social insurance legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15635/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether athletes in receipt of the international carding scheme funding are regarded as employees of Sport Ireland or of the State for any statutory purpose; whether any employer PRSI contributions are paid in respect of such athletes; the PRSI class, if any, applied to those in receipt of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15636/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether athletes entering the international carding scheme are formally advised that participation does not give rise to insurable employment contributions for the purposes of jobseeker’s benefit, illness benefit or the State contributory pension; whether written guidance is provided on the long-term social insurance implications of participation; and if he will furnish a copy of such guidance.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15637/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has undertaken any review, legal opinion, actuarial assessment or policy analysis since 2015 regarding the social insurance status of athletes supported under the international carding scheme; the dates of any such reviews; and whether he intends to initiate a review of social protection coverage for elite athletes representing the State. [15638/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether payments made to athletes under Sport Ireland’s international carding scheme constitute insurable employment under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005; and if she will clarify the PRSI status of such payments. [15640/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether participation in the international carding scheme gives rise to credited contributions for the purposes of jobseeker’s benefit, illness benefit or the State contributory pension; and if she has assessed the long-term pension impact on athletes whose primary income during their competitive careers derives from such funding. [15641/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for jobseeker’s benefit refused since 2016 where the applicant’s primary prior income derived from elite sports participation supported by State high-performance funding; and the grounds on which such refusals were made. [15642/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether consideration has been given to providing credited PRSI contributions, a special insurance class, or an alternative statutory mechanism to ensure social protection coverage for athletes representing the State at elite level; and whether any interdepartmental discussions have taken place in this regard. [15643/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of disability allowance in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026. [14087/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection when the eligibility criteria for disability allowance was last reformed; and when an additional illness or medical condition was last included for the purpose of broadening the qualifying criteria. [14088/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has a clearly defined and published set of criteria for qualifying for disability allowance; and if so, if he will provide details of those criteria. [14089/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total actual expenditure incurred (as opposed to allocated or contracted amounts) to date in respect of clients classified as TPU and referred to contracted public employment services; to provide a breakdown of this expenditure by programme (Local Area Employment Services (LAES) and the National Employment Services (NES)); to outline the number of TPU clients referred under each programme during that period; the average cost per TPU client; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13899/26]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide his Department’s assessment of the projected poverty risk for households headed by a person with a disability in 2026; the way in which this compares with 2025; and if internal modelling showed a higher poverty risk following the withdrawal of once off supports. [69174/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the net change in income in 2026 compared with 2025 for a single adult on disability allowance living alone, taking account of the withdrawal of once off supports in Budget 2025 including the €400 disability cost-of-living payment, the €300 fuel lump sum, the €300 living alone lump sum, the €200 electricity credits and the double week bonuses, and the permanent increases announced in Budget 2026; his Department’s calculation of the total value of once off supports in 2025 for this household type and the value of permanent supports to be received in 2026. [69166/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed assessment of the fiscal implications of reintroducing a once-off winter support for persons with disabilities in 2026, including the projected cost of a €300 payment, a €400 payment and a €500 payment; and if his Department has carried out any analysis of the additional energy and living costs faced by disabled households during the winter period. [69167/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the net change in income in 2026 compared with 2025 for a single adult on disability allowance living alone, taking account of the withdrawal of once off supports in Budget 2025 including the €400 disability cost-of-living payment, the €300 fuel lump sum, the €300 living alone lump sum, the €200 electricity credits and the double week bonuses, and the permanent increases announced in Budget 2026; and his Department’s calculation of the total value of once off supports in 2025 for this household type and the value of permanent supports to be received in 2026. [69169/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed assessment of the fiscal implications of reintroducing a once off winter support for persons with disabilities in 2026, including the projected cost of a €300 payment, a €400 payment and a €500 payment; and if his Department has carried out any analysis of the additional energy and living costs faced by disabled households during the winter period. [69170/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to detail his Department’s inflation adjusted estimate of the annual extra cost of disability in 2026, referencing the cost of disability study (details supplied) and any updated modelling carried out by her Department since 2020; and the way in which these figures informed the design of Budget 2026. [69172/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department’s projected expenditure in 2026 on disability allowance, invalidity pension, blind pension, domiciliary care allowance and carer’s allowance. [69176/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of restoring all once off supports paid to disabled people in 2025 for one further year, itemised by each support including the disability cost-of-living payment, the fuel lump sum, the living alone lump sum, electricity credits and double week bonuses. [69177/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for decisions on a cost of disability payment within the expenditure framework for 2026 and 2027. [70985/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for decisions on a cost of disability payment within the expenditure framework for 2026 and 2027. [70986/25]
  • 2025-11-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his department has examined how existing maternity and illness benefit schemes could be extended or adapted to provide income support to workers who experience pregnancy loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62424/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has examined how existing maternity and illness benefit schemes could be extended or adapted to provide income support to workers who experience pregnancy loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61385/25]
  • …and 118 more questions on Social
• Public Expenditure 151 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he accepts that the evidential presumption in respect of penalisation under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended, is not currently required to be applied during the administrative handling and investigation of disclosures by public bodies; and whether he will introduce a formal policy requirement to ensure consistency between administrative decision-making and the evidential framework applied in proceedings before the Workplace Relations Commission and the courts. [24675/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any assessment has been undertaken of the potential litigation risk arising from administrative decisions taken by public bodies in relation to protected disclosures where the evidential presumption provided for under Sections 12 and 13 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended, is not applied; and if so, to provide details of that assessment. [24676/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he will issue a circular or binding instruction to all Departments, agencies, and prescribed persons requiring that, in assessing alleged penalisation of a reporting person under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended, decision-makers apply an evidential approach consistent with that set out in the Act for adjudicative proceedings. [24677/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he is satisfied that the current administrative handling of protected disclosures by public bodies fully reflects the objectives of Directive (EU) 2019/1937, in particular the requirement to ensure effective protection against retaliation at all stages of the process, including internal assessment and investigation. [24678/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will confirm whether a comprehensive audit or condition survey has been conducted of the Garda station estate nationwide since 2020; if so, the date of the most recent audit; whether such audit assessed structural condition, compliance with modern policing requirements, and public accessibility standards; and if he will provide a summary of the findings and any resulting capital investment priorities identified by his Department. [26440/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide the number of Garda stations identified, through any assessment conducted by his Department or by the Office of Public Works, as requiring minor repair works, major refurbishment, or full replacement; and if he will outline the criteria used to classify stations within each category. [26441/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to outline the current capital investment programme for Garda station refurbishment and replacement, including the total funding allocated in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, the number of projects approved, commenced and completed in each of those years, and the projected pipeline of works planned for the period 2026 to 2029. [26442/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to set out the role of the Office of Public Works in the maintenance, refurbishment and development of Garda stations; whether a formal service-level agreement or governance framework is in place between his Department, the Office of Public Works and An Garda Síochána; and how capital project prioritisation decisions are determined within this framework. [26443/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he is aware of any Garda stations in which hazardous materials, including asbestos, have been identified; whether a central register or risk assessment database of such materials exists; the number of buildings affected; and the measures taken to mitigate any risks to Garda personnel, staff and members of the public. [26445/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether all Garda stations are compliant with current building regulations, fire safety standards, disability access requirements, and workplace health and safety obligations; and if he will provide the number of stations identified as non-compliant in each category, together with any remediation plans, timelines and associated capital costs. [26446/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether a comprehensive audit has been carried out of the Garda station estate nationwide; the number of stations classified as requiring refurbishment, upgrade, or replacement; the estimated capital cost of addressing identified deficiencies; the role of the Office of Public Works in maintaining Garda stations; and the timeline for delivery of any capital investment programme for Garda infrastructure. [26450/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any assessment has been conducted of the presence of hazardous materials, including asbestos, in Garda stations; the number of stations identified as containing such materials; the risk mitigation measures currently in place; the estimated cost of remediation works; and the timeline for ensuring all Garda facilities meet current health and safety standards. [26451/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the reversal of the burden of proof provided for under the protected disclosures legislation applies only during formal adjudicative proceedings before bodies such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the courts, or whether it also applies during the administrative handling and investigation of disclosures by public bodies. [22387/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any guidance has been issued to public bodies advising that the evidential presumption relating to retaliation under the protected disclosures legislation should be applied when assessing disclosures internally; and if no such guidance has issued, whether the Government has considered whether the absence of such guidance may create inconsistencies between administrative decision-making and the evidential framework applied in litigation. [22388/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Government has assessed whether administrative decisions taken without applying the evidential presumption provided for in the protected disclosures legislation may expose the State to avoidable litigation risk where those decisions are later challenged in proceedings before the Workplace Relations Commission or the courts. [22389/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the Government has considered the interaction between the evidential presumption in whistleblower legislation and the Government’s State Litigation Principles, particularly the requirement that State bodies seek to avoid unnecessary litigation and protect public funds. [22390/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Government has reviewed whether the current interpretation of the burden-of-proof provisions in Irish whistleblower legislation fully reflects the objectives of Directive (EU) 2019/1937, particularly in ensuring effective protection against retaliation. [22391/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any written guidance, circulars, or instructions have been issued to Departments, agencies, or prescribed persons regarding the application of the evidential presumption provided for under the protected disclosures legislation when assessing alleged retaliation during the administrative handling of disclosures; and if such guidance exists, whether he will provide details of the relevant guidance. [22392/26]
  • 2026-03-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the current statutory and administrative procedures governing the dismissal of a civil servant at assistant secretary general level, including any requirements under legislation and civil service circulars for the notification of the civil servant with respect to a show cause letter; and to detail the way in which these procedures would be altered by the proposed civil service regulation and public service management (amendment) and miscellaneous provisions Bill listed in the Government’s Spring 2026 Legislative Programme (p.10), where its status is described as “ongoing”. [22482/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of times the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner has exercised its powers under section 10 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended) since its establishment; and if those powers have not been exercised, the reasons for this. [20966/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the statutory functions of the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended) are considered to be fully discharged once a disclosure has been transmitted to a prescribed person or public body; and whether the commissioner has any ongoing role where the identified body subsequently indicates the matter does not fall within its remit. [20968/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the procedures that exist within the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner to reconsider or review a decision identifying the appropriate person or body to receive a protected disclosure where the originally identified body indicates that the matter does not fall within its remit; and whether reporting persons are notified of or able to request such reconsideration. [20969/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of public servants recruited since 2013 in fast accrual professions including the Defence Forces and Fire Services who are members of the Public Service Single Pension Scheme; the estimated income gap that arises between retirement age for these professions and the age of eligibility for the State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21156/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department maintains a central dataset tracking the duration of the planning, environmental impact assessment, appropriate assessment and judicial review stages for major infrastructure projects funded under the National Development Plan since 2015; if so, to provide the annual average duration of each stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21177/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether a baseline analysis of infrastructure project delivery timelines was undertaken prior to the publication of the Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan; the evidence or datasets used to support the statement that development lifecycles have doubled compared with twenty years ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21178/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department intends to establish a central reporting framework requiring sponsoring authorities of major infrastructure projects to report delays and additional costs arising from quashing orders or judicial review proceedings affecting environmental impact assessment or appropriate assessment processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21179/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether quantified national time-reduction targets will be introduced under the Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan for the planning, environmental assessment and approval stages of major infrastructure projects; and whether these targets will be published with measurable performance indicators. [21180/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether quantified time-reduction targets have been set under the Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan; and if he will provide the performance indicators by which success will be measured. [16707/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether primary legislation will be required to implement judicial review reforms under Action 1; whether drafting instructions have been issued to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel; the anticipated date of publication of any Bill; and whether pre-legislative scrutiny is planned. [16708/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the specific EIA or appropriate assessment thresholds are proposed to be raised under Action 4; whether regulatory impact analysis has been completed; whether public consultation will be undertaken; and the projected commencement date of any statutory instruments. [16709/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the estimated cost to the Exchequer between 2015 and 2025 arising from projects requiring a restart of EIA or AA processes following quashing orders; and whether a cost-benefit analysis has been conducted in relation to the proposed judicial review reforms. [16710/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether, following the removal of ministerial approval at Approval Gate 2 under the revised Infrastructure Guidelines, his Department has introduced or will introduce enhanced reporting requirements to Ministers or to Dáil Éireann in respect of material scope changes, procurement strategy alterations, or emerging cost pressures arising between Approval Gate 1 and Approval Gate 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15908/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department conducted any analysis of cost escalation occurring between Approval Gate 2 and Approval Gate 3 under the previous approval framework; the average percentage increase in estimated project costs at that stage over the past five years; and whether that analysis informed the decision to remove ministerial approval at Gate 2. [15909/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the advice provided by the Major Projects Advisory Group in 2025 concerning the removal of ministerial approval at Approval Gate 2 will be published; and if not, the reason for that decision. [15910/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has conducted any time-based analysis of the duration between, submission of major infrastructure project proposals to a Minister or Cabinet committee and, formal ministerial or Cabinet decision; if so, to provide the average, median and range of decision intervals for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if no such analysis has been undertaken, whether he will commit to conducting one in 2026. [15911/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the July 2025 Stakeholder Engagement and Emerging Themes Report or any related departmental analysis included quantitative modelling attributing proportions of overall project delay to, statutory planning processes, judicial review, procurement