Written answers
Thursday, 25 September 2025
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Artificial Intelligence
10. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on legislation to establish the national AI office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50480/25]
- Recycling Policy (1 comment)
11. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the provisions he intends to promote to facilitate the circular economy and the reuse and repair of household items; and if he will...
- Official Engagements
12. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on his engagements with a company (details supplied) during their period of examinership; the supports and advice...
- Departmental Strategies
14. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to develop a new national life sciences strategy. [37448/25]
- Enterprise Policy
17. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the proposed Glass Bottle Site innovation hub aligns with commitments to fostering innovation and collaboration in his Action Plan...
- Industrial Development
19. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the IDA's application for planning permission for a factory on its green-field site at Creagh, Ballinasloe; the...
- Enterprise Policy
20. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if usage data relating to the National Enterprise Hub is able to demonstrate the more popular or accessible business supports; the...
- Insurance Industry
22. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will meet with the insurance industry to find ways of incentivising those companies to pass on the significant claims reductions...
- Wage-setting Mechanisms
23. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will support increasing the national minimum wage to €17 per hour to address the cost of living crisis; and if he will...
- Tourism Industry
24. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will examine the means to simplify the process for registration of persons properties for short-term letting, which are a vital...
- National Development Plan
25. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the additional funding provided to his Department under the recent National Development Plan review; and if he will make a statement...
- Insurance Industry
26. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement he has had with Government colleagues regarding insurance and reducing the cost of insurance for businesses; and if he...
- Small and Medium Enterprises
28. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions he is taking to enhance the SME sector in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50576/25]
- Human Rights
29. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 22 of 19 June 2025, the status of the preparation of the Second National Action Plan on Business...
- Flexible Work Practices
30. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which his Department has engaged with other Government agencies and Departments regarding divergence in employment...
- Industrial Relations
31. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement he has had with trade unions regarding the ongoing 'Respect at Work' campaign being promoted by unions (details...
- Work Permits
32. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to the recent consultation on the review of employment permits occupation lists, if he will add roles (details supplied) to...
- Industrial Relations
33. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the advances his Department have made in preparing an action plan for collective bargaining; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Wage-setting Mechanisms
34. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the means by which workers' rights will be advanced in tandem with the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, particularly...
- Work Permits
35. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of critical skills employment permits approved in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Industrial Development
36. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions being taken by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to promote County Offaly as a location for investment; if consideration will...
- Job Creation
37. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department will take to support the creation of new jobs in County Meath; if his department holds statistics on the...
- Industrial Development
38. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the lack of IDA-hosted visits to Waterford in comparison to the other cities of Ireland and even Shannon and Athlone...
- Departmental Schemes
39. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the status of the growth and sustainability loan scheme as two banks (details supplied) have paused accepting new...
- Work Permits
40. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the current average processing times for general and critical skills employment permit applications; to provide a comparison with the...
- Artificial Intelligence
41. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures being considered to ensure that regulatory oversight under the European Union AI Act does not create barriers to AI...
- Work Permits
42. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the current processing times for critical skills employment permit applications and for general employment...
- Enterprise Policy
43. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a new North-East Regional Enterprise Plan will be published soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50708/25]
- Business Supports
44. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement he has had with Government colleagues in relation to reducing the overall cost of business; and if he will make a...
- Industrial Development
45. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of investments the IDA is targeting in the Border region under its current strategy; it's performance in Border region...
- Small and Medium Enterprises
46. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the level of support available to small- to medium-sized enterprises to reduce the cost of energy, his plans to expand these supports...
- Industrial Development
48. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans from Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to find a replacement industry for a plant in County Laois (details supplied); and if he...
- Official Engagements
49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the engagements he has undertaken with a company (details supplied). [50776/25]
- Enterprise Policy
50. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to create a business incubator for startups similar to station F in France; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Work Permits
51. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for the number of general employment permits approved in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Business Supports
52. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses that have been supported through energy efficiency grants in each county over the past five years; and if he...
- Industrial Development
54. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the discussions his Department have had with the IDA to ascertain plans and schedules for the development of the 30-hectare business...
- Trade Relations
55. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement there has been with his Department, other Government Departments, State agencies and industry, including pharma,...
