681. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the arrest of 47 people in Turkey (details supplied) following a series of raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists; if she will publicly condemn this action and if she will seek that the Government use the EU Presidency to highlight this injustice as a strong voice for those in the LGBTQ+ community. [68880/26]
524. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider allowing family carers who are aged over 66 years and are in receipt of a State Pension to receive the full-rate carers acknowledging the care they provide is the same as care provided by a carer younger than them and supporting them as they age to keep their loved one at home, significantly saving the State; and if he will advise the cost to implement this for current recipients. [68882/26]
429. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will increase capitation for primary schools to better support them meet rising operational costs in Budget 2027. [68935/26]
179. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport the number of schools that will be included in round 5 funding under the Safe Routes to School programme. [66977/26]
155. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport if he will ensure an earlier train service for students and patients travelling to Sligo from Boyle in County Roscommon. [66979/26]
27. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the engagement he has had on providing a State pension for foster carers; and the timeframe on this. [66968/26]
23. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he is taking to ensure access for the self-employed to income support when they become ill. [66974/26]
189. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health to provide the current waiting list figures for home care, both new packages and additional hours being sought, in County Roscommon and County Galway; the average waiting time; the length of time they have been waiting; and those longest waiting [67422/26]
88. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason working family payment recipients cannot access the fuel allowance in two lump sums; and if he will consider this option (details supplied). [67476/26]
485. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to advise when the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 will be progressed. [66367/26]
472. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the maximum national co-funding under the European Commission's recently announced €540 million fertiliser support package for farmers affected by the ongoing fertiliser crisis. [66619/26]
471. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure the National Fodder & Food Security Committee is reconvened to provide a clear pathway of actions around a fodder support scheme for farmers under pressure as a result of the long drought and fodder pressures. [66627/26]
470. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if work is ongoing in his Department on reducing the incidence of TB with a view to eradicating it entirely; the efforts for reduction and eradication; the additional measure that can be taken to reduce incidence; and the specific actions his Department are taking to make this happen. [66631/26]
469. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if farmers who are affected by TB in their animals and face loss of animals or wipe out of herds are advised and given information as to the believed reason for the outbreak; and any other information that might be helpful to them. [66633/26]
251. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a school (details supplied) who applied for the climate action summer works scheme in 2025 will be included in Tranche 2 funding given they are struggling with single pane leaking windows and receiving very high energy bills and are depending on this funding. [66380/26]
237. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on a new school project (details supplied); and a timeframe for next steps. [66343/26]
168. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will raise the income limit for those aged 65 years and over when it comes to paying tax on income to allow them to keep more of modest occupational pensions which they paid tax on while working and now do so again, to better support older people. [66369/26]
145. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport his views on the decision by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) not to extend the proposed greenway beyond Clonmacnoise to Ballinasloe and County Galway; the reasons for TII’s decision to terminate the greenway at Clonmacnoise; to address the concerns regarding the exclusion of Ballinasloe and County Galway from the proposed route; and to clarify whether any further assessment of extending the greenway to Ballinasloe and County Galway will be undertaken. [67031/26]
134. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport if a school (details supplied) will be included in Round 5 funding of Safe Routes to School Programme given the recently completed risk assessment concluded the risk to be "Very High" to ensure safety for all. [66964/26]
281. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to advise if there are protocols for prisoners during their time in prison for a crime (details supplied) regarding access to the public, being in public-facing environments and being in less secure areas with prison officers, such as staff canteens.
[66065/26]
264. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of a new online tool (details supplied) to assist people with income supports and information on same; if he could point to any available funding to maintain such an essential service, which is rapidly growing in it use to ensure it remains available to the public. [66129/26]
205. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of teachers who have taken up roles in primary schools possibly being left waiting six to eight weeks to be paid post appointment; the action he is taking to ensure the delay is not six to eight weeks as some teachers are being told; the actions that can be taken in the interim to financially support teachers; and the way in which he will ensure that this never happens again and the teaching panel is released earlier in the year. [66128/26]
104. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on her consultation with childminders. [65901/26]
95. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will ensure Budget 2027 invests in not-for-profit residential care for children in the care of the State. [65904/26]
78. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will expand the mother and baby institutions payment scheme to include survivors who are currently excluded. [65898/26]
60. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the eight locations for State-led childcare facilities. [66144/26]
407. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance given the increasing role of ISIF in making investments on behalf of the State, the policies and safeguards to ensure the State extracts maximum value from these transactions; the conflict-of-interest and post-employment policies which apply where an ISIF/NTMA employee involved in assessing, recommending or progressing an investment subsequently takes up a senior position as a fund manager on behalf of a company that has received that investment. [65017/26]
406. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the conflict-of-interest, disclosure, recusal and post-employment safeguards apply in circumstances (details supplied); if any cooling-off period applies; and the procedures that exist to ensure that confidential information or relationships acquired during State employment cannot subsequently be used for private commercial advantage. [65033/26]