procedures, departmental appraisal and approval stages, and ministerial or Cabinet decision-making; and to provide any such breakdown. [15912/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the average duration of each stage of the Public Spending Code appraisal and approval process for major capital projects exceeding €100 million for the years 2022 to 2025 inclusive; and to indicate which stage accounted for the longest cumulative delay across projects during that period. [15913/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has assessed the impact of Cabinet committee scheduling frequency on the progression of major infrastructure projects requiring political approval; whether any backlog or queuing analysis has been undertaken; and if he will provide details of such analysis. [15914/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of major infrastructure projects which had completed statutory planning consent were, at any point during 2022 to 2025 inclusive, awaiting ministerial or Cabinet approval for funding or progression; and to provide the average duration of such waiting periods. [15915/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department has benchmarked Ireland’s ministerial and central approval timelines for major infrastructure projects against comparable EU member states; and to provide the findings of any such benchmarking. [15916/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to outline any legislative, regulatory, or administrative reforms currently under consideration or in development to reduce delays in Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for major transport infrastructure projects, and to provide indicative timelines for the introduction of any such reforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14733/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the policy rationale for proposals to bypass ministerial involvement in the approval of major infrastructure projects; whether he accepts that these proposals represent a reduction in direct ministerial accountability to the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11927/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the way in which the proposed removal or reduction of ministerial decision-making roles in major infrastructure approvals is reconciled with the constitutional principle of ministerial responsibility to Dáil Éireann; and if he will outline the legal basis for this approach. [11928/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any formal assessment has been carried out by his Department to determine if delays in major infrastructure delivery are attributable to ministerial decision-making, statutory processes, or other factors; to provide details of any such assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11929/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the person that will bear political and administrative responsibility where a major infrastructure project approved under the proposed streamlined arrangements is delayed, over budget, or fails to proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11930/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the mechanisms will remain in place to ensure democratic oversight, transparency, and parliamentary scrutiny of major infrastructure projects where ministerial involvement in approvals is reduced or removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11931/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any guidance has been issued to public bodies regarding the protection of defined benefit pension schemes from being used to address funding shortfalls or restructuring costs; and whether RTÉ has been assessed for compliance with such guidance. [11372/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 420 to 422 of 4 February 2026, the aggregate amount of pension contribution under-deductions relating to serving Ministers and Ministers of State that remains outstanding as of 31 January 2026; the aggregate amount repaid to date; and the number of cases in which any balance remains unpaid, noting that no individual or personal data is sought. [10712/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the longest repayment period approved by the National Shared Services Office in respect of pension contribution under-deductions affecting serving Ministers and Ministers of State identified following Government formation in January 2025; and the standard maximum repayment period applied elsewhere across the public service for comparable pension under-deduction cases. [10713/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether interest, surcharges, or other financial adjustments apply to pension contribution under-deductions recovered from serving Ministers and Ministers of State; whether the same financial conditions apply to other public servants in under-deduction cases; and if there is any difference, the policy authority under which that difference arises. [10714/26]
  • …and 101 more questions on Public Expenditure
• Enterprise 135 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to detail the measures in place to protect energy-intensive industries from sustained increases in electricity and fuel costs arising from global supply disruptions; to outline any engagement with key sectors regarding competitiveness risks; and to set out any contingency supports under consideration. [23591/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment what guidance has been issued to employers to ensure that, where competing rights arise in the workplace, including in relation to access to intimate or single-sex facilities such as changing rooms and sanitary facilities, policies are applied in a manner that is proportionate and respects the dignity and rights of all employees. [24029/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his department has issued national guidance to employers regarding the management of workplace policies affecting access to intimate or single-sex facilities; and if so, to provide details of same. [24030/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment how consistency is ensured across all employers, including semi-state bodies such as ESB, in relation to policies governing access to workplace facilities. [24032/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment what obligations arise for employers where employees raise concerns regarding access to workplace facilities, and what guidance is available in respect of employers’ duty of care in such circumstances. [24033/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether employers are required to carry out risk assessments where employees raise concerns regarding access to workplace facilities; and what standards are used to ensure consistency in such assessments. [24034/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment what oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that workplace policies are consistent with obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly in relation to privacy and dignity in workplace facilities. [24035/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether guidance has been issued to employers on the provision of alternative arrangements, including single-occupancy or gender-neutral facilities, to ensure that all employees can access workplace facilities in a manner consistent with their dignity and privacy. [24036/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment when he expects to publish the outcome of the public consultation on the proposal to extend the late working hours exemption for young persons to unlicensed premises under the Protection of Young Persons Act 1996; and whether he intends to introduce new regulations or revise the existing code of practice arising from this consultation. [18642/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the justification for the continued roll-out of the built to innovate initiative, with €6.8 million in public grants approved to date, in the absence of an independent external evaluation and in circumstances where productivity impacts are currently measured only at firm level rather than across the residential construction sector as a whole during a national housing shortage. [7828/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has conducted, commissioned or received any regulatory impact assessment, economic modelling or internal policy analysis since 1 January 2021 examining the cumulative administrative and compliance costs arising from customs declarations, tariff classification requirements, VAT registration obligations or brokerage fees affecting Irish small and medium-sized enterprises exporting parcels to the United Kingdom and the United States; and if he will provide details of such analysis, including dates, authorship and whether it was published. [13706/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has estimated the average per-parcel administrative cost incurred by Irish SMEs exporting low-value consignments to (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the United States, including customs declarations, intermediary brokerage fees, VAT compliance and associated documentation; and if no such estimate has been undertaken, whether he intends to commission one [13707/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has engaged with the Revenue Commissioners regarding simplified customs procedures or reduced administrative burdens for micro-exporting SMEs reliant on parcel trade; the dates and nature of any such engagement; and whether specific policy proposals have been developed arising from those discussions [13708/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department holds data or has conducted analysis on the number or proportion of Irish SMEs for whom small-consignment parcel exports constitute their primary export channel; and if so, the findings of that analysis. [13709/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the Cost of Business Advisory Forum established in June 2025 has specifically examined customs compliance costs, parcel export brokerage fees, or international e-commerce administrative burdens as part of its remit; and if so, whether recommendations have been made or are under consideration by Government [13710/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the forthcoming Enterprise 2035 strategy will contain specific measures aimed at reducing customs-related compliance costs for SMEs engaged in cross-border parcel trade; and if he will outline any draft policy proposals currently under consideration [13711/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of employment permits issued in 2025 by sector; whether each sector is classified as experiencing a verified skills shortage; and whether an updated labour market needs analysis has been completed for 2026 permit quotas. [13866/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the statutory, policy, or administrative basis on which his Department considers that responsibility for commissioning residential construction productivity metrics, including residential-specific gross value added and labour input indicators, rests exclusively with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and to confirm whether his Department accepts any shared responsibility for ensuring that productivity in the residential construction sector is measurable for enterprise, labour-market, and competitiveness policy purposes. [10743/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has, at any time since 2022, formally considered requesting the Central Statistics Office to develop residential-specific construction productivity indicators; whether any internal advice, briefing note, or submission was prepared on this issue; and, if no such consideration occurred, the reasons residential construction productivity has not been treated as a priority data requirement for enterprise and competitiveness policy. [10744/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has sought advice from the Central Statistics Office or Eurostat on the feasibility of publishing residential-specific construction productivity data within the existing EU statistical framework; whether any barriers were identified; and if no such engagement has taken place, the reason his Department has not explored available statistical or regulatory pathways to enable more granular productivity analysis in a sector central to national economic performance. [10745/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has defined any sector-level performance indicators for the Built to Innovate initiative, beyond firm-level project assessments; to measure impacts on residential housing output, construction timelines, or unit delivery costs; and if not, the reason his Department satisfies itself that the initiative contributes meaningfully to national housing delivery and productivity objectives. [10746/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the rationale for scheduling the first independent external evaluation of the Built to Innovate initiative for 2027, notwithstanding that €6.8 million in public grant approvals have already issued; and to confirm whether his Department considered commissioning an earlier evaluation to inform decisions on programme continuation, expansion, or redesign. [10747/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether any further funding allocations or programme expansions under the Built to Innovate initiative will proceed in advance of an independent external evaluation; whether his Department has considered making future funding contingent on demonstrated sector-level productivity or housing delivery outcomes; and if not, the governance arrangements relied upon to ensure value for money for additional Exchequer funding. [10748/26]
  • 2026-02-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the cross-departmental data analytics working group established under Housing for All has assigned clear Ministerial accountability for the measurement of residential construction productivity; whether any recommendation was made to establish a dedicated residential productivity framework; and if no such recommendation was adopted, the reasons. [10749/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has received any briefings, reports, or risk assessments from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission regarding cartel behaviour or bid-rigging in public procurement for State-funded projects; the dates of any such briefings since 2022; the sectors concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9320/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned any assessment of the estimated cost to the Exchequer arising from cartel activity or bid-rigging in public procurement; whether any modelling exists estimating price inflation attributable to such practices; and if he will outline any findings available to his Department.. [9321/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the legislative or policy measures are currently under consideration to strengthen the detection and deterrence of cartel behaviour in public procurement, including any proposals to enhance the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s access to procurement data held by public bodies; and the expected timeline for any such measures. [9322/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether there is a formal interdepartmental framework in place between his Department, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to address cartel behaviour in public procurement; when such arrangements were established; and the way accountability and reporting are structured. [9327/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has formally requested the Central Statistics Office, since 2022, to develop a residential construction productivity framework or satellite account capable of producing residential-specific productivity indicators, including gross value added and hours worked; if so, the date of each such request; and if not, the reasons no such request has been made. [7615/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether any Inter-Departmental Group, Steering Committee, or formal governance structure has been established since 2022 to oversee the development of residential construction productivity metrics, including modern methods of construction output; the Departments and agencies represented; the chairing authority; and the outputs or decisions agreed to date. [7616/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether a decision has been taken by his Department not to seek, request, or support a Eurostat derogation or alternative statistical approval to enable the publication of residential-specific construction productivity data; if such a decision has been taken, the date and rationale for that decision; and if no decision has been taken, whether he intends to initiate such engagement. [7617/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has assessed the potential economic impact on tourism, foreign direct investment, export capacity, and employment arising from any curtailment or suspension of flights between Ireland and the United States linked to the Dublin Airport passenger cap; and if so, to provide the estimated economic exposure identified. [7652/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether an independent external evaluation framework has been established to assess the value for money and productivity impact of the Built to Innovate initiative administered by Enterprise Ireland; whether any external evaluator has been appointed or procured to date; if not, whether the Minister intends to commission an independent external evaluation of the initiative in 2026 having regard to the €6.8 million in public grants approved to date; and if he will set out the expected timeline for such an evaluation. [7711/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department or Enterprise Ireland has established metrics to assess whether the Built to Innovate initiative has delivered demonstrable productivity gains at sector level within the residential construction industry, including impacts on housing output, build times, or unit delivery costs beyond firm-level performance indicators; if such sector-level metrics exist, to outline them; if not, to explain how the effectiveness of the initiative is being assessed in terms of its contribution to national housing delivery objectives. [7712/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether any further expansion or additional funding allocations under the Built to Innovate initiative will be made prior to the completion of an independent external evaluation of the programme; whether consideration has been given to making future funding contingent on demonstrated sector-level productivity or housing delivery outcomes; and if he will outline the governance arrangements in place to ensure value for money where additional Exchequer funding is proposed. [7713/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the analysis undertaken by his Department of the cumulative impact on Irish small and medium-sized enterprises of recent and forthcoming changes to customs and tariff rules affecting parcel exports to the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union; and the policy supports are planned to assist businesses facing increased administrative burdens and costs. [1038/26]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 382 of 11 December 2025, the date by which his Department will furnish the information stated as “currently being collated”; if the evaluation framework for the built to innovate programme exists in draft or interim form; and to identify the official or unit responsible for finalising this material. [73616/25]
  • 2025-12-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 383 of 11 December 2025, if his Department has, since 2022, made any formal request to the Central Statistics Office, Eurostat, or the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the publication of residential construction productivity statistics, including GVA or hours worked; and if so, the dates of such requests and the outcome. [73617/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide Ireland’s full indicator-level scores under the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration for 2024, disaggregated by each theme and sub-domain, given that this information was not included in his previous reply; to confirm whether the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council has furnished these data to his Department; and to outline the process through which such datasets are collated and reviewed for policy and benchmarking purposes. [71081/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the actions taken under the Consumer Protection Act 2007 to address misleading commercial practices relating to the description, presentation or marketing of meat products supplied to food service businesses and retail outlets; the coordination mechanisms in place between his Department, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Food Safety Authority to ensure consumers receive accurate information on meat origin and characteristics; and the reporting structures used to monitor compliance. [71082/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if an independent external evaluation framework has been established to assess the value-for-money and productivity impact of the Built to Innovate programme, including the €6.8 million in approved grants; if not, when such an evaluation will be commissioned; and the indicators that will be used to measure demonstrable productivity gains at sector level rather than firm level. [71083/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the work undertaken with the Central Statistics Office and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage since 2022 to enable the publication of residential-specific productivity statistics, including GVA, hours worked and modern methods of construction output; if his Department has sought a Eurostat derogation to permit disaggregated residential construction data; and the expected timeline for publication once such a framework is agreed. [71084/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department holds any analysis of the impact of complex interest rate hedging products on the viability of Irish SMEs during the financial crisis; and if any examination has been undertaken of contingent liabilities embedded in swap-linked lending by banks operating in the State. [71168/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the policy instruments available to support SMEs that may have been affected by non-transparent or complex hedging structures in the 2007 to 2012 period; and his intentions to initiate a review of SME credit fairness and contract transparency in light of recent international allegations. [71169/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if any elements of the Credit Guarantee Scheme, SME Lending Code, or statutory protections for small businesses have been evaluated to determine if they would have captured or prevented the use of hidden contingent credit exposures within SME loan products. [71170/25]