- Industrial Development
57. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the extent to which the IDA is actively promoting south Tipperary as a location for foreign direct investment,...
- Work Permits
59. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement his Department has had with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on the development of a single...
- Small and Medium Enterprises
60. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he is taking to support SMEs to make the shift to renewable energy and upskill in green tech; and if he will make a...
- Consumer Prices
61. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he is taking to address the phenomenon of shrinkflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50844/25]
- Small and Medium Enterprises
62. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the supports his Department is putting in place to assist small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly those without dedicated HR...
- Enterprise Policy
63. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on his plans to establish start-up Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50580/25]
- Small and Medium Enterprises
64. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he is taking to address the funding gap that exists for SMEs in Ireland looking for equity finance to scale up; and if he...
- Wage-setting Mechanisms
65. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will support a substantial increase in the national minimum wage in 2026 to address the cost of living crisis; and if he will...
- Artificial Intelligence
67. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the details of the preparations underway for the establishment of the national AI office by August 2026; and if he will make a...
- Business Regulation
69. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of collective notices of redundancy received by the Department from January 2024 to August 2025 from American companies or...
- Departmental Functions
70. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the progress of the establishment of the new small business unit of his Department; and if he will make a...
- Industrial Development
71. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department is taking to attract non-energy intensive and environmentally sustainable industries and investment to...
- Enterprise Policy
72. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to simplify the application process for enterprise grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50458/25]
- Small and Medium Enterprises
73. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the proposed SME scaling fund will be in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50581/25]
- Business Supports
74. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the criteria for inclusion in the ICOB re-application. [50777/25]
- Small and Medium Enterprises
75. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps his Department is taking to support indigenous SMEs to adapt to US tariffs and to insulate themselves from the impact of...
- Enterprise Policy
76. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the average annual number of high potential start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland in the past decade; the year in which the most...
- Tourism Promotion
77. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline his Department’s efforts to promote tourism in east County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Motor Industry
78. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he is taking to support the tyre sales industry in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49709/25]
- Tourism Promotion
79. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on Fáilte Ireland’s plans to develop a destination and experience development plan specifically for north...
- Tourism Policy
80. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his view on how rural pubs fit into the tourism strategy and qualify for public funding; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Work Permits
81. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the progress made by his Department in respect of streamlining the employment permit application process, whereby a...
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- Artificial Intelligence
88. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the means by which his Department plans on using artificial intelligence to speed up the processing of application forms; and...
- Wage-setting Mechanisms
98. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the establishment of a working age payment as committed to in the Programme for Government; and if he...
- Social Welfare Benefits
99. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans for a targeted child benefit payment. [50693/25]
- Social Welfare Appeals
100. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection since the introduction of updated regulations to modernise and streamline the social welfare appeals process implemented on...
- Social Welfare Benefits
101. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the period of a social welfare payment following the death of a dependent from six to 12...
- Child Poverty
105. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will report on the new child poverty target that he recently announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Social Welfare Benefits
106. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the means by which he is enhancing application processes within his Department, and providing additional resources where...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
107. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will review the rule that prevents widows, widowers and surviving civil partners from receiving illness benefit when...
- State Pensions
108. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on the establishment of the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority; and if he will make a...
- Social Welfare Benefits
109. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans for a comprehensive review of means tests across the social welfare system; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Employment Support Services
111. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures he is taking to support persons with disabilities into employment; and if he will make a statement on the...
- School Meals Programme
112. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to undertake a review of the hot school meals scheme, specifically to examine the quality and nutritional value of...
- Departmental Schemes
114. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to increase the top-up payment for participants on CE, TÚS, and the rural social scheme, in recognition of the...
- Social Welfare Benefits
115. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to address delays in processing illness benefit and invalidity pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50783/25]
- Social Welfare Fraud
116. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of active cases of social welfare fraud investigation currently ongoing in each county, in tabular form; and if he...
- Employment Support Services
117. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline any plans there are for work activation and disability access to work, including any improvements or streamlining...
- State Pensions
118. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will review the policy whereby a person in receipt of the State pension is only entitled to half-rate carer’s...
- Social Welfare Benefits
119. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will extend the domiciliary care allowance from 16 to 18 in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Social Welfare Code
121. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of extending illness benefit to the self-employed; the estimated increase in PRSI rates which would be required to...
