Dáil Éireann

Written answers

Some recent written answers

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (1 October 2026)

Edward Timmins:

111. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if councils have been given housing targets; and if these targets are being monitored. [69341/26]

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (6 October 2026)

Jennifer Whitmore:

349. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to share the findings of the more than 60 inspections of domestic wastewater treatment systems carried out by Wexford County Council in the Lady's Island Lake catchment area under the National Inspection Plan; the number of systems found to be non-compliant; the nature of the non-compliances identified; and the number of remediation notices issued. [69898/26]

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Data (1 October 2026)

Colm Burke:

142. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing commencements and completions there were in Cork in 2025; and the measures he is considering to accelerate supply and increase affordability. [69129/26]

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (6 October 2026)

John McGuinness:

387. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if retired nurses that paid a D stamp during their employment will be given the same pension entitlements as nurses that now pay an A stamp under a revised arrangement, particularly those that applied at the time to change to the A stamp; and if the matter will be considered as part of budget 2027. [69918/26]

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (1 October 2026)

Louis O'Hara:

392. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will grant the full two-week extension to the current deadline for slurry spreading. [69559/26]

Department of Health: Medicinal Products (7 October 2026)

Peadar Tóibín:

243. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of concerns that some people living with Friedreich’s ataxia may face significant delays in accessing skyclarys (omaveloxolone) despite its reimbursement from 1 October 2026 due to capacity constraints at the combined ataxia clinic at Tallaght University Hospital; the estimated timeframe within which all eligible patients will have commenced treatment; if additional resources will be provided to support treatment initiation and monitoring; the current waiting time for a Friedreich’s ataxia clinic appointment; and the measures being taken to address same. [70694/26]

Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (7 October 2026)

Louis O'Hara:

35. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new gardaí who have graduated to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69728/26]

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Construction Industry (1 October 2026)

Edward Timmins:

161. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if work has been carried out to examine ways of reducing the cost of building a house. [69343/26]

Department of Culture, Communications and Sport: Sports Funding (1 October 2026)

Malcolm Byrne:

330. To ask the Minister for Culture, Culture, Communications and Sport when a club (details supplied) will receive payment of a Community Sport Facilities Fund claim submitted to his Department on 19 August 2026. [69581/26]

Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 October 2026)

Tom Brabazon:

271. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has plans to introduce a recourse mechanism for students who miss out on their CAO choice due to administrative errors by the State Examinations Commission such as not applying spelling and grammar waiver to a Leaving Certificate Examination paper. [69435/26]

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (8 October 2026)

Matt Carthy:

211. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider introducing a grace period or flexibility mechanism for self-builders under the temporary development contribution waiver scheme whose homes are currently under construction and well-advanced but face missing the 31 December 2026 completion deadline due to documented trade and construction delays. [71176/26]

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Funding (6 October 2026)

Claire Kerrane:

391. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is any funding available in his Department to support a new online tool (details supplied) which is assisting navigating supports from his Department. [69945/26]

Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 October 2026)

Cian O'Callaghan:

158. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the work she is doing to provide full time behavioural therapists for a school (details supplied); and if work is being undertaken to provide multi-disciplinary teams, comprised of an occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, and psychologist for these schools. [70940/26]

Department of Health: Health Services (6 October 2026)

Mary Lou McDonald:

685. To ask the Minister for Health the measures being taken to improve the endometriosis surgery abroad interim scheme. [70563/26]

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (1 October 2026)

Peter Cleere:

45. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the next meeting of the EU General Affairs Council will take place; and the likely agenda for the meeting. [69059/26]

Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (6 October 2026)

Aidan Farrelly:

216. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the value of UBU Your Place Your Space funding for each recipient organisation in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular from. [70002/26]

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Northern Ireland (1 October 2026)

Rose Conway-Walsh:

20. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the engagement she has had with the British government concerning the Garvaghy Road parade dispute. [69339/26]

Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund (6 October 2026)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn:

544. To ask the Minister for Health the reason for a delay of up to nine months for the HSE to reimburse patients availing of the EU cross border directive; the action being taken to help patients who avail of loans in order to access speedy healthcare due to growing waiting lists here and who find themselves considerably out of pocket as a result of the delays in reimbursement; and the reason patients had only to wait six weeks for reimbursement two years ago. [69732/26]

Department of Health: Protected Disclosures (8 October 2026)

Aidan Farrelly:

332. To ask the Minister for Health the number of protected disclosures received by her Department in each of the years 2019 to date in 2026, in tabular form; if an external contractor has been engaged regarding a protected disclosure over that time period; if so, the cost of same; and the number of protected disclosures that were rejected, accepted and that remain under review for the time period in question. [71310/26]

Department of Finance: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 October 2026)

Ken O'Flynn:

134. To ask the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 69657/26 of 1 October 2026, which did not provide a costing, the estimated full year cost of a tax credit for childcare and school age childcare costs for working lone parents at rates of €500, €1,000 and €1,500 respectively, based on the number of claimants of the Single Person Child Carer Credit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71249/26]