  • 2025-12-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the volume and sectoral profile of commercial property acquisitions by overseas investment groups in the past five years; the assessment his Department has carried out of the impact of such acquisitions on local enterprise, competition, and community ownership; and whether policy measures are being examined to safeguard Irish business continuity in regional towns. [70739/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has examined the introduction of statutory pregnancy-loss leave for losses before 23 weeks; and the assessments carried out on cost, eligibility, expected uptake, and international best practice. [68756/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps being taken to ensure clear and accurate consumer information on meat products supplied to food service businesses and retail outlets; the oversight mechanisms for verifying origin, labelling and traceability; and the measures in place to prevent consumers being misled about the nature or source of meat products. [68742/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the specific productivity indicators his Department uses to evaluate the impact of State-funded innovation schemes in the residential construction sector, including Built to Innovate and Construct Innovate, and to confirm whether metrics such as output per labour hour, output per euro of State support, and time-to-completion benchmarks are currently in use; and if not, when such indicators will be established. [68900/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the methodology used by his Department to assess value-for-money in the allocation of more than €6.5 million under the Built to Innovate programme for residential construction productivity, including the performance criteria applied to participating firms and the evidence of productivity gains recorded to date. [68901/25]
  • …and 85 more questions on Enterprise
• Foreign 130 questions

  • 2026-03-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department calculates the blended effective administrative and programme support cost rate across Ireland’s total official development assistance expenditure; and if not, whether she will commit to publishing an annual aggregate delivery cost ratio in order that the Oireachtas can assess value-for-money and financial oversight. [15721/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in light of the significant escalation in hostilities involving Iran and adjoining states between 28 February and 1 March 2026, during which her Department’s travel advice and consular outreach capacities were placed under heightened demand; the number of staff that were rostered, on duty, and actively responding to calls on her Department’s designated consular/emergency telephone lines (details supplied) over that weekend; the minimum and maximum number of personnel assigned per shift on those lines during that period; whether additional staff were seconded or diverted to support crisis consular operations; the average call handling time, call abandonment rate, and volume of incoming calls received on each consular/emergency line over that period; the criteria, rota system and escalation protocols used by her Department to ensure 24/7 consular hotline operation during periods of elevated demand; and the lessons identified or planned changes to resourcing and surge capacity for her Department’s consular contact centre arising from the experience of 28 February to1 March 2026. [18400/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No.189 of 19 February 2026, and reply that her Department has “no affiliation with the referenced website” includes confirmation that, since 1 January 2015, her Department has not received or responded to correspondence from any entity operating under the name ‘Diplomat.ie’; her Department has not held meetings, whether in person or virtual, with any representative of such entity; has not provided any funding, grant assistance, sponsorship, procurement payment, or other financial support to such entity or any associated legal person; and has not authorised any individual associated with that entity to act in any diplomatic, consular, trade, advisory, representative, or quasi-diplomatic capacity on behalf of the State. [15703/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department calculates, or can calculate from grant financial reports held by her Department, the aggregate proportion of Ireland’s total Official Development Assistance in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 that was retained by implementing partners for programme support costs, overhead, administration, consultancy, or management charges; and if so, to provide the proportion for each year. [15704/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department does not currently calculate a blended effective overhead rate across total Official Development Assistance expenditure, the reason this metric is not produced, the accounting or data constraints that prevent it, and the steps she will take to enable publication of such a rate for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 [15705/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, a breakdown of Ireland’s core contributions to multilateral organisations by recipient organisation and amount, and to state for each organisation the standard programme support cost rate, indirect cost recovery rate, or equivalent administrative levy applied to core resources, as published by the organisation or applied contractually, and the estimated euro value associated with that rate for Ireland’s contribution in each year [15706/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department holds, for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, a schedule of programme support cost rates, indirect cost recovery rates, or equivalent charges applied by multilateral partners to Ireland-funded expenditure, including where Ireland provides earmarked contributions, and if so, to provide that schedule and the total estimated euro value of such charges in each year. [15707/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide by grant scheme under Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme, the benchmarks, ceilings, or reference ranges applied to headquarters administration, programme quality costs, consultancy, or other indirect costs in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and to specify the control mechanism used to verify compliance in each scheme, including financial reporting requirements and verification checks [15708/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in respect of her statement that generic thresholds are not applied, to set out the criteria used by her Department to decide when benchmarks or ceilings for administrative costs are applied at grant level; and to provide the number of grants approved in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 which had an explicit administrative or overhead ceiling attached, and the number which did not. [15709/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether any funded programme in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 was assessed by her Department, at appraisal stage or during financial review, as having an administrative, overhead, consultancy, or programme support cost ratio outside what her Department considered reasonable for the relevant scheme or context; and if so, to provide the number of such instances in each year and the corrective action taken in each case, including revised budgets, conditions imposed, suspension, or non-payment. [15710/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide the number of instances in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 in which funding provided under Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme was subject to financial correction, recovery, suspension, withholding, or clawback arising from audit findings, evaluation findings, expenditure verification, or ineligible expenditure determinations, excluding fraud cases already reported separately; and to provide the total monetary value involved in each year. [15711/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department maintains a central register of recoveries, suspensions, withheld payments, financial corrections, and clawbacks across all Official Development Assistance schemes; if so, when the register was last updated; and whether she will publish an annual summary showing counts and values by scheme for 2022, 2023 and 2024. [15712/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in respect of Official Development Assistance reported as part of Ireland’s national contribution to the European Union development cooperation budget, to set out for each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 the proportion of Ireland’s national contribution categorised as ODA-eligible, the Department unit responsible for that calculation, and the documents or data sources used to support the figure reported to the OECD Development Assistance Committee. [15713/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department has granted any form of recognition, accreditation, endorsement, or official status to the organisation (details supplied) ;whether any individual associated with that organisation has been authorised, formally or informally, to act in any diplomatic, consular, trade, representative, advisory, or quasi-diplomatic capacity on behalf of the State; whether her Department has at any time since 2015 provided funding, grants, sponsorship, financial assistance, logistical support, venue access, official branding approval, or any other material support to this organisation or to any entity associated with it; the total amount of public monies, if any, paid by her Department to this organisation or related entities in each year since 2015; whether this organisation has engaged in meetings, correspondence, or structured engagement with her Department or its officials; if so, the dates and nature of such engagement; and whether her Department has undertaken any assessment of the potential for public or international misunderstanding arising from the use by private organisations of diplomatic titles or terminology which may imply official State authority. [13761/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the aggregate proportion of Ireland’s Official Development Assistance in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 that was retained by implementing partner organisations for programme support costs, overhead, administration, consultancy or management charges; and the blended effective overhead rate across total ODA expenditure for each of those years. [13886/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total amount of funding provided in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 through core contributions to multilateral organisations; the programme support cost percentage applied by each such organisation to Ireland’s contribution; and the resulting estimated monetary value of programme support costs deducted from those contributions in each year. [13887/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department applies any benchmark, ceiling, or reference range in respect of acceptable administrative or overhead cost ratios when approving grants under Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme; if not, the rationale for the absence of such benchmarks; and whether any funded programme in the years 2022, 2023 or 2024 exceeded internally assessed acceptable thresholds for overhead or programme support costs. [13888/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of instances in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 in which funding provided under Ireland’s Official Development Assistance programme was subject to financial correction, recovery, suspension, or clawback following audit or evaluation findings; and the total monetary value involved in each year. [13889/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in light of reports that up to six Irish citizens have been detained in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities for periods of up to five months, and in view of the Taoiseach’s statement in Dáil Éireann that she became aware of one such case only following media reports, if she will address a number of related issues (details supplied) [12422/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will give a clear and unambiguous commitment to the House that Ireland will stand by its position regarding the EU–Mercosur trade agreement (details supplied); and if she will confirm that the Government recognises the wider significance of this case for other EU trade agreements, including CETA, where Ireland was given explicit assurances on sovereignty, democratic consent, and constitutional limits. [8871/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the process by which the Saint Brigid’s Day 2026 advertising and digital media campaign was commissioned by her Department; the officials or units involved in its commissioning and approval; the date on which final approval was given; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9996/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the policy objectives underpinning the portrayal of Saint Brigid in the Department’s Saint Brigid’s Day 2026 advertising and digital media campaign; the guidance or criteria applied when determining how religious or cultural figures are represented in State-funded campaigns; and if she will provide the documentation or policy framework governing such decisions. [9997/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the oversight mechanisms, safeguards, or review processes that are in place within her Department to ensure that religious figures associated with Irish heritage are not used in a manner that could reasonably be regarded as ideologically partisan or disrespectful to their historical and religious context in State-funded promotional material. [9998/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department has received complaints or representations from members of the public regarding the Saint Brigid’s Day 2026 advertising or digital media campaign; the number and general nature of such complaints to date; and the steps, if any, are being taken to review, amend, or withdraw material that has caused offence. [9999/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether she considers it appropriate for the Department to use religious figures in State-funded campaigns without explicit reference to their religious identity; and whether she intends to review departmental practice in this area in light of public concern. [10000/26]
  • 2026-02-05 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether Ireland has undertaken or participated in any formal review, assessment, or policy discussion, either nationally or within the European Union, regarding the downgrading, suspension, or closure of Iranian diplomatic missions as part of the EU response to ongoing repression within Iran and transnational intimidation attributed to Iranian state actors; and the reasons no such review has been undertaken. [8910/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the Government's current policy position on the legitimacy of the Iranian regime, in light of sustained mass protests, the suppression of political opposition, and documented human rights abuses in Iran; and whether Ireland, either bilaterally or at European Union level, has considered or advocated for any formal measures declaring the regime illegitimate. [6408/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's position at EU level on the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, including whether Ireland has supported or intends to support such a designation within relevant EU Council discussions. [6409/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions Ireland has taken, or proposes to take, within the European Union to strengthen sanctions and restrictive measures against the Iranian regime, including those relating to oil exports, regime-linked assets and the activities of Iranian state or proxy networks operating within Europe. [6410/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland's current policy regarding diplomatic engagement with the Iranian regime; whether the downgrading or closure of Iranian diplomatic missions within the European Union has been considered as part of Ireland's response to ongoing repression and transnational intimidation by the regime. [6411/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to set out, in tabular form, the total amount of Exchequer funding provided by Ireland to programmes relating to Gaza and the West Bank from January 2023 to date, broken down by year, funding instrument, recipient organisation, and administering body, and to state the projected allocations to each recipient body to the end of 2026. [3950/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what governance, audit, and compliance conditions are attached to Irish Exchequer funding provided to UNRWA since January 2023, what additional oversight measures have been introduced following international concerns regarding UNRWA governance, and whether any Irish funding has been suspended, redirected, or made conditional as a result. [3951/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what mechanisms are used by her Department to verify the end-use of Irish humanitarian funding provided to Gaza and the West Bank, whether Ireland operates or participates in any independent verification or tracing system beyond partner self-reporting, and to outline the limitations of current verification arrangements. [3952/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether her Department has conducted any risk assessments since January 2023 regarding the potential diversion or misuse of Irish humanitarian funding provided to Gaza and the West Bank, and if so, to outline the findings, mitigation measures applied, and any changes made to funding delivery models. [3953/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade how many audits, evaluations, or compliance reviews have been conducted since January 2023 in respect of Irish-funded programmes in Gaza and the West Bank, which organisations were audited, whether any material weaknesses or adverse findings were identified, and what corrective actions were taken. [3954/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade how her Department assesses value for money in respect of Irish humanitarian funding provided to Gaza and the West Bank, including administrative overheads charged by intermediary organisations, and whether comparative analysis has been undertaken against alternative delivery mechanisms. [3955/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to clarify the extent of direct control exercised by the Irish State over the allocation and distribution of humanitarian funding provided to Gaza and the West Bank, and to state whether she is satisfied that current arrangements provide sufficient accountability to the Irish taxpayer. [3956/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total amount of Exchequer funding allocated by her Department in each of the past three years to international development and humanitarian assistance programmes; and to provide a breakdown of this funding by programme. [1096/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the proportion of funding allocated under international development and humanitarian assistance programmes administered by her Department in each of the past three years that was expended on administration, management, consultancy, monitoring, and other overhead costs; and the proportion that was delivered directly to frontline projects and beneficiaries. [1097/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which her Department defines “frontline delivery” for the purposes of reporting and evaluation; whether staff salaries, travel, accommodation, and central office costs are classified as frontline expenditure; and the rationale for those classifications. [1098/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the value-for-money assessments carried out prior to the approval of funding under international development and humanitarian assistance programmes; if her Department operates benchmarks or thresholds in respect of acceptable administrative and overhead cost ratios; and to provide details of any programmes that exceeded such benchmarks in the past three years. [1099/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what mechanisms are in place within her Department to assess whether funded international development and humanitarian assistance programmes address the underlying causes they are intended to tackle rather than indirect or short-term outputs; the metrics used to measure effectiveness; and the findings of the most recent evaluations carried out. [1100/26]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has completed any internal legal analysis on how voluntary cooperation under the European Democracy Shield could create de-facto obligations for Ireland in the areas of monitoring, reporting or data-sharing; and to provide the conclusions of that analysis. [68726/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department will publish Ireland's negotiating position, briefing papers or submissions provided to the European Commission during the development of the European Democracy Shield, specifically regarding the protection of national competence in electoral regulation and political debate. [68727/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the details of any risk register entries maintained by her Department since 1 September 2025 relating to the European Democracy Shield, including political, legal, operational or data governance risks. [68728/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the criteria her Department will apply when deciding whether to participate in any voluntary monitoring or information-sharing mechanisms proposed under the European Democracy Shield. [68729/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has sought written, formal confirmation from the European Commission that Ireland will not be required to participate in any EU-level system for reviewing or classifying domestic political content; and if she will provide copies of any such correspondence. [68730/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if her Department has conducted any sector-by-sector analysis of exposure for exporters in the Cork Port region arising from possible UK regulatory divergence under the Windsor Framework; and to provide the findings of that analysis. [68731/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Cork-based exporters or logistics operators who have contacted her Department since 1 September 2025 regarding concerns about UK divergence; and to summarise the issues raised. [68732/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a summary of Ireland's interventions at each meeting of the Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework since 1 September 2025, including concerns raised, requests made and any written submissions tabled. [68733/25]