- Community Employment Schemes
122. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to consider a revision of the TÚS programme guidelines for people in receipt of disability allowance, in order to allow...
- State Pensions
124. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will consider changing the means-test for the state pension (non-contributory) from gross to net income; and if he will...
- Social Welfare Code
125. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will provide an update on the report on benchmarking and indexing working age social protection rates; and if he will...
- State Pensions
126. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to review the capital element of the means test for the non-contributory pension, which has not been updated in many years...
- Poverty Data
128. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his views, in light of a report (details supplied) showing almost half of families cutting back on essentials, whether he...
- Child Poverty
129. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his views in light of the latest ESRI report, that successive Governments have failed to reduce child poverty; and that only...
- Social Welfare Benefits
131. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rationale for his decision to remove the credit option for the household benefits package from December; and if he will...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
132. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will extend illness benefit to self-employed workers, recognising that illness can prevent them from earning a...
- Child Poverty
133. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his Department has analysed the impact on child poverty of the previous Minister's decision to more than double penalty...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
134. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to review the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50782/25]
- Social Welfare Benefits
135. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people in Counties Cavan and Monaghan availing of companion passes; the measures in place to promote this...
- Budget 2026
136. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to clarify whether his Department intends to introduce a targeted, second tier payment of child benefit in Budget 2026; and...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
137. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is any process by which former partners who were divorced or separated from the bereaved ie, widows; widowers;...
- State Pensions
138. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the plans in place for the pension auto-enrolment; the means by which they are proceeding; and if the deadline of the 1...
- Social Welfare Benefits
139. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will review the appeals process and criteria for carer's allowance and disability allowance, in light of cases where...
- Departmental Schemes
140. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to extending the voucher scheme run by the Irish Sign Language (ISL) Interpreting Service and...
- Social Welfare Benefits
141. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware of cases where persons who commenced a self-employed role in 2023 and subsequently became unemployed in 2025...
- Community Employment Schemes
142. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he plans to make changes to the community employment scheme to encourage more participants into the scheme; and if he will...
- Social Welfare Benefits
144. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people who have had their jobseekers' payments cut, by month, to date in 2025; the amount deducted from...
- Departmental Reports
145. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to publish the report of the Interdepartmental Working Group which reviewed the system of means test for carer's...
- Social Welfare Code
147. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to consider removing the means test for fuel allowance for those over 70 and in receipt of qualifying payments and meeting...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
148. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his assessment of the impact to date of improvements to the carer's allowance means test. [50673/25]
- Social Welfare Benefits
149. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to extend automatic entitlement to the household benefits package, the fuel allowance payment, and the additional...
- Child Poverty
151. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware of the ESRI's recent findings from their report on 'Poverty, Income Inequality and Living Standards in...
- Social Welfare Eligibility
152. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to expand the criteria of the occupational injuries benefit scheme to include healthcare workers suffering with...
- Social Welfare Benefits
153. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide a costing for increasing the carers allowance by two percent, in line with inflation, ten percent and 20 percent;...
- School Meals Programme
154. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the rollout of the hot school meals programme; the percentage of schools in the Dún Laoghaire...
- Social Welfare Benefits
155. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who qualified for the carer’s allowance, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2025; and...
- Child Poverty
159. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when he expects to bring forward proposals on a new child poverty target; his views on the measures that will be most...
- Social Welfare Benefits
160. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average processing time for an urgent needs payment in Cork. [50774/25]
- School Meals Programme
161. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of schools in Cork county that have made contact with his Department due to recent changes to the procurement...
- State Pensions
162. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people in Kilkenny currently in receipt of the bereaved partner’s (contributory) pension; and if he will...
- Fuel Poverty
163. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures he is taking to address the risk of more people falling into energy poverty this winter; and if he will make a...
- Social Welfare Benefits
164. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of children/families who will qualify automatically for back to school clothing and footwear allowance, by county;...
- Social Welfare Code
166. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress made on introducing a new working age payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50697/25]
- Social Welfare Eligibility
168. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will consider removing means-testing for access to social protection supports e.g. fuel allowance and the household...
- School Meals Programme
169. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection regarding the hot school meals scheme, the steps he is taking to measure the food that is wasted; the steps he is taking to...
