Results 41-60 of 7,634 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to the Budget 2026 commitment (details supplied) that ‘80 school buildings will progress to construction across 2026 & 2027 as part of 2-year rolling programme and progression of 300 school building projects currently in construction’, if she will provide a list of those schools, and the type and stage of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (15 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 187. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on a new IT system for school payroll systems; the scope and stage of development of this system and the anticipated cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56013/25]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Inquiries (15 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 229. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person in receipt of carers allowance and is working 18.5 hours is paid by their employer for their break times and are included as working hours; the measures her Department uses to ensure that the person is not subject to repayments or review when not physically working during their lunch break. [55877/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Laboratory Facilities (15 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 354. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the new laboratory IT system (details supplied) ; the length of time this system has been in development, the timeline for rollout, the cost of this project to date, and the expected total cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56012/25]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 18. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [50086/25]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 23. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [53071/25]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: In the audiovisual room this afternoon, a briefing organised by Deputy Guirke was addressed by Ciaran Staunton and Kelly Fincham on barriers faced by Irish citizens returning from abroad. They raised a range of barriers, such as access to driving licences and planning permission, but the issue I want to raise that relates to the economy and trade is the dearth of teachers, occupational...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 7. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [50085/25]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Ms Cassidy stated that the guidelines are fully aligned with the EU AI Act and reflect the risk-based classification system. Will she common on that system? Does it take account of information on human rights, data protection and environmental impact? What is the nature of the risk-based framework?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: In terms of the role of the guidelines to provide guidance to the public sector, is there a mandatory requirement that everybody should use them? Is there a central repository, for example, of every AI-related project happening in the public sector? Is that what happens on the back of the guidelines?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector: Discussion (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: One of the areas is enhancing the delivery of public services by improving responsiveness. There are a number of examples in the guidelines, including heart ultrasound scans in St. Vincent's hospital and the use of large language models for taxpayers' queries in Revenue. The Department of justice launched a digital contact centre using chatbots and Copilot. As those projects are put...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 412. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has considered using external training providers to train teachers and school staff in special education schools or settings. [54620/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 413. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will avail of external training providers to use a more targeted approach to train teachers and staff in special education, rather than a one size fits all approach. [54621/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 501. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of the €48 million allocated in Budget 2026 to DEIS plus that is for new measures; the amount which is for existing levels of service; and if this funding is available immediately or from September 2026. [55314/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 498. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills of the €3 billion in funding provided to special education in Budget 2026, the amount that is for existing levels of service and the amount for new measures. [55292/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 478. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the Departmental funding allocation for youth affairs for 2026; if she can provide a breakdown of this funding in terms of existing levels of service, new development measures and capital funding; if she can provide a detailed breakdown of the €8 million additional funding to youth affairs being made available in Budget 2026, in terms...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 489. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for a breakdown of the €16 million invested in school therapies in Budget 2026; and the number of SLTs and OTs she expects to provide, broken down by primary and post primary school. [55283/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 500. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for a breakdown of the €16 million allocated in Budget 2026 to school-based therapies in special schools; when special classes and mainstream schools will start receiving these therapies; and when schools will receive this funding. [55313/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 512. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the roll-out of school therapies is not coming into place with immediate effect following Budget 2026. [55325/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 490. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide a breakdown of the funding allocated in budget 2026 for the minor work grant, ICT grant, solar PV grant and climate action summer works scheme. [55284/25]