  • …and 80 more questions on Foreign
• Defence 99 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the precise date on which Ministerial approval was granted for the procurement of the Falcon 6X strategic reach aircraft; and the date on which the relevant approval decision was signed off within her Department. [24705/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the title, date, and status of each cost-benefit analysis, options appraisal, business case, or equivalent evaluative document prepared in relation to the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft; and whether she will publish these documents in full or in redacted form. [24706/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of aircraft types, platforms, or bids assessed during the procurement competition for the Falcon 6X strategic reach aircraft; and whether a formal scoring or evaluation matrix was used to assess competing options. [24707/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether a formal operational requirement specification was prepared for the strategic reach aircraft procurement; if so, the date on which it was finalised; the authority by which it was approved; and whether it included specific requirements relating to passenger capacity, range, aeromedical evacuation capability, cargo flexibility, runway performance, or interoperability. [24708/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the estimated whole-life cost of the Falcon 6X aircraft over its projected service life, including maintenance, crew, fuel, training, insurance, infrastructure, support contracts, and depreciation; and whether such life-cycle costing formed part of the appraisal process. [24709/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any sensitivity analysis, affordability assessment, or value-for-money assessment was undertaken in respect of the Falcon 6X procurement; and if so, whether account was taken of projected operating costs over a period of at least ten years. [24710/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether a formal comparative capability-prioritisation exercise was undertaken to assess the Falcon 6X procurement against other capital requirements including primary radar, maritime surveillance, naval fleet regeneration, personnel retention measures, and subsea monitoring capability; and, if so, whether she will provide the criteria used. [24711/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the High Level Planning and Procurement Group recorded a recommendation, decision note, or minute in relation to the Falcon 6X procurement; and whether any such record will be made available in redacted form. [24712/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether external advisers, consultants, or technical specialists were engaged in the appraisal, evaluation, or procurement process for the Falcon 6X aircraft; the identity of any such advisers; the nature of their role; and the cost of such engagement. [24713/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the Falcon 6X procurement was assessed against alternative means of delivering strategic reach, including charter, pooled European arrangements, or lower-cost aircraft options; and whether the Department quantified the comparative cost and operational trade-offs of those alternatives. [24714/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of external contractors engaged by her Department in each of the years 2022 to 2025; the total value of payments made to each contractor in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26787/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the procurement method used for each contract with external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025, including the number of contracts awarded following open tender, restricted tender, framework call-off, and direct award; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26788/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which contracts with external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025 exceeded national or EU procurement thresholds requiring competitive tendering; and if she will provide a breakdown by year and value band. [26789/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number and total value of contracts awarded through the Office of Government Procurement frameworks in each of the years 2022 to 2025; and the policy basis for using such frameworks instead of standalone tender processes. [26790/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of expenditure on external contractors in each of the years 2022 to 2025 by category of service, including but not limited to consultancy, legal services, communications, policy development, and research, in tabular form. [26791/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the projects, programmes, or policy initiatives to which external contractor expenditure related to in each of the years 2022 to 2025; the cost attributable to each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26792/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether his Department conducted any assessment comparing the cost of using external contractors with the cost of delivering the same work internally; and if so, the findings of such assessments. [26794/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the value-for-money or post-project evaluation mechanisms applied to expenditure on external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025; whether any formal evaluations were completed; and if he will provide details. [26795/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether any internal audit, external audit, or Comptroller and Auditor General review has examined expenditure on external contractors by her Department in the years 2022 to 2025; and if so, the findings and dates of such reviews. [26796/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of external contractors engaged by his Department in each of the years 2022 to 2025; the total value of payments made to each contractor in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26799/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the extent to which contracts with external contractors in the years 2022 to 2025 exceeded national or EU procurement thresholds requiring competitive tendering; and if he will provide a breakdown by year and value band. [26801/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of expenditure on external contractors in each of the years 2022 to 2025 by category of service, including but not limited to consultancy, legal services, communications, policy development, and research; and if he will provide a detailed table. [26803/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 42 of 4 March 2025, the reasons for the increase in expenditure on external contractors from €8,764 in 2022 to €318,874 in 2024; and the policy decisions that drove this increase. [26805/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the approval process required within his Department before engaging external contractors, including the grade level at which approval is granted and any expenditure thresholds that trigger additional oversight. [26811/26]
  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether his Department has a formal policy governing the use of external contractors; the circumstances in which such contractors may be engaged; and the measures in place to ensure reliance on external services does not substitute for internal capacity. [26812/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the date on which Government approval was granted for the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft; whether a formal memorandum was submitted to Government; and whether a cost-benefit or options appraisal accompanied that submission. [20283/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether alternative aircraft types were assessed during the procurement process for the Falcon 6X strategic reach aircraft; the number of aircraft types evaluated; and whether a formal options appraisal document exists. [20284/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the estimated total lifecycle cost of the Falcon 6X aircraft over a twenty-year operational period including maintenance, fuel, crew, insurance and infrastructure. [20285/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether a formal operational requirement document was prepared prior to the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft; and whether that document specified passenger capacity, range, medical evacuation capability or other operational criteria. [20286/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the procurement of the Falcon 6X aircraft was ranked as a priority capability requirement relative to maritime surveillance, naval fleet staffing, radar capability or subsea monitoring capability. [20287/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the annual number of applicants to the Reserve Defence Forces in each year from 2018 to date in 2026; the number accepted for training in each year; the number who commenced the joint induction training syllabus; the number who successfully completed that training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20333/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current policy targets set by her Department for the strength of the Reserve Defence Forces under the Reserve Defence Force Regeneration Plan published in July 2024; the projected strength targets for each year to 2028; and the measures being implemented to achieve the stated objective of reaching an effective strength of 80 percent. [20334/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the average time currently required for a new Reserve Defence Forces recruit to complete the joint induction training syllabus and become fully qualified; whether her Department monitors attrition rates during this training process; if so, the attrition rate recorded in each year since the introduction of the syllabus in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20335/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the level of annual funding allocated specifically for the development, training and equipment of the Reserve Defence Forces in each year since 2020; whether the Government intends to introduce a dedicated capital funding stream for Reserve Defence Forces capability development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20336/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether her Department maintains structured data on the reasons for resignation or discharge from the Reserve Defence Forces, including exit interviews or retention surveys; if not, whether she intends to introduce a formal retention monitoring system to support the objectives of the Reserve Defence Force Regeneration Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20337/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the number of procurement projects currently underway within the Defence Forces; the stage each project has reached within the capability development lifecycle; and the estimated value of each project. [20412/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total capital and current expenditure allocated to the Reserve Defence Forces in each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the proportion this represents of the overall defence budget in each year; whether she considers this allocation adequate given the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17548/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current strength of the Reserve Defence Forces broken down by Naval Service Reserve, Army Reserve, and Air Corps Reserve; the number of vacancies in each branch; the average waiting time for a reservist to complete initial training; the number of reservists who have resigned in each of the past five years citing training backlogs or equipment shortages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17549/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether ring-fenced capital funding exists for the Reserve Defence Forces; if not, the reason therefor; whether reservists are currently required to personally purchase any items of equipment or uniform that should be provided by the State; the estimated total value of equipment shortfalls currently experienced by the Reserve Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17550/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the current status of the Reserve Defence Forces Regeneration and Development Plan; the specific targets within that plan that have been met, partially met, or missed to date; whether the plan contains ring-fenced funding commitments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17551/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the ratio of Reserve Defence Forces personnel to Permanent Defence Force personnel as of the most recent available date; how this compares to comparable EU member states; what target ratio the Department considers appropriate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17552/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total cost to the State of the procurement of the Dassault Falcon 6X aircraft, including the purchase price, all ancillary costs associated with the transaction, delivery costs, any taxes applicable, crew training costs, modification or fit-out costs, ongoing maintenance contract costs, hangarage and infrastructure costs, and any other expenditure associated with the acquisition of this aircraft; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17553/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the procurement process followed in the acquisition of the Dassault Falcon 6X aircraft; whether an open competitive tender process was conducted; if not, the legal basis under which the procurement was conducted without competitive tender; whether a value for money assessment was conducted and by whom; whether the Office of Government Procurement was involved in the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17554/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the projected annual operating cost of the Dassault Falcon 6X aircraft including fuel, crew salaries, maintenance, insurance, and all ancillary costs; how this compares to the annual operating cost of the aircraft it replaces or supplements in the Air Corps fleet; the primary operational purpose for which the aircraft was procured; whether this procurement was identified in the Commission on the Defence Forces report as a priority capability requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17555/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the decision to procure the Dassault Falcon 6X was subject to approval by the Government; the date on which such approval was granted; whether any independent military assessment was conducted concluding this aircraft type best met the operational requirements of the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17556/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the Government considers the passenger capacity of 14 persons on the Dassault Falcon 6X to be operationally appropriate for the stated defence and security purposes for which the aircraft was procured; whether a needs assessment was conducted that identified a requirement for an aircraft of this specific passenger configuration; whether alternative aircraft with greater passenger or cargo capacity were considered during the procurement process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17561/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to outline in full the operational requirements criteria that were established prior to the procurement of the Dassault Falcon 6X; who authored these criteria; whether the criteria were drafted by uniformed Defence Forces personnel, civilian Department staff, or external consultants; whether the criteria were reviewed and approved by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces prior to the procurement decision being made; whether the 14-person passenger capacity was specifically identified as meeting a stated military or defence operational requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17562/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the primary operational role of the Dassault Falcon 6X is ministerial and government transport, VIP transport, Defence Forces operational transport, maritime patrol, or a combination thereof; what proportion of projected annual flight hours are allocated to each role; whether a dedicated ministerial or government transport aircraft of this specification represents an appropriate use of the Defence Forces capital budget given the acknowledged capability gaps in maritime patrol, surveillance, and personnel equipment identified in the Commission on the Defence Forces report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17563/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence to explain to the Dáil the operational defence justification for the procurement of an aircraft with a 14-person passenger capacity at a time when the Naval Service cannot fully crew its existing fleet, reservists are reportedly purchasing their own equipment, and the Department's own National Maritime Security Strategy 2026-2030 acknowledges critical gaps in maritime surveillance capability; and whether she considers this procurement to represent the correct prioritisation of scarce defence capital. [17564/26]
  • 2026-03-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence whether the operational requirements criteria that led to the procurement of the Dassault Falcon 6X have been published or are available under Freedom of Information; whether any alternative aircraft types were assessed against these criteria and if so, which types were considered and the reasons they were rejected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17565/26]
  • …and 49 more questions on Defence
• Culture 95 questions

  • 2026-03-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the projected overall budget envelope for the 2026 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund and whether this will exceed the €277.9 million allocated under the 2023 round. [22544/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the date on which NewERA furnished advice to his Department regarding the proposed amendment to Regulation 20 of the RTÉ Superannuation Scheme; whether that advice was oral or written; whether it addressed trust law principles, pensions law, member protection, and potential conflicts of interest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21161/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the specific criteria being applied by his Department in assessing RTÉ’s proposed amendment to Regulation 20 of the RTÉ Superannuation Scheme, including whether the Department is considering the interests of active members, deferred members and pensioners separately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21162/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has sought from RTÉ a detailed schedule of the categories of expenses proposed to be charged to scheme assets under the proposed amendment to Regulation 20; if so, the categories identified; whether any part of those proposed costs relate to historic, legacy, restructuring or dispute-related expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21163/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has sought confirmation from RTÉ or the trustees as to whether any retrospective charging of costs to scheme assets is contemplated under the proposed amendment to Regulation 20; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21164/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has considered seeking the views of the Pensions Authority on the proposed amendment to Regulation 20 of the RTÉ Superannuation Scheme; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21165/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has considered obtaining independent external legal advice on the proposed amendment to Regulation 20 of the RTÉ Superannuation Scheme since receipt of RTÉ’s request on 14 October 2025; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21166/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether the trustees of the RTÉ Superannuation Scheme have provided his Department with any legal opinion, actuarial note, governance memorandum, or member-impact assessment in support of the proposed amendment to Regulation 20; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21167/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether any deadline, target date, or indicative timeframe has been set by his Department for determining RTÉ’s request of 14 October 2025 to amend Regulation 20 of the RTÉ Superannuation Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21168/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether a county-level investment analysis from previous Community Sport Facilities Fund rounds has been completed to identify areas that have been historically under-invested; and if he will publish that analysis. [20405/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the projected overall budget envelope for the 2026 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund and whether this will exceed the €277.9 million allocated under the 2023 round. [20406/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has considered introducing a dedicated capital stream for large regional facilities in major urban areas such as Cork, where the scale of infrastructure required often exceeds the typical local grant thresholds. [20407/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether the Department will publish draft guidelines for the next round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund at least four weeks in advance of the opening date in order to allow community clubs adequate preparation time. [20408/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the precise opening date in February 2026 for the next round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund; whether the scheme guidelines have been finalised; and if he will publish the final guidelines in advance of the scheme opening. [16716/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport what objective criteria will be used in the February 2026 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund to identify “under-invested” areas and sports; whether a county-by-county capital allocation analysis from previous rounds informed this targeting; and if he will publish that assessment. [16717/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the maximum grant thresholds that will apply in the February 2026 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund for local, regional and equipment-only applications; whether match funding requirements will differ from the 2023 round; and whether any reduced match requirement will apply to smaller or rural clubs. [16718/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide a county-by-county breakdown of approvals under the 2023 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund, including total funding approved, number of successful applications, total applications received, and the average grant awarded per county, in tabular form. [16719/26]