- Social Welfare Appeals
170. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number and types of oral hearings completed by the Appeals Office to date in 2025, in tabular form; to outline whether...
- Social Welfare Benefits
171. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the projected number of recipients to benefit from the fuel allowance payment in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the...
- State Pensions
172. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will report on the national campaign to raise awareness of 'My Future Fund'. [50672/25]
- Social Welfare Benefits
173. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who applied for job seekers allowance or job seekers benefit who listed their previous employment as...
- Budget 2026
174. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Department is currently evaluating increasing the carer's allowance in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on...
- Social Welfare Benefits
175. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will report on the extension of the free travel companion pass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50695/25]
- Child Poverty
176. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide an update on the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office's child poverty target. [48905/25]
- State Pensions
177. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on the roll out of the auto-enrolment pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50750/25]
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- International Sanctions
178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the means by which he will ensure the enforcement of sanctions against Iran agreed at the UN Security Council; to outline trade between...
- Passport Services
179. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will make changes to the passport application system so that apostrophes in surnames along with fadas for Irish names can be...
- Northern Ireland
180. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the specific measures agreed under the new UK-Ireland framework on the Troubles legacy; the extent of financial, judicial, and investigative...
- Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
- Fisheries Protection
182. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way in which a multi-agency investigation confirmed the extent of the August 2025 fish kill in the Blackwater but...
- International Agreements
185. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the implications of Ireland’s ratification of the UN High Seas Treaty; whether he intends to designate additional...
- Recycling Policy
186. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of instances of non-compliance with the DRS scheme (details supplied); if he has met with an organisation...
- Department of Defence
- Defence Forces
187. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the necessary capital spending increase needed in 2026 in order to meet level of ambition 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Foreign Policy
189. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to report on the State's participation in NATO's Support and Procurement Agency; for a breakdown of all payments to this agency; and if he will...
- Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
- Rail Network
190. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason that, in the context of double tracking parts of the Rosslare to Dublin rail line, costly tunnelling through Bray Head has...
- Dublin Airport Authority
193. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has received any complaints, disclosures, or internal correspondence regarding governance concerns, conflicts of...
- Electric Vehicles
195. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the projected installation timeline under the all-island sports club EV charging programme; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Driver Test
197. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has engaged with the RSA in September 2025 in relation to the opening of the new test centre in South Dublin; if he will provide...
- Bus Services
199. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether weekend bus timetables should differ from weekday schedules; if more frequent services should operate on Saturdays...
- Road Safety
200. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the work his Department is undertaking to address the dangers associated with the use of e-scooters; and if he will make a statement on...
- Traffic Management
201. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport for an update on the installation of traffic light cameras in Cork; to outline the Department’s decision making process as to what...
- Airport Policy
202. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the timeline for bringing forward draft legislation to give effect to lifting the passenger cap at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a...
- Public Transport
205. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the level of investment planned in the Local Link network for 2026, the means by which this will support the expansion of rural bus...
- Greenways Provision
209. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to expedite the opening of the first completed section of the South Kerry Greenway; to ensure that it is opened in Q4 2025 as previously...
- Road Projects
225. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to expedite the Adare bypass; for a detailed up-to-date progress report on this major infrastructural scheme for Kerry, Limerick and...
- Road Traffic Offences
226. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the provision/section under law for the offence of failing to surrender a driving licence or learner permit to the Road Safety Authority...
- Department of Finance
- Tax Code
227. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will review the group A capital acquisitions tax threshold given the increase in property values since 2009; if he is satisfied that the current...
- Tax Data
228. To ask the Minister for Finance the estimated revenue that would be raised on a short-term cash flow basis, by increasing the professional services withholding tax to 25% and 30%...
- Tax Credits
229. To ask the Minister for Finance if the continuation of the rent tax credit will come from the tax package outlined in the Summer Economic statement; and if he will make a statement on the...
- Tax Code
230. To ask the Minister for Finance if his Department will abolish the deemed disposal regime as it applies to investments in Exchange Traded Funds and align the taxation of gains on ETFs with...
- Universal Social Charge
231. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider a submission regarding USC (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50970/25]
- Tax Data
232. To ask the Minister for Finance the estimated revenue raised by removing the lower stamp duty rates on the purchase of three or more apartments in the same apartment block; and if he will...
