41. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the criteria that an area must meet in order to have a dedicated D Doc service established; given the population of the Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and surrounding areas, if she plans to establish a D Doc service in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16941/26]
377. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to confirm that Section 10 of the template employment contract for Chief Executives of commercial semi State bodies is applicable only in circumstances involving complaints or legal actions initiated by external parties; to confirm that this clause has always been interpreted in that manner by his Department and commercial semi State bodies; to set out whether he is satisfied that the current wording provides sufficient clarity to prevent its misapplication in internal grievance or disciplinary matters; and to indicate if he will update or revise the clause to ensure that its intended scope is explicit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17117/26]
174. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the measures in place to support the development of ladies’ Gaelic football; the actions being taken to improve access to high quality training and playing facilities for female athletes; the way in which his Department is working with Sport Ireland and the GAA and their affiliate organisations to ensure equal treatment and resourcing for women’s Gaelic games; the funding allocated for this purpose in 2025 and 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16939/26]
169. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the current status of the age verification pilot being undertaken to restrict access to social media; when the pilot will commence; the bodies and platforms participating in the pilot; the criteria being used to assess its effectiveness; the timeline for completion and evaluation; and when he expects to make decisions on national implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16938/26]
161. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the measures in place to ensure that passengers receive clear, accurate and up-to-date information in real time across all public transport services, in particular, during service disruptions; how consistency of information is ensured across operators and the National Transport Authority; the standards that apply to customer communications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14234/26]
157. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport given of evidence that zonal fares for Skerries and Balbriggan are disproportionately higher on a per kilometre basis than for nearby stations such as Rush and Lusk, whether he accepts that this creates an unfair burden on commuters in Skerries and Balbriggan; whether his Department or the National Transport Authority has examined the impact of this disparity on travel behaviour, including increased driving to neighbouring stations and pressure on parking and local roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14235/26]
38. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of men who applied for paternity benefit, and the number of women who applied for maternity benefit, in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14192/26]
21. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of men, and number of women, who applied for parent’s benefit in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14193/26]
946. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the current status of plans to establish a dedicated mother and baby unit, an inpatient specialist unit where a mother can be treated for severe perinatal mental health illness together with her baby, including projected timelines for design, planning approval and opening; the sites under consideration, and any published clinical model of care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14160/26]
945. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the level of funding, staffing and referral pathways allocated nationally for specialist post-traumatic birth mental health support, including psychological therapies, psychiatric assessment and specialised midwifery support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14159/26]
944. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the measures currently in place across health services to support women who have experienced traumatic childbirth and who are presenting with post-natal mental health difficulties, including community-based specialist perinatal mental health services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14158/26]
546. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current average processing time for assistive technology applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14651/26]
545. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of applications received by the National Council for Special Education for assistive technology supports in each of the last five years; the number approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14650/26]
544. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s current policy on the provision of assistive technology for students with special educational needs, including dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14649/26]
543. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she could provide the number of children diagnosed with dyslexia in each of the past five academic years, broken down by constituency, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14648/26]
542. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department or the NCSE maintains a dyslexia national prevalence database; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14647/26]
541. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated number of students currently diagnosed with dyslexia in primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14646/26]
540. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average waiting time for an educational psychological assessment for suspected dyslexia through the NEPS system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14645/26]
539. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of teachers who have completed dyslexia-specific training through her Department or NCSE in the past three years; and whether further mandatory training is planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14644/26]
538. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will review the Special Education Teaching allocation model to ensure it adequately reflects the number of students with dyslexia in each school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14643/26]
537. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth current level of dyslexia-specific supports available in primary and post-primary schools; and whether her Department plans to expand evidence-based interventions for students with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14642/26]
305. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the expected timeline for completing the required charging infrastructure for the Galway buses; the reasons for the delay; and whether interim charging options were considered to avoid the continued idling of 47 buses in Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14495/26]
304. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the maintenance arrangements and associated costs for the electric buses delivered for Galway and Dublin; whether maintenance and warranty management differs for buses in storage compared with those in active service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14494/26]
303. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport when the 47 electric buses for Galway and 65 electric buses for the Dublin area were received; the measures being taken to maintain the battery health of electric buses; the battery maintenance protocols applied by Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and the National Transport Authority to prevent degradation if these buses are not in regular operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14493/26]
189. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the specific measures his Department is taking to address the environmental impacts of the fashion industry, including textile waste and micro-plastic pollution; how these measures align with Ireland's climate and circular economy obligations under European Union law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14236/26]
168. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the actions his Department is promoting or funding to support sustainable and ethical fashion, including incentives for repair, reuse and recycling of clothing, regulatory proposals for extended producer responsibility for textiles, and public awareness measures to reduce overconsumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14237/26]
509. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the role her Department plays in public awareness campaigns for paternity leave and parent’s leave, including targeted outreach to employers and employees; the plans in place to increase awareness and take-up by men; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1859/26]
172. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current status of Ireland’s implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the specific measures that have been implemented to date; the measures that remain outstanding; the timelines for their delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12384/26]
149. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the specific steps she is taking to deliver additional not for profit childcare places in the Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk area; the capital and current funding streams available for this purpose in 2026; the projects currently approved or under assessment in these areas; the expected timelines for delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12385/26]
16. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in light of reports that generative artificial intelligence tools can produce highly realistic child sexual abuse imagery, the specific engagement his Department has had on the online safety and cultural implications of such technologies for children and young people; the concrete actions being taken to ensure child protection and online safety frameworks are adequate to address these risks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4132/26]
881. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures being developed to support businesses affected by retail crime, including legislative reforms and anti-theft support schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12810/26]
831. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has assessed the number of residential properties affected by defective concrete blocks within the area of Fingal County Council; the basis on which that local authority area is currently excluded from the scheme; when a decision will be made on its inclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12881/26]
830. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has examined the potential financial, legal, and compensation exposure to the State arising from the exclusion of homeowners who remediated defective concrete block damage prior to the introduction of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme; and if so, to provide details; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12880/26]
829. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the consideration given by his Department to recognising documented historic remediation works, including engineering reports and contractor invoices, for the purposes of eligibility or financial support under the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12879/26]
828. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he accepts that the current operation of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme results in unequal treatment between homeowners who remediated defective concrete block damage prior to the scheme and those who did not, despite comparable levels of structural damage, and if not, to outline the basis for this position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12878/26]
827. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has carried out any costing in relation to providing retrospective or partial financial support to homeowners who undertook verified remediation works in good faith before the establishment of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, and if so, to provide details if his Department has carried out any costing in relation to providing retrospective or partial financial support to homeowners who undertook verified remediation works in good faith before the establishment of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, and if so, to provide details; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12877/26]
826. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has assessed the number of homeowners nationally who remediated defective concrete block damage at their own expense prior to the introduction of the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme, in circumstances where no State support was available; and if so, to provide details of that assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12876/26]
580. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way the small business unit within his Department is delivering on its responsibilities; including implementing the SME test to ensure that the impact of new legislation and regulation on small businesses is fully assessed; overseeing the simplification of information and access to grants and supports through the National Enterprise Hub; ensuring that Local Enterprise Offices are properly resourced to support small businesses; advancing measures to identify redundant regulations and reduce the regulatory burden on SMEs; and supporting the development and implementation of the Government's Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12809/26]
345. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Defence the way the recommendations of the independent review group and the Commission on the Defence Forces are being implemented, including reforms to leadership structures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12808/26]
344. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Defence for an update on the delivery of the new integrated monitoring and surveillance system, including radar upgrades across maritime, land and air domains; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12807/26]
261. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport for details of active travel initiatives funded by the National Transport Authority in Waterford city and county since 2020; the initial cost estimate for each project; the outturn cost of each project and for those still unfinished, the latest cost projection, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11172/26]
208. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress her Department has made to increase the number of reading classes nationwide; the criteria being used to identify areas of greatest need; the timeline for the establishment of additional classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11078/26]
133. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the range of assistive and digital technologies and other technical supports currently available to support children with identified learning needs in primary and post-primary schools; the number and percentage of students availing of each category of such support in each of the past three years; the approval process and criteria required for schools or families to access such technology; the average and maximum waiting times for approval and delivery of these supports in each of the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11077/26]
49. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will commit to increasing the capital budget allocated to the Department of Education and Youth, with a view to ensuring the timely delivery and completion of much-needed school building projects in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11079/26]
1151. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health her plans to develop or update a national health literacy strategy to support patient empowerment, particularly for marginalised and high-risk groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8437/26]
1150. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if her Department will commit to formal, ongoing engagement with an organisation (details supplied) as part of the implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030; the current channels of engagement between her Department, the HSE and the organisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8436/26]
1149. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the way in which patient empowerment and health literacy will be embedded within the new health regions; the structures in place to ensure meaningful engagement with patient advocacy groups, including an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8435/26]