  • 2026-03-03 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the statutory or regulatory basis under which pension increases under the Eircom Superannuation Defined Benefit Scheme require approval from his Department; whether such approval is mandated by primary legislation, secondary legislation, shareholder governance arrangements, or administrative protocol; the date on which the most recent 2.1 percent pension increase proposal was received by his Department; the date on which it was forwarded to the Minister for Finance; and the expected date of final approval and payment to pensioners. [16735/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether, in light of the proposal by RTÉ to amend regulation 20 of the RTÉ superannuation scheme to permit scheme and trustee expenses to be met from scheme assets, he will now seek independent legal advice regarding the compatibility of such an amendment with trust law principles, pensions legislation and her statutory oversight role under section 91 of the Broadcasting Act 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15883/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the estimated annual financial impact, as advised to her Department or by NewERA, of the proposed amendment to regulation 20 of the RTÉ superannuation scheme; the categories of expenditure envisaged; whether any retrospective charging of costs to scheme assets has been proposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15884/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether the proposal to amend regulation 20 of the RTÉ superannuation scheme has been formally submitted to the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for consent; if not, the stage currently reached in the statutory approval process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15885/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether, as part of his oversight responsibilities in respect of RTÉ superannuation schemes, his Department has engaged with or received any correspondence from the Pensions Authority concerning the proposed amendment to regulation 20 of the RTÉ superannuation scheme in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15886/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has issued, or intends to issue, any policy guidance to RTÉ regarding the protection of pension scheme assets from being used, directly or indirectly, to offset operational or legacy costs of the broadcaster; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15887/26]
  • 2026-02-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of athletes supported under each tier of the international carding scheme in each year from 2016 to 2025 inclusive; the average duration of support per athlete; and the total annual expenditure under the scheme in each year. [15639/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 372 to 377 of 12 February 2026, in respect of the 2.1% pension increase request for members of the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme received by his Department on 8 August 2025 with effect from 1 July 2025, the date on which advice was formally requested from NewERA; the date on which NewERA submitted its report; the date on which the matter was placed before him for decision; whether he has made a determination; if no determination has been made, the specific steps outstanding; whether the proposal has been submitted to the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for consent and, if so, on what date; the current location of the file within the approval chain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14711/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to set out, in respect of pension increases under the Eircom Superannuation Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, the legal and scheme basis upon which members who retired before January 1984 receive different pension increase outcomes from those who retired after that date; to identify the specific Rule, statutory instrument, or legislative provision under which this distinction operates; to state whether his Department has undertaken any equality, pensions law, or constitutional assessment of this differential treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14712/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to set out the decision framework applied by him when determining whether to authorise pension increases under section 10 of the Eircom Superannuation Scheme Rules, including whether consideration is given to CPI or inflation indices, public service pay policy benchmarks, actuarial sustainability of the scheme, exchequer affordability, and parity considerations with comparable legacy public service schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14713/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to specify the statutory or administrative basis under which NewERA provides advice in respect of pension increases payable under the Eircom Superannuation Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, given that Eir is neither a State body nor a designated NewERA body; to state whether any formal service level agreement, memorandum of understanding, or written protocol governs this advisory role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14714/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether the 2.1% pension increase requested with effect from 1 July 2025, if approved at a later date, will be paid retrospectively to that effective date; to state whether any estimate has been made of the accrued Exchequer liability arising from delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14715/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to state whether any review of the continued operation of section 46(4) of the Postal and Telecommunications Act 1983, as amended, has been conducted since 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14716/26]
  • 2026-02-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the indicative opening date for applications under the 2026 round of the Community Sports Facilities Fund, formerly the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme; whether applications will be submitted through the OSCAR online portal; the maximum grant amounts that will apply for local projects, regional projects, and equipment-only applications under the 2026 scheme; when the full scheme guidelines will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11974/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the statutory basis under which his Department is required to approve pension increases payable in respect of former Department of Posts and Telegraphs service under the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme; the specific legislative provisions relied upon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11431/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the date on which the proposed 2.1 percent pension increase for members of the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme was formally submitted to his Department for approval; the actions taken since receipt; the reason the increase has not yet been approved or paid; and if he will provide a timeline for decision. [11432/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether NewERA has any role in the approval or scrutiny of pension increases payable under the Éircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme; the statutory or administrative basis for any such involvement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11433/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to confirm which Minister holds final decision-making authority for approving and releasing State-funded pension increases payable under the Eircom superannuation defined benefit pension scheme; whether any other Minister or agency can delay payment once approval is sought; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11435/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has obtained legal advice regarding the State’s obligations under section 46(4) of the Postal and Telecommunications Act 1983 in respect of pension conditions for former Department of Posts and Telegraphs staff; and whether that provision continues to be regarded as operative. [11436/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has assessed the differential treatment in pension increases applied to members of the Eircom Superannuation Defined Benefit Pension Scheme who retired before and after January 1984; whether such differential treatment has been legally examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11437/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether she was informed of any proposal by RTÉ to alter the use, governance, or charging structure of the RTÉ defined benefit pension scheme; the date on which she was so informed; the nature of any consent sought or given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11368/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the oversight mechanisms in place within her Department to ensure that pension assets accrued for the benefit of contributors are not used, directly or indirectly, to offset operational or legacy costs of a public service broadcaster; and whether those mechanisms were engaged in relation to RTÉ in the past five years. [11369/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether her Department has sought or received any legal advice regarding the permissibility of charging broadcaster costs to a pension scheme sponsored by a public body; and if so, whether she will outline the conclusions reached.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11370/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether she accepts that any perception of interference with pension funds undermines public confidence in RTÉ governance; and what steps she is taking to ensure transparency and accountability in the broadcaster’s treatment of deferred pay and pension obligations. [11371/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether a data protection impact assessment has been completed in respect of the proposed use of a State-issued digital wallet or MyGovID for online age-verification purposes; if not, when such an assessment will be completed; and whether it will be published prior to any legislative proposal being brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas. [6061/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has conducted a formal proportionality assessment under Article 52 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in respect of requiring age verification for access to lawful online content by adults; and if not, whether such an assessment will be completed before any pilot or legislative measure proceeds. [6062/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether he will confirm that the proposed age-verification system would apply to adult users accessing lawful online content; and whether his Department has assessed the impact of such a requirement on adults’ rights to freedom of expression, privacy, and anonymous or pseudonymous communication. [6063/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether he intends to place explicit statutory limits on the authority of Coimisiún na Meán to require age-verification measures, including limiting such requirements to specific categories of content; and whether such limits will be set out in primary legislation. [6064/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether he will confirm that no individual will be denied access to lawful online content solely on the basis of declining to verify their age using a State-issued digital identity system; and whether this principle will be explicitly provided for in legislation. [6065/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether his Department has conducted or commissioned an assessment of the compatibility of the proposed age-verification system with EU law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation, and the Digital Services Act, and to outline the findings of any such assessment. [1079/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport what statutory basis he proposes to rely upon to require adult users to use a State-issued digital identity system in order to access private-sector social media platforms, and whether primary legislation will be required to mandate such a requirement. [1080/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether a data protection impact assessment has been carried out in respect of the proposed digital age-verification system, including the use of State-held identity credentials for access to private online services, and whether that assessment has been submitted to or reviewed by the Data Protection Commission. [1081/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport what safeguards are envisaged to ensure that the proposed State-issued digital identity system does not enable the State or third-party platforms to identify, infer, track or retain information relating to an individual’s lawful online activity or content consumption. [1082/26]
  • …and 45 more questions on Culture
• Agriculture 92 questions

  • 2026-04-14 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s assessment of Ireland’s exposure to global fertiliser supply disruptions; to detail any analysis undertaken regarding the potential impact on farm input costs, agricultural output, and food price inflation; and to set out any measures being considered to support the agricultural sector in the event of sustained fertiliser price increases. [23590/26]
  • 2026-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he is satisfied that current enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 is adequate in light of repeated reports of severe equine mistreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia following welfare failures; and the immediate steps his Department is taking to strengthen inspections, seizures, and prosecutions in respect of horse welfare. [11577/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out by his Department in each of the past five years relating to equine welfare, including cases involving neglect, mistreatment, abandonment, or tethering; the number of horses seized, euthanised, or otherwise removed from owners following such inspections; the number of prosecutions initiated under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 arising from equine welfare breaches; and if he will make a statement on whether current inspection and enforcement levels are sufficient. [11426/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulatory and enforcement framework governing the breeding, keeping, and welfare of dogs used for hunting purposes; the number of inspections carried out by his Department or on its behalf in each of the past five years in respect of dog breeding establishments and private dog keepers; the number of enforcement actions taken, including seizures and prosecutions; and whether he considers current controls sufficient to prevent animal cruelty and unlawful hunting practices. [11428/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains a central database or cross-agency mechanism to identify repeat offenders under animal welfare legislation; if not, whether consideration has been given to introducing such a system; and if he will make a statement on how repeat offenders are currently identified and restricted from continued animal ownership. [11430/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out by his Department, or on its behalf, relating specifically to the welfare of exotic animals kept as pets, including reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and non-domesticated mammals, in each of the years 2020 to 2025 inclusive; the number of non-compliances identified; the number of animals seized; and the number of prosecutions initiated arising from such inspections, in tabular form. [9496/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains disaggregated records relating specifically to inspections, seizures and enforcement actions involving exotic pets, distinct from other animal welfare cases; and if not, the reason such records are not maintained. [9497/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out clearly which public body holds lead statutory responsibility for the routine inspection and enforcement of animal welfare standards in respect of exotic animals kept as pets in private ownership; and how responsibility is apportioned between his Department, local authorities, and any other State bodies. [9498/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any formal risk assessments since 2015 relating to zoonotic disease, public health risk, or biosecurity threats arising from the private ownership of exotic pets; if so, to provide the dates, scope and issuing bodies of such assessments; and if not, the reason no such assessments have been undertaken. [9499/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of veterinary inspectors employed by or available to his Department who have formal training or recognised expertise in the treatment and welfare of exotic species; and whether his Department has identified any gaps in national capacity to deal with the seizure, treatment or rehoming of exotic animals. [9500/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of investigations carried out by his Department since 2020 into the sale or supply of exotic pets through online platforms; the number of breaches identified under the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019; and the enforcement actions taken in each year. [9501/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he will initiate a specific, time-bound review of the regulation of exotic pets in Ireland, separate from the general Animal Welfare Strategy, including consideration of positive or prohibited species lists; and if so, the proposed commencement date and reporting timeline. [9502/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the title, version date, and last review date of the Department's internal governance guidance used by officials when assessing conflicts of interest for appointments to the board of Bord Bia, including the Chairperson role, beyond the general requirements of the code of practice for the governance of State bodies; and if no internal guidance exists, the reason. [8218/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific assessment steps applied by his Department before recommending or approving the appointment of a Chairperson to Bord Bia, including, the documents reviewed, the criteria used to assess external commercial interests relevant to Bord Bia's statutory functions, and the official level at which the assessment is signed off; and if he will provide a copy of the assessment template or checklist used, with any personal data redacted. [8219/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the frequency and format of conflict of interest disclosures required by his Department from Bord Bia board members and the Chairperson, including whether disclosures are required on appointment, annually, and on the occurrence of material changes; and the definition of "material change" applied for the purposes of such disclosure requirements. [8220/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of times in each of the last five years that his Department has requested additional information, clarifications, mitigation measures, or recusals from Bord Bia board members arising from conflict of interest disclosures; and the number of cases, if any, where the Department directed that a disclosed interest be managed by recusal or other mitigation steps. [8221/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dates on which corporate governance meetings between his Department and Bord Bia were held in 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026; whether conflicts of interest, declarations of interest, or perception risks were discussed at any of these meetings; and if so, whether minutes or action logs exist and will be provided, with any personal data redacted. [8222/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether, since 1 January 2025, he has requested or received any written assurance, report, or governance submission from Bord Bia relating to the management of perceived conflicts of interest at chairperson or board level; and if so, the date received and whether he will publish it or place it in the Oireachtas library, with any personal data redacted. [8223/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has assessed the potential impact of governance controversies on farmer participation and confidence in the Bord Bia quality assurance system; and if so, the methodology used, the indicators reviewed, and the date of the most recent assessment. [8224/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he will initiate a targeted review of conflict-of-interest and perception-risk guidance for State bodies in the agri-food sector under his remit, including Bord Bia; and if so, the scope, the body or unit leading the review, and the timeline for completion. [8225/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the governance framework applied by his Department in assessing potential conflicts of interest when appointing or approving the appointment of a chairperson to Bord Bia, including the criteria used to assess external commercial interests; and whether this framework has been reviewed or updated in view of recent public concerns regarding imported beef sourcing by companies linked to Bord Bia's board members. [6553/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the ongoing oversight mechanisms in place within his Department to monitor conflicts of interest arising during the term of office of Bord Bia board members, including the chairperson; and whether his Department requires updated disclosures where material changes arise in commercial activities relevant to the statutory remit of Bord Bia. [6554/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he is satisfied that existing governance arrangements fully protect the statutory role of Bord Bia in promoting Irish food and agricultural produce; and the safeguards in place to ensure that board-level decision-making is not perceived to conflict with the interests of Irish farmers or Ireland’s agrifood reputation in international markets. [6555/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the assessment which has been carried out by his Department on the impact of governance controversies within Bord Bia on farmer confidence in the Bord Bia quality assurance system; and the steps his Department takes, at policy level, to maintain confidence among primary producers in State-supported quality assurance structures. [6556/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the disclosure and transparency obligations imposed on Bord Bia's board members in respect of external commercial interests, including the way such disclosures are reviewed by his Department; and whether he plans to strengthen these requirements to protect public confidence in the governance of State bodies under his remit. [6557/26]