- Tax Reliefs
233. To ask the Minister for Finance if consideration is being given to the introduction of a draught rebate or excise/VAT relief scheme for rural public houses; the estimated Exchequer cost of...
- Fiscal Policy
234. To ask the Minister for Finance his assessment of the degree of exposure of the Irish economy to external trade shocks arising from multinational dependency and international trade tensions;...
- Tax Data
235. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will confirm the estimated year one and full-year cost of reducing the 13.5 percent rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sector; if he will also...
- Tax Code
236. To ask the Minister for Finance to examine the case for changes to inheritance tax (details supplied) in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51059/25]
- Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
- Departmental Contracts
237. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has examined the concentration of government contracts being awarded to the same consultancy firms across multiple...
- Office of Public Works
239. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the required consent submission by the Office of Public Works to his Department, and the expected timeline, for...
- Departmental Budgets
240. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the new capital ceilings for each Department for 2025 that reflect the new capital envelope of €17.9 billion; and if he will make...
- EU Directives
241. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the reason persons from Ireland provided more submissions than all other EU states combined, in response to the call for...
- Departmental Bodies
242. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has approved the necessary resources to be allocated to the Department Justice, Migration and Social Affairs, and...
- Legislative Measures
243. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to introduce emergency legislation to urgently address data collection issues (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the...
- Semi-State Bodies
244. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the guidance issued in each year from 2023 to 2025 to commercial and non-commercial semi-State bodies regarding the 'grossing up' of...
- Office of Public Works
245. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether title of the GPO has transferred to the OPW; the role the OPW has in respect of the action set out in strand one of the roadmap...
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- National Minimum Wage
246. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the evidence base and data used to determine the proposed increase in the national minimum wage for Budget 2026; whether the increase...
- Regional Development
247. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the progress of the Destination and Experience Development Plan in Cork, in particular, in encouraging domestic...
- Small and Medium Enterprises
248. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to support Irish SMEs affected by the 10% tariffs now being applied to most exports to the United States; whether targeted...
- Regional Development
250. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the specific measures being taken to ensure that the new facility in Blarney (details supplied) leads to employment for locals in...
- Work Permits
251. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when a person (details supplied) can expect a response regarding a general employment permit renewal application. [51075/25]
- Artificial Intelligence
253. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the heads of a Bill will be published to establish a central and coordinating authority for governance of the EU Artificial...
- Department of Education and Skills
- Youth Services
254. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current staffing levels at a service (details supplied); the catchment area served; if it extends beyond County Cork; and her plans for...
- Schools Building Projects
256. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress of a school building project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50863/25]
- Special Educational Needs
260. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the case of a child (details supplied) who has been diagnosed with autism while in secondary school and needs a place in an...
- Schools Building Projects
261. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the primary and secondary school’s which are planned to be constructed in the CSW-S2 area of the Clonburris SDZ will be constructed...
- Special Educational Needs
263. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the case of a child (details supplied) who despite having all documentation required, including psychologist reports, HSE...
- Information and Communications Technology
265. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills regarding the devices purchasing framework for schools contract with a company (details supplied), if devices are being used to replace free...
- Special Educational Needs
266. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the consultation that took place with parents prior to the issuing of the NSCE Guidelines for the Review of SNA Allocations 2025/2026; the reason...
- School Patronage
269. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date with the primary school divestment programme; the reasons for its limited outcomes since 2018; and her plans to ensure that...
- Special Educational Needs
270. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to urgently review the recently published 2025/2026 SNA Review Guidelines and their impact on Children by the NCSE until such time as proper...
- School Staff
271. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review the case of a school (details supplied) to allow for a fourth teacher; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51071/25]
- Departmental Schemes
272. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools which have applied and been approved for the solar for schools programme since its inception; the cost to the Exchequer...
- Special Educational Needs
273. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider providing funding to an organisation (details supplied) who provide trained therapy dogs to schools, resulting in improved...
- Residential Institutions
275. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to urgently put in place supports for industrial and reformatory school survivors (details supplied) preventing the commencement of the planned...
- Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
- Sports Funding
276. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider creating or extending funding streams through Sport Ireland or other sporting organisations to...
- Departmental Data
277. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the role his Department had in the dispersion of NFL starters kits (details supplied); and if he will make a statement...