1437. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health If her attention has be drawn to a case (details supplied); if she will clarify whether Roscommon Injury Unit is currently equipped and authorised to assess acute eye injuries in children: if so, the reason the child was directed elsewhere for assessment; and if not, the reason HSE information indicates that injury units can treat objects stuck in the eye and other minor eye injuries. [65749/26]
1268. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health when personnel in the National Ambulance Service, including paramedics, will receive the agreed pay increase and back pay that is due. [64879/26]
1070. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the priority given to disabled people who become an orphan in relation to access to long-term residential care; the way in which this works; and if it is the same process State wide for everyone in such a circumstance. [65433/26]
1057. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the formal statutory or administrative mechanism that exists to ensure that children with complex co-occurring needs including severe intellectual disabilities, neurodivergence, or acute mental health crises are not left without an appropriate support plan where responsibility involves both Tusla under its welfare mandate and the HSE under its clinical and disability mandate ; and the way in which jurisdictional disputes regarding care responsibility and financial liability are resolved between these bodies. [65249/26]
1056. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to establishing an independent, cross-agency statutory oversight mechanism for cases where responsibility for the safeguarding, care, or welfare of a child crosses organisational boundaries between Tusla, the HSE, and An Garda Síochána; the mechanism currently that exist to examine the actions and responsibilities of these public bodies collectively rather than separately; and if no such joint mechanism exists, the reason it has not been implemented. [65250/26]
1055. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Government has undertaken, or intends to undertake, an independent joint audit of the operational handover and follow-up arrangements between An Garda Síochána and Tusla following emergency child removals under section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991; and the statutory framework that exists to ensure joint inspection and clear allocation of safeguarding responsibilities during and immediately following such interventions. [65251/26]
1054. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of whether any automated technical mechanism currently exists within Tusla's case management system to cross-reference children identified as exhibiting indicators of trafficking or exploitation with children reported missing from care; and if the Government intends to introduce such a statutory cross-referencing mechanism as part of the ongoing review of the Missing Children in Care Joint Protocol. [65252/26]
1053. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory protections available to frontline social care professionals, advocates, and members of the public who raise child-safeguarding concerns in good faith involving public bodies or publicly funded services; whether her Department has identified any evidentiary or legal gaps in those protections where concerns relate to multi-agency settings or external providers; and the legislative reforms being considered in this area. [65254/26]
1052. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assessment that has been undertaken of the increasing reliance on private, for-profit care providers in the provision of residential services for children, including placements commissioned under section 38 or section 39 arrangements or external private commercial providers; the proportion of children in State care currently accommodated through such external providers; the average annual cost to the State of such placements compared with equivalent public or not-for-profit provision; and if an assessment has been conducted on whether expanding public capacity would deliver better service. [65255/26]
1051. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory, regulatory and inspection frameworks governing privately operated or externally contracted residential care settings, including section 38 and section 39 commissioned placements; whether any regulatory, transparency or reporting exemptions apply to commercial providers compared with State-operated services; and the specific legislative safeguards to ensure that profit motives do not compromise child safety, staffing ratios or governance standards in commissioned care settings. [65256/26]
1050. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a detailed, itemised timeline for the implementation of the reforms cited in Departmental correspondence (ref: DCDE-MFO-01419-2026), including the review of the Missing Children in Care Joint Protocol, the update to the Child Sexual Exploitation Procedure, and proposed amendments under the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2025; if she will specify which measures have formally commenced; their key operational milestones; and their expected completion dates. [65257/26]
1042. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale for changes to attendance for children in ECCE to register five days per week; the consultation that took place on this change before its implementation; and if she acknowledges the importance of flexibility in ECCE for parents and the difficulty for providers in enforcing attendance that may not suit parents and children in ECCE. [65038/26]
1040. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of continued frustration among childcare providers regarding the use of the HIVE system (details supplied) and the impact this administrative burden has on busy providers; and if she will commit to reduce such a burden. [65040/26]
1450. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health to outline the formal pathway for a child in County Roscommon who suffers an acute eye injury (details supplied). [65766/26]
1041. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of concerns being raised by providers regarding the new system for AIM (details supplied); if an AIM worker is expected to be sent home when a child is absent; and if she will ensure greater clarification for on the ground in settings for providers. [65039/26]
971. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the impact of changes to citizenship requirements on spouses and parents unable to demonstrate financial independence due to caring responsibilities or lack of affordable childcare; if the impact on migrant women who interrupted their careers to raise children has been assessed; if transitional arrangements will be provided for families established in Ireland; and if the position of children growing up and integrating here, whose immigration status may restrict access to opportunities available to Irish and EU children, will be considered. [66088/26]
448. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the Government has assessed the effectiveness of the current protected disclosures framework where a safeguarding or operational concern involves more than one public body, including Tusla, the HSE, and An Garda Síochána; and the mechanism that exists to ensure that a cross-agency disclosure routed through the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner is investigated as a cohesive, systemic issue rather than being fractured and returned to individual single-agency prescribed persons. [65253/26]
300. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Transport the amount of funding paid to date with regard to the road transporters support scheme; the number and percentage of applications which have been refused; and the grounds for refusal. [65380/26]
1801. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a local authority (details supplied) can refuse a tenant (incremental) purchase scheme application on the basis that retrofit works have been carried out on the home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60395/26]