  • 2026-01-27 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he plans to initiate, or has requested, a review of governance and conflict-of-interest guidance as it applies specifically to State bodies operating in the agrifood sector, including Bord Bia; and the scope and timeline of any such review. [6558/26]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current legislative and regulatory framework governing the ownership, breeding, sale, and importation of exotic animals, including reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates; and if he is satisfied that this framework provides adequate safeguards for animal welfare, public safety, and biosecurity. [75299/25]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether Ireland operates, or plans to introduce, a positive list or prohibited list system governing which exotic species may be legally kept as pets; and if not, the rationale for relying on the current approach in view of practices in other EU member states. [75300/25]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the mechanisms in place to monitor and enforce compliance with animal welfare standards in relation to exotic pets, including inspections, licensing, and penalties; and the number of enforcement actions taken in each of the past five years. [75301/25]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the oversight which exists in respect of the sale of exotic animals through online platforms, pet shops, and private breeders; and whether he plans to strengthen regulation in this area to address animal welfare and consumer protection concerns. [75302/25]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any risk assessments regarding public health, zoonotic disease, or environmental risks associated with the private ownership of exotic pets; and if so, to provide details of same. [75303/25]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has assessed the availability of suitably qualified veterinary and animal welfare expertise to deal with exotic species in Ireland, including in cases of abandonment or seizure; and whether gaps have been identified. [75304/25]
  • 2026-01-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commit to a formal review of Ireland’s approach to regulating exotic pets, including consultation with veterinary bodies, animal welfare organisations, and public health authorities; and the timeframe for same. [75305/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions taken by his Department following recent FSAI and DAFM inspection findings relating to non-compliance in certain meat processing facilities; the enforcement steps initiated; and the measures in place to ensure full traceability, food safety and animal welfare compliance across all such facilities. [68739/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of investigations currently under way relating to unpaid debts owed by meat processors to primary producers; the scale of the debts identified; and the systems in place to protect farmers from late or non-payment by processors. [68740/25]
  • 2025-11-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the IFA’s warning that the loss of the nitrates derogation could reduce average family-farm income by €43,500 and precipitate a drop of 200,000 dairy cows nationally, with major ramifications in rural Cork, the assessment that has been made of the regional income impact in Munster/Cork; the targeted supports planned to offset income loss, farm-exit risk or generational renewal disruption; and how his Department will engage with the outgoing CAP-2027 architecture to provide clarity within the next quarter. [62498/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s current surveillance and containment measures in response to the most recent outbreak of avian influenza among Irish poultry flocks; the number and location of outbreaks confirmed since September 2025; the supports being made available to affected poultry farmers, including compensation for stock losses, enhanced biosecurity grants, and advice on restocking timelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61815/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has engaged with the poultry industry and retail sector to assess the likely impact of the 2025 avian influenza outbreak on the domestic supply and price of turkeys and other poultry products during the Christmas period; if contingency plans are in place to stabilise supply and prevent price inflation for consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61816/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current biosecurity and import-control measures at ports, airports, and border inspection posts to prevent the introduction or spread of avian influenza from Great Britain or continental Europe; the frequency of veterinary inspections on imported poultry, eggs, and related products; whether additional surveillance or temporary restrictions are being considered during the 2025 Christmas production period given the recent confirmed outbreaks in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61817/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association warning that lack of clarity around the next CAP regime and existing trade deals is undermining farmer confidence, if he will provide the timeline and key milestones for the next CAP implementation in Ireland; the way in which regional farming businesses (including those in Cork) will be engaged; the specific measures being taken to ensure food-security and investment rather than dependency on import-led production; and the way in which the Government is monitoring the impact of trade-deal structures on Irish farm incomes and investment decisions. [62196/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide emergency financial support to a park (details supplied) in County Cork, following its temporary closure due to confirmed cases of avian influenza; the supports available to protect animal welfare, retain staff and sustain operational costs during the biosecurity shutdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59255/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the reported near-finalisation of the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement and the outstanding concern over checks on goods entering Northern Ireland, if he will outline the current volume and value of agri-food goods exported from Munster/Cork into Northern Ireland or Great Britain that are subject to SPS checks; the number of exporters in the Cork region that have reported increased administrative burden or costs due to SPS/trade-check friction in the past 12months; and the means by which the Government intends to support exporters in Cork to leverage any reduction in checks once the SPS deal is implemented. [59646/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with the forthcoming enforcement of the EUDR in January2026 and the ongoing UK-EU SPS/trade negotiations, if he will provide the latest number of agrifood exporters in Cork (and Munster) directly impacted by SPS paperwork or checks; the awareness-raising programmes conducted by the Department in Cork since January2025; and the number of firms that have applied for supports/compensation in relation to regulatory transition burdens. [60136/25]
  • 2025-10-22 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the existential warnings from the Irish fishing sector, if he will publish the Government’s sectoral impact assessments of the 2026 quota cuts; outline the legal and trade measures being pursued at EU and bilateral levels to counter unfair overfishing by third-party fleets; and outline a transitional support scheme (income, retraining, diversification) for affected coastal communities. [57608/25]
  • 2025-10-21 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of confirmed avian influenza at Fota Wildlife Park, if he will publish the biosecurity audit for all State-owned wildlife facilities nationwide, detail compensation, surveillance and culling protocols for private and commercial poultry in Cork environs and commit to upgrading laboratory and rapid response capacity in the Cork region. [57121/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to his commitment to strengthen pollution laws and introduce a coordinated incident response system after the mass fish mortality on the River Blackwater in August 2025, the legislative amendments he will bring forward, with timelines; the additional enforcement resources for the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, Inland Fisheries Ireland and local authorities; and the incident response protocol to be agreed with the EPA. [56305/25]
  • 2025-10-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of slaughterhouses currently licensed to perform halal slaughter; the proportion of national beef, lamb, and poultry output certified as halal; and the extent to which these products are distributed for domestic consumption rather than export. [55686/25]
  • 2025-10-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all halal slaughter in Ireland requires pre-stunning of animals; what animal welfare standards and veterinary supervision apply; and whether there are any exemptions to pre-stunning under current EU or national regulations. [55687/25]
  • 2025-10-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has any oversight or auditing role in verifying the halal certification of food products used in public sector catering, including school meals; and if so, to detail the agencies responsible and the frequency of inspection. [55688/25]
  • 2025-10-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the scope, timeline, pilot areas and budget allocation for the newly announced bovine tuberculosis cooperation project with the Northern Ireland authorities under the Shared Island initiative; the criteria for selecting participating herds; and whether Cork herds will be included in the initial pilot phase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55977/25]
  • …and 42 more questions on Agriculture
• Climate 87 questions

  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment which agency has statutory responsibility for the installation, operation and maintenance of continuous monitoring infrastructure on major rivers. [13828/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department has conducted an assessment of Ireland’s current capacity to detect acute pollution events in real time; whether any gaps were identified following the Blackwater incident; and what corrective measures are now being implemented at policy level. [13829/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether he intends to establish a formal national “Major Fish Kill Emergency Protocol” setting out mandatory inter-agency leadership, immediate catchment-wide chemical sampling requirements, and defined response time targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13830/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department has reviewed the adequacy of enforcement provisions under the Environmental Liability Directive and the Industrial Emissions Directive in light of the inability to identify the pollutant or source in the Blackwater case; and whether legislative or regulatory amendments are under consideration. [13831/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department has commissioned an economic valuation of the 2025 Blackwater fish kill, including ecological loss, recreational impact, and restoration costs; and whether such valuation will inform future deterrence and enforcement policy. [13833/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether additional restoration funding will be allocated to the Munster Blackwater catchment in light of the 2025 fish kill; and whether revised environmental objectives or accelerated recovery measures are being considered under the Water Framework Directive. [13834/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether he will publish a detailed implementation plan responding to the recommendations contained in the independent review of the 2025 Blackwater fish kill; and if he will provide a timeline for delivery of each recommendation. [13835/26]
  • 2026-02-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department maintains data on the proportion of fish kill investigations since 2015 in which the pollutant or source remained undetermined; and whether policy reforms are being developed to reduce the incidence of undiagnosed cases. [13836/26]
  • 2026-02-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department has examined regulatory or legislative measures governing the retail sale of aerosol spray paints, including age-restriction or point-of-sale controls, as an environmental protection, waste-reduction, or anti-vandalism measure; whether comparative analysis of other jurisdictions has been undertaken; and whether regulatory reform is under consideration. [11450/26]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will request that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities provide arrears data disaggregated by income group, welfare status and household type as part of its monthly monitoring returns to the Department, to allow better assessment of households at highest risk of long-term energy debt; and the timeline for introducing such reporting. [71056/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the National Energy Affordability Taskforce has completed modelling on projected long-term electricity and gas arrears over the next three years; if the modelling will be published; and how this modelling is informing the development of targeted supports. [71057/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the criteria his Department will use to determine the transition from universal energy credits to targeted supports; and if he will outline the evidence base that will inform this decision. [71058/25]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has assessed whether the current Energy Engage Code provides sufficient protection to households in chronic arrears; and if any reforms are under consideration as part of the forthcoming Energy Affordability Action Plan. [71059/25]
  • 2025-12-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware that the SEAI solar PV for medically vulnerable households scheme, administered by Electric Ireland, is effectively unavailable to the majority of medically vulnerable customers despite being publicly promoted; the rationale for operating a scheme on a random-selection basis rather than on clinical or vulnerability need; the number of medically vulnerable households registered on the priority services register; the number contacted to date; the number who have actually received solar PV installation under this scheme; and if he will urgently review this process to ensure that medically vulnerable individuals who rely on life-support equipment can access the supports that were announced for them. [70448/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate; Energy and the Environment to provide a full list of the statutory responsibilities held by his Department for infrastructure delivery under the Climate Action Plan 2025, the National Planning Framework and the National Marine Planning Framework, including renewable energy, electricity grid development, system reinforcement and energy security projects. [69518/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to identify any areas where responsibility for climate or energy infrastructure is shared with, or delegated to, other Departments; the governance mechanism used to prevent overlap; and the steps taken since 2022 to improve coordination. [69519/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to outline the delivery risks his Department has identified for energy and climate infrastructure over the period 2025 to 2030, including grid delays, planning capacity, marine consenting challenges and supply-chain constraints; and the measures planned to address those risks. [69520/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the economic, energy-market and consumer-impact assessments his Department provided to Government prior to the decision to discontinue electricity credits for households in Budget 2026, including any internal warnings regarding expected rises in wholesale and retail energy prices. [69899/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his Department’s current forecast for average household electricity and gas bills for winter 2025–2026; the variables used in these projections; and how these forecasts compare with those used when the decision was made to remove electricity credits. [69900/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the advice or briefings the commission for regulation of utilities provided to his Department regarding expected retail price movements before the decision to scrap energy credits; and to publish that advice. [69901/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department recommended maintaining or modifying electricity credits in light of rising wholesale prices; and to outline the reasons provided to Government for not continuing the supports. [69902/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide the Department’s assessment of the impact on low-income and vulnerable households of ending the electricity credits; and to specify any mitigation measures considered but not adopted. [69903/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide updated projections for energy poverty rates for 2025 and 2026 following the withdrawal of electricity credits; and to outline the methodology used in preparing these projections. [69905/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to outline the energy-price support measures currently in place in EU member states for winter 2025–2026; and to explain how Ireland’s level of support compares on a per-household basis. [69906/25]
  • 2025-12-09 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the Government will review the decision to discontinue electricity credits if energy bills continue to rise; and the criteria for any such review. [69908/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the latest switching rates for domestic electricity and gas customers; the actions his Department is taking to increase switching among households on high tariffs; and the steps being taken to improve transparency in billing and tariff information. [68933/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will produce a targeted arrears reduction plan for households facing long-term energy debt, including supports for at-risk customers, actions to prevent the escalation of arrears, and the timeline for transitioning from universal energy credits to targeted supports. [68934/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total level of electricity and gas arrears, by quarter from 2020 to 2025, broken down by income group and welfare status; and if he will detail the actions his Department is taking to monitor arrears among households at highest risk of disconnection or long-term debt. [68945/25]
  • 2025-11-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a detailed list of all categories of infrastructure falling within the policy remit of his Department under the Climate Action Plan 2025, National Planning Framework, National Marine Planning Framework and renewable energy programmes, including grid development, offshore renewable energy, electricity system reinforcement and energy security projects; and to outline which Department holds statutory responsibility for the delivery of each category. [66544/25]