- Departmental Schemes
278. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to consider introducing a murals scheme for all towns and villages across County Kerry, as such a scheme will enhance...
- Broadband Infrastructure
279. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when fibre broadband be available to homes in the town of Dromahair, as it currently only has fibre to cabinet, and...
- Online Safety
280. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when additional legislative and regulatory measures will be implemented to prevent online abuse and the online...
- Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
- Political Funding
281. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to consider reviewing the statutory framework for political party funding and governance in light of recent public...
- Defective Building Materials
283. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government , further to Parliamentary Question No. 276 of 1 October 2024, if he has engaged with the Housing Agency to ensure that it is...
- Housing Provision
284. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to delivering a new above the shop grant; and if he will make a...
- Fisheries Protection
285. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if Inland Fisheries Ireland has assessed the impact of the August 2025 Blackwater fish kill on invertebrate populations,...
- Housing Provision
290. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department will consider setting up a funding mechanism within his Department to deal with the challenge of unfinished...
- Housing Schemes
291. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the rules governing cost rental eligibility for persons who are officially still on the title deeds of their family home, but...
- Derelict Sites
292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of sites on the derelict sites register on 31 December 2024; the amount levied in 2024; the amount collected; the...
- Traveller Accommodation
293. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline the function of the Traveller Accommodation Unit (TAU); the means by which funds from the TAU are allocated for...
- Planning Issues
294. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to confirm that planning authorities are required to formally consult the HSE on pertinent planning applications that require...
- Housing Schemes
295. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when additional funding will be provided in 2025 to Cavan County Council for the housing aid for older people grant, the...
- Defective Building Materials
296. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he and his Department will sign off on a defective concrete block scheme to remediate council owned homes; and the reason...
- Planning Issues
298. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether legislation is needed for the establishment of the special purpose vehicle (SPV) by Dublin City Council to lead the...
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- School Meals Programme
299. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he has concerns about the quality of meals being provided under the hot school meals scheme; if he has concerns about the...
- Social Welfare Benefits
301. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rationale for deferring the €285 child benefit increment until 2027; the Department’s estimate of the...
- State Pensions
302. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware of delays being experienced by former An Post employees in their applications for pensions; and if he will...
- Social Welfare Payments
303. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he plans on abolishing the means-test for the carer’s allowance in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on...
- Rights of People with Disabilities
304. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the means by which, under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People, the cost of disability, and an increase in...
- State Pensions
306. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to the Parliamentary Question No. 1420 of 8 September 2025; the estimated number of anomalies under the yearly...
- Gender Recognition
307. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the interdepartmental working group on non-binary gender; the actions of the group today; the reports produced;...
- Social Welfare Code
308. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether current social welfare rates are meeting the minimum essential standard of living in light of inflation and rising...
- Social Welfare Payments
309. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his views on the issue of a person (details supplied) regarding their employment support being cancelled when they changed...
- Social Insurance
312. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of implementing a PRSI rebate of 2.25 percent on all weekly wages below €735 for PRSI class A only;...
- Department of Justice and Equality
- Departmental Expenditure
313. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total amount of Exchequer funding provided to NGOs operating in the areas of immigration, asylum and integration over the...
- Prison Service
314. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners in the general population in prisons diagnosed with psychosis; if the prisoners are receiving the...
- Legislative Measures
317. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide an update on the review of the Multi Unit Developments Act. [50919/25]
- Departmental Data
318. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 346 of 27 February 2024, and Parliamentary Question No. 512 of 7 March 2023 and...
- International Protection
320. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to examine the case for accommodation transfer for persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter....
- Family Reunification
321. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to exercise discretion to accept UNRWA cards as sufficient proof of refugee status for family reunification or humanitarian...
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- Veterinary Laboratories
322. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the regional veterinary laboratory redevelopment plan (details supplied), specifically with regards to the existing...
- Animal Diseases
323. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated additional cost to the Exchequer of implementing in full the TB eradication programme in 2026; the additional cost of...
- Agriculture Industry
324. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider allowing an extension for slurry spreading to mid-October 2025 in view of the fact there has been three weeks of...
- Agriculture Schemes
325. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason an area of land is not granted an areas of natural constraints scheme payment (details supplied); and if he will make a...
