53. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the position regarding Ireland’s competitiveness relative to other EU countries; his views on whether our competitiveness is sufficient in that context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62020/25]
10. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the position regarding supports for any SME that will not benefit from the planned VAT reduction in July 2026; if targeted supports for small businesses that are facing increasing costs will be considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59971/25]
789. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); the actions he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62122/25]
677. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of the fuel allowance that are over the age of 70; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61841/25]
676. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of the fuel allowance that live alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61840/25]
675. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the research he has carried out into the cost of expanding the fuel allowance to a larger cohort of people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61839/25]
674. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual cost to the Exchequer to maintain the existing fuel allowance payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61838/25]
673. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of fuel allowance, by year since 2016, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61837/25]
672. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61836/25]
671. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the merits of expanding the fuel allowance to include all persons over the age of 70 that live alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61835/25]
636. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are cases where land that had been zoned as residential was used to provide land and infrastructure for a data centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61994/25]
530. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 427 of 21 October 2025, if she is satisfied that the response from the State Examinations Commission is adequate and offers sufficient allowances for students with dyslexia and dyspraxia (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61652/25]
392. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 455 of 4 November 2025, his views on the whether the local property tax is equitable given that it is based on property value rather than income; if he is concerned that it is overburdensome on people that live in high value properties with comparatively low income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61760/25]
358. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 417 of 4 November 2025, the engagement he has had with Irish Rail in relation to the multiple failures on the rail network on 28 October 2025; if the reasons contingency plans failed was provided to him; the actions he will take to ensure that this does not happen again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62084/25]
348. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport to provide the most up-to-date performance statistics for the E2 bus service (details supplied); to provide the data sets by month from the launch of the E2 to the latest month available; to provide the same series for the former Route 46A for a comparable monthly period immediately prior to its replacement, so that a direct comparison can be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61965/25]
347. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport to provide the most up-to-date performance statistics for the E1 bus service (details supplied); to provide the data sets by month from the launch of the E1 to the latest month available; and to provide the same series for the former Route 145 for a comparable monthly period immediately prior to its replacement, so that a direct comparison can be made. [61964/25]
329. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider establishing a dedicated fund for local authorities to maintain and upkeep the expanding active travel network in view of growing national investment by the NTA in active travel infrastructure and updated design guidelines promoting cycling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61653/25]
256. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the number of data centres that are equipped with solar panels to support part of their energy consumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61993/25]
255. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the annual usage of water by data centres in Ireland; if this is something that is recorded by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61992/25]
211. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the progression of Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61689/25]
204. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding engagement his Department has had with the Israeli Sailing Association (ISA) in relation to their attendance at the World Sailing Annual Conference being held in Dún Laoghaire between 7 to 9 November 2025; if any support was provided to this organisation in terms of visa requirements or other travel related requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61229/25]
203. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding engagement his Department has had with the Israeli Sailing Association in relation to their attendance at the World Sailing Annual Conference being held in Dún Laoghaire between 7 to 9 November 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61228/25]
202. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the planned attendance of the head of the Israeli Sailing Association at the World Sailing Annual Conference being held in Dún Laoghaire between 7 to 9 November 2025; his views on whether this is appropriate given the Israeli interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61227/25]
201. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions he has taken to raise the issue of the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla and the detainment of 16 Irish citizens by the Israel Defence Forces at an EU level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61226/25]
153. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she will take to address the shortage of creche/preschool places in south Dublin; if her attention has been drawn to significant waiting lists in many areas including Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire and Shankill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59968/25]
86. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding developments towards reaching the commitment to reducing childcare costs to €200 per child, per month, in the context of a number of childcare providers pulling out of the core funding scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59969/25]
122. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding further initiatives proposed by his Department to increase the support for offshore wind infrastructure in coastal communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59381/25]
107. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the roll-out of deposit return scheme machines; the mechanisms put in place to repair faults and address overcapacity issues where they occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59382/25]
10. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the position regarding guidelines and instructions provided to all Departments to ensure strict and transparent control of capital spending budgets; if these guidelines will be made publicly available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59379/25]
4. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the position regarding a departmental review into the way in which the OPW manages projects to ensure value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59380/25]
2177. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of employees in each of the agencies under his Department's remit; the number employed per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58517/25]
2176. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of employees currently in his Department; the number of staff per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58499/25]
2121. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of employees in each of the agencies under his Department's remit; the number employed per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58512/25]
2120. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of employees currently in his Department; the number of staff per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58494/25]
1947. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the status of the addition of spinal muscular atrophy to the heel prick test for newborn babies; the timeframe for it to be introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59327/25]
1869. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to an email (details supplied); the actions she will take to engage with this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58867/25]
1786. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health her vision and expectation for national electronic health records given the rising costs of technologies and digitisation on the foundational technology used for electronic health records versus the future potential of new and emerging technologies; the areas of healthcare delivery this will encompass; the sequence of priority the HSE will be directed to focus on in the forthcoming budget year and over the next five years (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58572/25]
1785. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the itemised details of spending to date on all external contractors and/or management consulting firms on the digital automation of electronic health records systems for the National Children's Hospital; the way in which this expenditure compares with the original amount budgeted for this aspect of the project; the amount she anticipates remains to be spent in the process of completing this aspect of the project; the breakdown of any such estimated forthcoming expenditure; the associated timelines of expenditure and anticipated recipients of this expenditure, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58571/25]
1784. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the indicative timelines in respect of the procurement process for the digitalisation of medical records in Irish hospitals; if she will provide anticipated dates for the commencement of each stage of the process; the anticipated completion dates and estimated budget for the overall project; the current status regarding progress on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58570/25]
1772. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of employees in each of the agencies under her Department's remit; the number employed per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58513/25]
1771. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of employees currently in her Department; the number of staff per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58495/25]
1769. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if there is a timeline for when stakeholder engagement will take place regarding the national breastfeeding strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58476/25]
1654. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 336 and 337 of 15 October 2025, the systems in place to facilitate the communication between healthcare providers and pharmacists that a prescription is eligible or ineligible for the free HRT scheme. [57926/25]
1510. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of employees in each of the agencies under her Department's remit; the number employed per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58504/25]
1509. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of employees currently in her Department; the number of staff per year each year since 2015, by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58486/25]
1467. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on whether the proposal to create a €1,000 savings account for newborns (details supplied) would require new legislation; if this is under review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57745/25]
1466. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding the proposal to create a €1,000 savings account for newborns (details supplied); if this is under review within her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57744/25]
1452. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline for publication of results of the public consultation on the extension of the ban of surgical artificial insemination being extended to greyhounds, which was conducted in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59778/25]