  • 2025-11-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will publish the latest Commission for Regulation of Utilities analysis on supplier margins in the retail energy market for 2024 and 2025, the link between wholesale price reductions and retail pricing decisions; and the actions he is taking to ensure that households benefit from lower wholesale prices without delay. [64761/25]
  • 2025-11-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the latest switching rates for domestic electricity and gas customers; the actions his Department is taking to increase switching among households on high tariffs; and the steps being taken to improve transparency in billing and tariff information. [64762/25]
  • 2025-11-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department will produce a targeted arrears reduction plan for households facing long-term energy debt, including supports for at-risk customers, actions to prevent the escalation of arrears, and the timeline for transitioning from universal energy credits to targeted supports. [64763/25]
  • 2025-11-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has reviewed the balance between environmental protection considerations and the timely delivery of essential infrastructure in the current planning and regulatory processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63589/25]
  • 2025-11-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of major infrastructure projects delayed due to environmental assessment processes, in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63590/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate; Energy and the Environment if the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has commenced or intends to commence an investigation into electricity suppliers, given recent reports by an expert group expressing concern that retail electricity prices are not reflecting reductions in wholesale energy costs; the criteria under which the CRU assesses supplier pricing fairness and competitiveness; if he will publish the most recent data comparing wholesale and retail electricity prices for domestic and commercial customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61148/25]
  • 2025-11-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate; Energy and the Environment the latest figures for domestic energy bill arrears in the household sector, including the percentage of electricity and gas customers in arrears, the total amounts owed, and the average debt per household; if he will compare these figures with those from June 2024 and June 2021; the total value and reach of payments made under the energy credit scheme to date in 2025 and its assessed impact on household arrears; the targeted interventions planned to reduce household energy debt, promote tariff switching, and improve transparency and efficiency in billing; the plans to transition from universal energy credits to targeted supports for households most at risk of long-term arrears; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61156/25]
  • 2025-11-06 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has assessed the economic impact on domestic retailers arising from the non-compliance of overseas distance sellers with Irish environmental producer responsibility obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60580/25]
  • 2025-11-06 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he has undertaken or commissioned any assessment of the level of non-compliance by distance sellers and online retailers located outside the State with Irish environmental producer responsibility and recycling obligations; the estimated scale of financial losses to national compliance schemes arising from such non-compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60575/25]
  • 2025-11-06 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has examined the feasibility of introducing a pay-on-behalf system, similar to those operating in France, Germany, Spain and Italy, whereby online marketplaces are required to collect and remit environmental compliance fees on behalf of non-registered third-party sellers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60576/25]
  • 2025-11-06 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the enforcement and monitoring mechanisms currently in place to ensure that all online and distance sellers, regardless of location, contribute fairly to environmental compliance and recycling schemes in Ireland; the number of enforcement actions or penalties issued since 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60577/25]
  • 2025-11-06 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department intends to bring forward proposals before 2026 to strengthen environmental compliance for distance sellers and online marketplaces; the expected timeline for consultation with compliance schemes and the retail sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60578/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment in view of Ireland’s forthcoming EU presidency and the Government’s recent briefing to cabinet on visiting EU and non-EU heads of state, if he will provide the planned regional infrastructure investments linked to the presidency year (including in Cork), by county; the details of the way in which these investments will align with the national climate-resilience agenda; and the mechanism by which regional areas will be guaranteed equitable benefit rather than national-seat concentration. [58917/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment in view of the recent figures showing that 1.2milliontonnes, 42percent, of municipal waste is being exported, and that Ireland is at risk of missing its 2025 recycling targets, if he will provide a breakdown of waste exports in 2024 and to date in 2025, by county, including the volume from CorkCity and CorkCounty; the principal reasons for outsourcing (cost, capacity, facility location) and the impact on regional processing infrastructure; and the steps being taken to invest in local/regional waste-processing facilities (including in Munster), so as to reduce reliance on exports and strengthen the domestic circular-economy. [59193/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department or the Revenue Commissioners have reviewed the remuneration and benefit structure of Re-Turn Ireland CLG’s executives and directors to determine compliance with fair remuneration and tax transparency standards. [56375/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has carried out or plans to carry out a value-for-money assessment of the Deposit Return Scheme in its current corporate form, taking into account costs to consumers and the level of retained income by the operating company. [56376/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of meetings or formal communications between officials of his Department and representatives of Re-Turn Ireland CLG since its establishment; and whether any concerns were raised regarding its financial management or accounting practices. [56378/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will liaise with the Minister for Finance to ensure that a full financial audit of Re-Turn Ireland CLG is carried out annually by an independent external auditor and laid before the Oireachtas. [56379/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will review existing legislation governing levy-funded private entities to ensure that companies such as Re-Turn Ireland CLG are brought within a transparent audit and reporting framework comparable to that applied to semi-state or statutory bodies. [56380/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total remuneration, including salaries, bonuses, pension contributions, and other non-cash benefits paid to executives and board members of a company (details supplied) in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56361/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total value of cash reserves currently held by a company (details supplied); the purpose for which these reserves are maintained; and whether his Department has imposed or intends to impose any limits or conditions on the accumulation of such reserves. [56362/25]
  • …and 37 more questions on Climate
• Further and Higher Education 49 questions

  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the expected date on which the performance and evaluation framework for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction will be formally approved; whether the framework will be published; and whether it will include measurable targets relating to housing output, training capacity, and construction efficiency. [20399/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the membership of the Project Advisory Group overseeing the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction; the entities that have entered into Memoranda of Understanding governing the development of the Park; and whether those agreements will be published. [20400/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether a written risk assessment or project assurance review was undertaken prior to the decision to commence capital works on the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction before the performance and evaluation framework had been finalised; and if so, whether he will publish or summarise that assessment. [20401/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total capital allocation approved to date for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction; the expenditure incurred to date; and the projected total cost of completion. [20402/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total capital allocation approved to date for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction at Mount Lucas; the amount drawn down to date; whether a formal Stage 1 and Stage 2 approval under the Capital Works Management Framework was completed prior to commencement of enabling groundworks; and if he will provide the dates on which such approvals were granted. [16020/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current status of the performance and evaluation framework for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction; the date on which the framework is expected to be formally approved; whether draft metrics have been agreed by the Project Advisory Group; and whether the framework will be published. [16021/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the baseline data identified for measuring the impact of the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction; the specific quantitative target indicators to be used in assessing uptake of MMC in public housing delivery, training throughput, and cost and time efficiencies; and if he will provide the numerical targets adopted. [16022/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the policy rationale for commencing capital works on the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction prior to finalisation of the performance and evaluation framework; whether a written risk assessment was undertaken in relation to this sequencing decision; and if so, whether he will provide details. [16023/26]
  • 2026-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reporting structures applicable to the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction, including the frequency of reporting to his Department; whether performance data will be laid before the Oireachtas; and whether the Project Advisory Group minutes are recorded and retained for audit purposes. [16024/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in respect of the “Build Back Home” advertising campaign in 2024 and 2025:to state the procurement route used for each element of the campaign, including creative development, production, media planning and media buying; to confirm whether an Office of Government Procurement framework agreement was used; and if so, to identify the relevant framework reference; to provide the name of each supplier appointed, the contract start and end dates, the contract value awarded to each; to provide the eTenders reference number and contract award notice details for each contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14705/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide, in euro terms, the total media expenditure per channel for the “Build Back Home” campaign in 2024 and 2025 respectively, including digital audio, social media, outdoor, digital display and video; to reconcile the percentage breakdown provided in his previous reply for 2025, where the channel split exceeds 100%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14706/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether a post-campaign evaluation, value-for-money assessment, cost-benefit analysis, or internal review was completed in respect of the “Build Back Home” advertising campaign in 2024 and 2025; if so, to provide the date completed, the author, the methodology used, and the principal findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14707/26]
  • 2026-02-24 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to set out the evidential basis and methodology used by his Department to describe the “Build Back Home” campaign as having had a contributory effect on increases in the construction workforce, the specific CSO series and tables relied upon; the definitions used by the Department for “All Construction Workforce” and “Housing Construction Workforce”;whether any modelling, attribution analysis, or counterfactual assessment was conducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14708/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of Irish citizens who returned to the State as a direct or indirect result of the “Build Back Home” advertising campaign run by his Department in 2024 and 2025, respectively; the methodology used by his Department to measure campaign outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9491/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether his Department carried out any cost-benefit analysis, value-for-money assessment, or post-campaign evaluation in respect of the “Build Back Home” advertising campaign conducted in Canada, Australia, and the United States in 2024 and 2025; whether any key performance indicators were set in advance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9492/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the procurement process used for the “Build Back Home” advertising campaign in 2024 and 2025; the advertising channels utilised, including digital platforms, recruitment platforms, and media buys; the total expenditure per channel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9493/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated additional cost incurred by students and their families in the 2025 academic year arising from the level of the student contribution fee prior to Budget 2026; whether his Department quantified this cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9494/26]
  • 2026-02-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected timeline and fiscal pathway by which his Department intends to meet the Programme for Government commitment to reduce the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government; whether further reductions are planned beyond Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9495/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated total cost of the proposed national online AI and digital skills platform intended to upskill up to one million people; the funding source for this initiative, including whether funding will be drawn from his Department’s Vote, the National Training Fund, or another source; the multi-annual budgetary provision envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7633/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the delivery model proposed for the national AI and digital skills upskilling platform; whether delivery will be provided directly by the State, through SOLAS, or via contracted private or third-party e-learning providers; the procurement process envisaged for selecting any such providers; and the governance and oversight arrangements that will apply. [7634/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the specific target cohorts for the proposed AI and digital skills platform; whether participation will be open to workers, jobseekers, SMEs, the self-employed, and those outside the labour force; the measures planned to ensure accessibility for people with low baseline digital skills; and if he will outline how uptake will be measured. [7635/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the proposed micro-credential framework referenced for the AI and digital skills platform; how stackability and formal recognition of qualifications will operate; whether these micro-credentials will align with the National Framework of Qualifications; and what engagement has taken place with employers and higher-education institutions in this regard. [7636/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the evidence base used to support the target of upskilling one million people in AI and digital skills; the data sources relied upon, including reports from Ibec, OECD and the National Skills Council; and whether the Department has set interim targets or timelines for delivery. [7637/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the functions, staffing complement, and annual operating cost of the proposed National Skills Observatory; how it will operate within SOLAS; the nature of the labour-market intelligence and forecasting it will provide; and how its outputs will inform policy and funding decisions. [7638/26]
  • 2026-02-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how the proposed AI and digital skills initiatives will address regional and sectoral skills gaps; whether specific provision will be made for construction, manufacturing, retail, and SMEs; and how regional disparities identified by the National Skills Observatory will be acted upon. [7639/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount his Department has spent on advertising abroad aimed at encouraging Irish citizens to return home, broken down by year for 2024, 2025, and to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3791/26]
  • 2026-01-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on commitments made in advance of the 2024 General Election regarding the abolition of third-level student fees; if he will clarify comments made on 14 November 2024 during an engagement with a student at Dublin City University in which he stated that he would abolish such fees; and the actions, if any, he now proposes to take in light of the additional cost of approximately €500 incurred by students and parents in the 2025 academic year. [3838/26]
  • 2025-12-11 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the performance and evaluation framework for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction at Mount Lucas; the date on which this framework will be approved; the baseline data and target indicators that will be used to measure outcomes; the reporting structures that will be applied; whether any phase of construction commenced prior to the finalisation of these metrics; and the reason construction proceeded in advance of an agreed evaluation framework. [71045/25]
  • 2025-12-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a performance and evaluation framework has been approved for the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction at Mount Lucas, including baseline data, target indicators, and reporting mechanisms; and if not, to explain why construction has proceeded in the absence of defined metrics. [68903/25]
  • 2025-11-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated number of construction workers required annually to meet the housing delivery targets in Delivering Homes, Building Communities; the current size of the construction workforce; and the projected shortfall. [63920/25]
  • 2025-11-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the apprenticeship intake and completion figures for construction-related trades in 2023 and 2024; the expected intake for 2025; and how these figures align with the workforce required to meet annual housing targets. [63921/25]
  • 2025-11-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated construction workforce required in Cork city and Cork county to meet regional housing targets under Delivering Homes, Building Communities; the current workforce level; and the actions planned to bridge any shortfall. [63929/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science following the announcement of Ireland's associate membership of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN, the estimated level of additional funding and resource commitment Ireland will make over the next five years; the mechanisms by which regions outside Dublin for example, Munster-Cork will participate or bid for collaborative research funding; and the way in which he intends to translate high-end research membership into tangible local employment, innovation clusters and retention of talent in regions such as Cork. [58422/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total amount expended to date on the advertising campaign described in the media as costing nearly €450,000 to entice Irish construction workers abroad to return home, including a breakdown of expenditure by market (United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom); the number of workers who have returned to Ireland as a direct result of this campaign, and the number of workers who registered interest or engagement through the campaign’s online portal or contact point; a breakdown of those returning by country of origin and by trade or occupation within the construction sector, such as bricklayer, site engineer, carpenter, or electrician; the evidence available of any net economic benefit to the Exchequer arising from this campaign in terms of increased tax revenue, PRSI contributions, or measurable additions to housing-related construction employment; whether an evaluation or review of the cost-effectiveness of this campaign has been conducted; and if so, if he will provide a summary of findings and state whether the campaign will continue or be redesigned. [60120/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science having regard to reports that nearly €450,000 was spent on a campaign to attract Irish construction workers home from abroad, the number of those workers that have actually taken up employment in Ireland as a result of the campaign; the criteria being used by his Department to measure the campaign’s success or return on investment, and the date by which a full evaluation will be completed; whether he accepts that the continuing shortage of construction workers, despite this expenditure, indicates that the campaign has not delivered value for money; and whether consideration will be given to reallocating such funding to domestic training and retention schemes. [60121/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if an assessment was undertaken of the opportunity cost of spending nearly €450,000 on advertising to attract emigrant workers, rather than on upskilling or retention initiatives for those already working in Ireland; if a cost-benefit or return-on-investment analysis was completed before the campaign’s launch, and if so, whether he will publish the summary findings; the total number of workers targeted by the campaign, the number who returned to work in Ireland, and the cost per successful returnee; and whether any measurable increase has occurred in the domestic construction workforce that can be attributed directly to this campaign. [60122/25]