- Food Prices
326. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to address rising food prices; the supports available to primary producers and retailers to reduce downstream...
- Department of Children, Disability and Equality
- Assisted Decision-Making
327. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied); if she is aware of the complications surrounding the Assisted...
- Paternity Leave
328. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider extending the duration of paternity leave in cases of multiple births for example twins or triplets, in...
- Disability Services
329. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to consider providing funding to an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51077/25]
- Department of Health
- Mental Health Services
330. To ask the Minister for Health the number of prisoners on the waiting list to the Central Mental Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50888/25]
- Hospital Appointments Status
331. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider a request for a medical procedure to be carried out at University Hospital Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on...
- Mental Health Services
332. To ask the Minister for Health if the Central Mental Hospital is fully open; the current capacity; the capacity when its fully open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50886/25]
- Hospital Facilities
334. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to provide funding for a fully staffed adult multidisciplinary functional neurological disorder clinic in St James Hospital, Dublin; and if she will...
- Health Services
335. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to develop a national funding pathway for FND with multi annual funding including regional teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Health Service Executive
336. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a list of all the HSE owned buildings in counties Longford and Westmeath that are currently for sale or going through a defined process to...
- Health Services
337. To ask the Minister for Health to provide funding through the HSE to a charity (details supplied) who provide an invaluable service to public hospitals and other medical facilities for vital...
- Vaccination Programme
340. To ask the Minister for Health the financial support options open to a person (details supplied) to access a costly vaccination for shingles; and if she will make a statement on the matter....
- Hospital Staff
341. To ask the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address the shortage of pathologists in the mid-west region of Limerick, Clare, and part of Tipperary; and if she will make a...
- Health Services
342. To ask the Minister for Health to provide details on a meeting regarding lyme disease (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50966/25]
- Cancer Services
343. To ask the Minister for Health the reason oncology patients cannot get a medication (details supplied), even though it has been licenced in Ireland (details supplied). [50968/25]
- Disability Services
344. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of the difficulties in transitioning from paediatric disability services and adult disability services, particularly the lack of transition...
- Health Services
345. To ask the Minister for Health to consider adding Ehlers–Danlos syndrome to the long-term illness card as the drugs payment scheme will not cover the drug Ozempic, which is reputed to...
- Capital Expenditure Programme
346. To ask the Minister for Health to examine the case for urgent approval of capital funding for a project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50995/25]
- Ambulance Service
347. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 196 of 31 January 2025, if she will review the question asked and the response issued by the National Ambulance Service...
- Medicinal Products
348. To ask the Minister for Health to consider approving the use of CAR T-cell therapy in Ireland for those over the age of 26; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51002/25]
- Hospital Services
349. To ask the Minister for Health if she has been advised of the HSE/ University Hospital Waterford proposal to discontinue coronial post mortem's at University Hospital Waterford with effect...
- Health Services
350. To ask the Minister for Health if she has met with an organisation (details supplied); her plans to meet with the organisation; her plans to improve diagnostic and treatment services for...
- Hospital Staff
351. To ask the Minister for Health the number of orthopaedic surgeons within Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) who are able to perform surgeries on children with arthrogryposis multiplex...
- Disability Services
352. To ask the Minister for Health the reason hearing aids for persons who are deaf require them to make a very significant personal payment in view of the fact cochlear implants are free and...
- Hospital Staff
353. To ask the Minister for Health the number of applications received for a nursing post recently advertised for a hospital in west Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on...
- Medical Cards
354. To ask the Minister for Health to consider increasing the income threshold for the over 70s medical card in view of the cost of living/inflation increases which gave rise to small pension...
- Hospital Staff
355. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to deal with the delays in completing coronial autopsies caused by the severe shortage of pathologists in the mid-west; her plans to deal with the...
- Health Services Staff
356. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware that the public health nurse service in the Sligo-Leitrim area is being reduced, with a move to a priority status service and will no longer...
- Vaccination Programme
357. To ask the Minister for Health the amount spent on the flu vaccine for each of the last three winter periods; to outline any plans to expand the scope of the flu vaccine for the upcoming...
- Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
- Rural Schemes
359. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to support an application regarding a community organisation in County Kerry, (details supplied); and if he will make a statement...
