287. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered the introduction of a dedicated initial teacher education pathway for individuals seeking to become special education teachers. [66758/26]
286. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has undertaken a review of the pathways available to experienced special needs assistants and other education professionals seeking to qualify as teachers in special education settings. [66759/26]
285. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the current approach of requiring teachers to first qualify as mainstream primary or post-primary teachers before undertaking specialist SEN training has been evaluated in the context of teacher supply challenges in special schools and special classes. [66760/26]
284. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has examined international models of initial teacher education specifically designed for special education teaching; and whether any such models are being considered in Ireland. [66761/26]
283. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether consideration is being given to the development of an alternative, rigorous initial teacher education programme focused on special education, which would enable suitably qualified and experienced professionals to qualify directly for work in special schools and special classes. [66763/26]
282. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the current teacher education framework adequately supports individuals with substantial experience in special education, including special needs assistants and early childhood education professionals, who wish to qualify as teachers in special schools and special classes; and whether consideration is being given to a dedicated initial teacher education pathway for special education. [66764/26]
279. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the proposed redevelopment of (details supplied); the current status of the project; the next steps required to advance the development; the anticipated timeline for progression to the next stage. [66679/26]
276. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current position regarding job-sharing primary and post-primary teachers undertaking substitute teaching on their non-teaching days during the 2026/2027 school year. [66593/26]
275. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether job-sharing teachers were permitted to undertake substitute teaching on their non-teaching days under arrangements that applied in previous school years; if so, the years during which such arrangements applied; and the reasons these arrangements may not been continued for the 2026/2027 school year. [66594/26]
274. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered permitting job-sharing teachers to undertake substitute teaching within their own school on non-teaching days, particularly where this would provide continuity for pupils and assist schools experiencing teacher shortage. [66595/26]
273. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated number of teachers currently participating in job-sharing arrangements at primary and post-primary level; and the number who availed of substitute teaching opportunities on their non-teaching days in each of the past three school years. [66596/26]
51. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to undertake a look-back exercise to identify regulations that are now redundant and creating unnecessary administrative burdens for businesses; whether all Government departments and regulatory agencies have been requested to submit regulations for review; and when the first findings will be published. [66664/26]
8. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the progress made on adjusting the mandate of Enterprise Ireland to better support small indigenous exporters; and the specific changes being considered. [66665/26]
97. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider introducing multi annual funding arrangements for capital projects undertaken by disability service providers and disability organisations, in order to provide greater funding certainty and enable more effective planning and delivery of essential disability infrastructure. [65122/26]
29. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the measures being taken to reduce waiting times under the warmer homes scheme; the target waiting time for applicants by the end of 2026 and 2027; and whether additional delivery capacity will be put in place to ensure increased funding results in a corresponding increase in completed home energy upgrades. [65127/26]
13. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the actions he has taken following his concerns regarding the level of underspending by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in 2025, the changes to governance, structures and delivery arrangements that he has sought; and the measures being put in place to ensure that allocated funding is translated into increased delivery of home energy upgrades in 2026 and 2027. [65126/26]
1142. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the number of patients awaiting ophthalmology appointments, diagnostics and treatment for glaucoma and other non-cataract eye conditions in HSE Dublin and north-east region as of 2 September 2026, by hospital and age cohort. [64248/26]
660. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the status of discussions between his Department, and organisations (details supplied) regarding the hosting of a major international golf championship; the key milestones remaining before a Government decision is made; and the anticipated timeline for that decision. [65719/26]
659. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if an economic impact assessment has been undertaken in relation to hosting a major championship at a club (details supplied); and the estimated tourism, employment and regional economic benefits identified. [65720/26]
658. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if discussions have taken place regarding the hosting of a major women's golf championship at a club (details supplied) in advance of any men's championship. [65724/26]
657. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the actions being taken by Government to strengthen Ireland's position as a host location for major international golf championships. [65725/26]
1141. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant paediatric dermatologists posts filled at CHI Temple Street as of 2 September 2026, in tabular form. [64250/26]
1140. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she plans to expand the number of eye clinic liaison officers in public hospitals. [64251/26]
1139. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant paediatric medical oncologists posts filled at CHI Crumlin as of 14 August 2026, in tabular form. [64252/26]
994. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of whole time equivalent staff assigned to the administration, inspection and oversight of producer organisations in each year from 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026, by grade, in tabular form. [65237/26]
993. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether an assessment has been undertaken of the staffing and other resources required to administer producer organisations as the number of recognised organisations increase; and whether additional resources are planned. [65238/26]
992. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of producer organisation inspections completed in each year from 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the number delayed beyond the scheduled date; the average delay; and whether such delays resulted in delayed payments to producer organisations or their members, in tabular form. [65239/26]
991. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether officials from his Department attended the principal annual European conference for producer organisations in each year from 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of officials attending in each year; and, where his Department was not represented, the reason for non-attendance, in tabular form. [65240/26]
990. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the information technology system used to administer producer organisation operational programmes and claims; the extent to which the system relies on spreadsheets or manual processes; and whether his Department has examined procuring or adapting a dedicated system used by another European Union Member State. [65241/26]
599. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she will take to address the PISA 2025 attainment gap between students in DEIS and non-DEIS schools, including the 49-point gap in reading and 46-point gap in mathematics. [65232/26]
598. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that schools have sufficient special education teaching resources to provide appropriate literacy and numeracy interventions for students experiencing persistent difficulties, including students with dyslexia and dyscalculia; and whether these allocations will be reviewed following the PISA 2025 results. [65233/26]
597. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures in place to ensure that students with dyslexia and dyscalculia are identified and supported at the earliest possible stage, including access to evidence-informed interventions, assistive technology and appropriate examination accommodations. [65234/26]
596. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will review the guidance and professional development provided to teachers and special education teachers on evidence-informed approaches to supporting students with literacy and numeracy difficulties, including dyslexia and dyscalculia, in view of the PISA 2025 findings. [65235/26]
591. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she will take in response to the PISA 2025 findings that 24.2% of students in Ireland are performing below level 2 in mathematics and 16.5% below level 2 in reading, and the decline in performance in both areas over the past decade. [65231/26]
348. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the current status of the national urban speed limit review and implementation programme. [65702/26]
346. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the assessment undertaken by his Department of the potential road safety benefits arising from the introduction of default 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas; and the expected impact on pedestrian and cyclist safety. [65706/26]
345. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport when he expects all local authorities to have completed the implementation of revised urban speed limits under the national programme; and whether a target date has been set for nationwide implementation [65708/26]
320. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport when the independent review of the National Train Control Centre and Traffic Management System Project commissioned by the National Transport Authority will be completed; whether the report will be published in full; and the expected publication date. [65422/26]
319. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether the independent review of the National Train Control Centre and Traffic Management System Project is examining the adequacy of Iarnród Éireann's internal technical expertise and project leadership, its reliance on external consultants, the documentation and transfer of existing network knowledge, the involvement of operational end users, and the governance, oversight and challenge exercised by the National Transport Authority throughout the project. [65423/26]
318. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the total expenditure to date on the National Train Control Centre programme; the current estimated final outturn cost; and the additional expenditure now estimated to be required to procure and implement a replacement traffic management system, by the figures and principal cost component, in tabular form. [65424/26]
317. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the current status of the procurement of a replacement traffic management system; the estimated cost of same; and the current estimated date by which the replacement system will be fully operational. [65425/26]
316. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the rail investment projects, programmes or service improvements expected to be delayed, rephased or reprioritised as a consequence of the costs associated with the failed traffic management system and its replacement; and the details of each affected project or programme, its previous delivery timeframe and its revised delivery timeframe, in tabular form. [65426/26]
315. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the current assessment of the reliability and remaining operational life of the existing train control systems; the expenditure incurred and forecast to maintain and support those systems pending delivery of a replacement traffic management system, by year; and whether the existing systems can accommodate planned increases in rail services and capacity pending delivery of the replacement system. [65427/26]
294. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether a comprehensive financial assessment has been undertaken of the impact of delayed deployment of battery electric buses purchased by the National Transport Authority while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train; the date on which any such assessment was completed; whether his Department considered the full economic cost of holding buses which were not available for operational service, including depreciation and opportunity cost; and to provide a copy of the assessment. [65209/26]
293. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the full value for money comparison undertaken between purchasing battery electric buses while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train and adjusting the timing of bus purchases to more closely align their delivery with completion of that infrastructure, including purchase price inflation or indexation, depreciation, storage, servicing, maintenance, insurance, opportunity or financing costs and any other costs included in the assessment, in tabular form. [65208/26]
292. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport to provide the costs incurred to date as a consequence of battery electric buses being purchased but remaining unavailable for operational service pending completion of the necessary charging infrastructure, including storage, servicing, maintenance, insurance and any other associated costs, by year and cost category, in tabular form. [65207/26]
291. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether the assessment of the financial implications of purchasing battery electric buses while the necessary charging infrastructure was in train included the opportunity cost or cost of capital associated with Exchequer funding being committed to assets before they could enter operational service; if so, to provide the methodology and amount attributed to this cost; and if not, the reason this cost was excluded. [65206/26]