  • 2025-09-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of student accommodation units available in Cork city, Blarney, Mallow and Glanmire, as of September 2025; the number of units currently under construction or with approved planning; and the projected shortfall against third-level enrolments for the 2025-2026 academic year. [49410/25]
  • 2025-09-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider the abolition of third-level fees and apprentice contributions as a means to reduce financial pressures on students, in view of recent research showing that 81% of young people are fearful for their future in Ireland. [48783/25]
  • 2025-09-08 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in view of volatile CAO points locking students out of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, the number of additional places that will be created for 2026, particularly in UCC and MTU. [46264/25]
  • 2025-06-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total estimated cost to the Exchequer associated with the recent renaming and rebranding of his Department, including, but not limited to, cost categories (details supplied); the breakdown of the incurred or projected costs; and if a cost-benefit analysis or any assessment of public value was carried out prior to approving these changes. [31367/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science about, for example, football, boxing, athletics, youth services, social services, health and well-being, community outreach, and cultural activities. [23816/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programmes they provide (details supplied). [23834/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department's aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, Departments or any other public bodies; grants provided by local authorities or regional entities; additional financial support from public sources, including any specific allocations through schemes designed to support NGOs, charities and community organisations; and any external or private funding that NGOs may have received, specifically indicating where state funding is used to leverage additional private or philanthropic donations. [23852/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide a breakdown of the number of NGOs under his Department's aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored to ensure that taxpayers' money is not indirectly supporting fee-based services. [23870/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to NGOs under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23889/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy and administrative costs of state funding for NGOs under the aegis of his Department; if such a review or audit has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23907/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline NGOs, under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may compete for similar grants or operate in the same areas with little co-ordination (details supplied). [23925/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23943/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23961/25]
• Taoiseach 26 questions

  • 2025-11-25 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if his Department will publish annual residential construction productivity data, separate from overall construction-sector productivity, beginning in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65726/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach given the commentary in a newspaper (details supplied) that debates on Irish unity must account for identity and cultural plurality, the way in which he plans to engage minority identity communities in any future unity frameworks; the progress that has been made on updating the Government's cross-Border consultative mechanisms to ensure inclusive representation; and the role Cork-based constituencies, with diaspora and cultural links, have in shaping national policy on identity, unity and constitutional change. [58423/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach the current status of the Government’s commitment to establish a Cork city centre taskforce, as publicly referenced by him and by officials of his Department earlier in 2025; and the progress, that has been made to date in establishing this taskforce. [59281/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach the date on which his Department last met with Cork City Council or other stakeholders regarding the creation of the Cork city centre taskforce; and if he will publish the minutes or action points arising from that meeting. [59282/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if a chairperson, secretariat or terms of reference have been designated for the proposed Cork city centre taskforce; and if not, the reason for the delay in appointing these. [59283/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if funding has been earmarked within his Department’s 2025 or 2026 estimates for the establishment and operation of the Cork city centre taskforce; and if so, the amount allocated. [59284/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if he remains committed to ensuring that the Cork city centre taskforce will be operational within 100 days of the next Dáil term; and the timeline for its creation, first meeting, and publication of an initial work programme. [59285/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach the main objectives proposed for the Cork city centre taskforce; the way in which it will coordinate with existing urban regeneration, business support, and enterprise initiatives in Cork city; and if he will ensure that its remit includes direct consultation with local businesses, residents, and elected representatives. [59286/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if his Department has examined models used for city-centre regeneration in other jurisdictions, such as the Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC or the Dublin City Centre Taskforce, when designing the Cork initiative; and if those learnings will be published. [59287/25]
  • 2025-11-04 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if he will commit to publishing a quarterly update on the progress toward the establishment of the Cork city centre taskforce, including stakeholder engagement, budgetary provision, and measurable outcomes. [59288/25]
  • 2025-10-21 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if the Central Statistics Office, under his Department’s aegis, holds or can provide data on the number and percentage of residents of non-Irish ethnic background in Ballyhaunis, Ballyvaughan, Clones, Lisdoonvarna, Longford, Gort, Granard, and Newport for the census years 2016, 2022, and 2024 or the most recent available figures, if this information can be disaggregated at town level [56414/25]
  • 2025-10-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if his Department, or the National Security Analysis Centre has received any briefings from the Defence Forces, the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service or allied intelligence partners regarding Chinese political influence operations in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55946/25]
  • 2025-10-15 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if he will consider establishing a cross-departmental taskforce on foreign interference and influence operations to coordinate national policy in light of growing concerns about Chinese and Russian activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55947/25]
  • 2025-09-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if he will meet with the Ombudsman for Children to discuss his recent remarks and proposals for reform of the child protection review system. [47994/25]
  • 2025-09-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach regarding the Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office, the cross-Departmental actions that have been initiated to coordinate responses on income supports, housing, childcare access and educational disadvantage, in order to reduce housing-cost-adjusted child poverty rates; and if he will provide details of progress to date. [48419/25]
  • 2025-06-17 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach the total estimated cost to the Exchequer associated with the recent renaming and rebranding of his Department including but not limited to cost categories (details supplied); the breakdown of the incurred or projected costs; and if a cost-benefit analysis or any assessment of public value was carried out prior to approving these changes. [31950/25]
  • 2025-06-10 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to establish a revitalisation taskforce for Cork city; to provide the membership of the taskforce and its remit; and the remuneration scales, if any, that are proposed for the taskforce membership. [29200/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied). [23823/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programs they provide (details supplied). [23841/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department’s aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, departments, or any other public bodies; grants provided by local authorities or regional entities; additional financial support from public sources, including any specific allocations through schemes designed to support NGOs, charities, and community organisations; any external or private funding that NGOs may have received, specifically indicating where state funding is used to leverage additional private or philanthropic donations. [23859/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored to ensure that taxpayer money is not indirectly supporting fee-based services. [23877/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23896/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23914/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23932/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23950/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Taoiseach to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23968/25]
• Rural 20 questions

  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of staff recruited to his Department in the grades of Clerical Officer, Executive Officer, and Higher Executive Officer in each of the past five years; and if he will provide the figures in tabular form. [20039/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of staff recruited to his Department in the grades of Clerical Officer, Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer in the past five years who did not successfully complete their probationary period; and if he will provide the figures broken down by grade and by year. [20040/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if records are maintained regarding the stage of probation at which employment ceased for staff who did not complete probation in the grades of Clerical Officer, Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer in the past five years; and if so, the number whose employment ceased within the first three months, six months, or nine months of probation. [20041/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of staff in the grades of Clerical Officer, Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer who transferred to another Department or public body during their probationary period in the past five years. [20042/26]
  • 2026-03-18 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of staff in the grades of Clerical Officer, Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer within his Department whose probationary period was extended in each of the past five years; the reasons such extensions may be applied; and the number of those staff who subsequently successfully completed probation or whose employment ceased. [20043/26]
  • 2025-12-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if his Department has received and assessed the application for the refurbishment of a community centre and library (details supplied) in the north-east ward of Cork city; the current status of the proposal within his Department’s capital approvals process; whether any further information has been requested from Cork City Council; and the expected timeline for a final decision on funding, given that Cork City Council has already completed the preparatory work requested by his Department. [72317/25]
  • 2025-10-16 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will consider bringing forward an amendment to the Charities Act 2009, as amended by the Charities (Amendment) Act 2024, to include explicit provisions requiring all registered charities, including faith-based organisations, to uphold the principles of gender equality and non-discrimination in their governance structures, employment practices and activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56464/25]
  • 2025-09-08 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will detail the criteria by which NGOs are selected for multi-annual funding; the proportion of total State NGO funding allocated to small, volunteer-led organisations; and the proportion concentrated in the largest 100 NGOs. [46642/25]
  • 2025-09-08 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether his Department has conducted any assessment of duplication or overlap among State-funded NGOs; and if so, if he will publish those findings. [46645/25]
  • 2025-06-12 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total estimated cost to the Exchequer associated with the recent renaming and rebranding of his Department including but not limited to cost categories (details supplied); the breakdown of the incurred or projected costs; and if a cost-benefit analysis or any assessment of public value was carried out prior to approving these changes. [31372/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied). [23821/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programs they provide (details supplied). [23839/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department’s aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, departments, or any other public bodies; grants provided by local authorities or regional entities; additional financial support from public sources, including any specific allocations through schemes designed to support NGOs, charities, and community organisations; any external or private funding that NGOs may have received, specifically indicating where state funding is used to leverage additional private or philanthropic donations. [23857/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored to ensure that taxpayer money is not indirectly supporting fee-based services. [23875/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23894/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23912/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23930/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23948/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23948/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23966/25]
• Environment 17 questions

  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23813/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programs they provide (details supplied). [23831/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department’s aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, departments, or any other public bodies; grants provided by local authorities or regional entities; additional financial support from public sources, including any specific allocations through schemes designed to support NGOs, charities, and community organisations, any external or private funding that NGOs may have received, specifically indicating where state funding is used to leverage additional private or philanthropic donations. [23849/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored to ensure that taxpayer money is not indirectly supporting fee-based services. [23867/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23886/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23904/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23922/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23940/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23958/25]
  • 2025-05-07 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the contingency plans and response measures in place in Ireland in the event of large-scale power outage (details supplied); and If any recent simulations or tests have been conducted to assess the Ireland's preparedness for such an event. [22278/25]
  • 2025-04-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications further to Parliamentary Question No. 194 of 19 March 2025, for time frame of when I will receive the referenced documents (details supplied). [20234/25]
  • 2025-04-29 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason the ex-civil servants transferred from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to An Post and to Bord Telecom Éireann in January 1984 appear to have different security attached to their pensions, namely, the Eircom no. 2 fund is funded by the Minister for Finance with an obvious guarantee under the pay-as-you-go system whilst the An Post scheme has a pension fund with no State guarantee and is dependent on the company's level of contribution to it plus returns from investments, and is, therefore, less secure than the special Eircom scheme for the ex-civil servants notwithstanding s46 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20468/25]
  • 2025-03-19 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide a copy of the authorisation given to An Post on 26 May 1989 to award increases in pensions to retired staff; the legislative provision for the delegation; the reason the delegation was withdrawn in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11653/25]
  • 2025-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the delegated authority given to An Post in May 1989 to approve the payment of pension increases to pensioners of the company was withdrawn; the instructions that replaced it; if these instructions are still in force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8290/25]
  • 2025-02-26 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department was requested by An Post in 2013 to approve the pensions accord introduced by the company; if not, if the new procedure to control pension costs was an operational matter for An Post and the trustees of the superannuation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8293/25]
  • 2025-02-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the delegated authority given to An Post in May 1989 to approve the payment of pension increases to pensioners of the company was withdrawn; the instructions that replaced it; if these are still enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6902/25]
  • 2025-02-20 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his Department was requested by An Post in 2013 to approve the pensions accord introduced by the company; if not, if the new procedure to control pension costs was an operational matter for An Post and the trustees of the superannuation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6903/25]
• Tourism 9 questions

  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied). [23824/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media The Minister is also requested to indicate if there is any duplication of services across NGOs operating in the same geographic or thematic area, particularly regarding those providing similar community, social, educational, or health services. [23842/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to specify the total amount of funding allocated to each of the identified non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under his Department’s aegis over the past five years, broken down by State funding directly administered through central government agencies, departments, or any other public bodies; grants provided by local authorities or regional entities; additional financial support from public sources, including any specific allocations through schemes designed to support NGOs, charities, and community organisations; any external or private funding that NGOs may have received, specifically indicating where state funding is used to leverage additional private or philanthropic donations. [23860/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored to ensure that taxpayer money is not indirectly supporting fee-based services.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23878/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23897/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23915/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23933/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23951/25]
  • 2025-05-13 Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23969/25]