187. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department provides direct or indirect funding to rural transport initiatives to strengthen rural transport provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33498/26]
186. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the role, if any, his Department plays in the funding, policy development or delivery of rural transport services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33497/26]
94. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Defence her policy on the provision of a national sail training programme; the level of funding currently provided to an organisation (details supplied) and any other providers; the number of participants supported by her Department in each of the past five years, broken down by age profile and region where available; the measures in place to ensure access for disadvantaged or underrepresented groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32415/26]
79. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Defence whether consideration has been given to re-establishing a State supported national sail training vessel following the loss of the Asgard II; the current status of any proposals, engagements or feasibility work in relation to the acquisition or development of such a vessel; the estimated capital and operational costs involved; the proposed delivery timeline should a decision be taken; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32416/26]
55. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he has engaged with the Department of Education and Youth, and with Sport Ireland, to support equitable access to physical education and structured physical activity for young people at post-primary level, regardless of the socio-economic profile of an area or school; the way barriers to participation are being identified and addressed as part of wider sport and physical activity strategies; the way this aligns with the Government’s objectives on inclusion, youth participation and lifelong engagement in sport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32649/26]
6. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the way in which he plans to ensure that the implementation of the national swimming strategy addresses regional and demographic disparities in access to swimming facilities, particularly in areas experiencing rapid population growth and sustained unmet demand such as Fingal, where limited access to public swimming pools persists despite clear and growing community need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33670/26]
450. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she supports the recommendation in the WHO report to establish regional assistive technology hubs, including loan libraries and specialist expertise; whether her Department will engage with this model to support schools dealing with complex assistive technology needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33153/26]
449. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures in place to ensure that assistive technology provided to pupils is supported by ongoing training, technical support and follow-up, rather than being limited to initial equipment provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33152/26]
448. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s role in the proposed cross-departmental National Assistive Technology Programme, recommended in the WHO report; the way such a programme will improve equity, consistency and timeliness of assistive technology delivery in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33151/26]
447. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she is taking, in conjunction with the Department of Health, to ensure that pupils who rely on assistive technology do not experience a loss of equipment, training or support during transitions, including progression to further or higher education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33150/26]
446. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address the WHO report’s finding that assistive technology funded through schools is generally owned by the school rather than the pupil, resulting in loss of access during transitions, including from primary to post-primary education; if she will consider reforms to support student-centred continuity of assistive technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33149/26]
445. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the review of the assistive technology scheme for primary and post-primary schools, as referenced in the WHO Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment in Ireland (2026); when revised arrangements are expected to be implemented; whether the revised scheme will move from a diagnosis-led model to a functional, needs-based model of provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33148/26]
179. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the current status of the National Train Control Centre and Train Management System project; the revised timeline for commissioning phase 1 and overall completion; the total cost to date and estimated final cost; the actions being taken to ensure delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30626/26]
170. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has assessed delivery capability and performance on the Train Management System project; the outcome of any such assessment; the contingency or alternative delivery options under consideration; the measures being taken to mitigate further cost escalation and delivery risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30627/26]
21. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he is examining measures to simplify the application process for the emergency needs payment, including clearer eligibility criteria and reduced administrative requirements for people in crisis; when any improvements will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30629/26]
14. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection in the context of the programme for Government commitment to examine the extension of parents’ leave and benefit, whether he will outline the current status of this examination; the options under consideration to extend the duration of parents’ leave and benefit beyond the current entitlement; when he expects to bring proposals to Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30628/26]
794. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider extending the back-to-work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) to include individuals who are signing on for PRSI credits but are excluded from payments due to means testing; or alternatively, if he will consider introducing a parallel pathway for people in such a position to access the BTWEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30856/26]
206. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way in which the SME test is being applied in practice to assess the impact of new legislation and regulations on business costs; if he will provide specific examples of legislation or policy proposals where the SME test has been used and influenced outcomes; and the way in which this information is being shared across Government. [30414/26]
174. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment further to the Programme for Government commitment to establish a Small Business Unit within his Department, and a Cost of Business Advisory Forum, if he will provide an update on the work of both bodies to date; the issues they have examined or progressed; and the way in which small businesses are being engaged in shaping their outputs. [30413/26]
375. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the work her Department is undertaking to ensure that capital funding is keeping pace with rising demographic pressures, inflation in construction costs, and the growing demand for modern, energy-efficient school accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11080/26]
260. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected number of additional training places planned between 2026 and 2027 and 2027 and 2028 for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21731/26]
237. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement that has taken place between his Department and the Department of Health regarding workforce planning for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy; whether projected higher education training places are aligned with workforce demand identified by the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21732/26]
200. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work her Department is undertaking to deliver accessible and affordable community childcare for families living in north County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28422/26]
154. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how her Department is working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Health, as well as local authorities and the HSE, to ensure that adults with intellectual disabilities can access homes that meet their needs within their own communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28421/26]
85. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the work currently being undertaken by her Department to upskill teachers to support children with special educational needs, including through initial teacher education and continuous professional development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28418/26]
73. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth how the application process for special education teaching hours is administered by her Department, including how allocations to individual schools are determined and how the needs profile of a school is reflected in the final allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28417/26]
233. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of cases of ENT surgeries being cancelled or placed on standby in error in Beaumont Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28971/26]
232. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of cases of ENT surgeries being cancelled or placed on standby at short notice by Beaumont Hospital due to lack of bed availability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28970/26]
271. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has carried out any assessment of increasing the standard rate cut-off point for income tax to €50,000; the estimated full year cost to the Exchequer of such a change; the distributional impact across income groups; the analysis undertaken regarding the potential labour market or economic impacts of such a measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25769/26]
245. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance further to the commitment in the programme for Government to progress the recommendations of the Funds Sector 2030 review to support greater retail participation in capital markets, whether his Department has assessed the recommendation to remove the eight-year deemed disposal rule applicable to exchange-traded funds and other investment funds; the estimated cost to the Exchequer of abolishing this rule; whether the Government intends to remove the deemed disposal provision; the timeline for any such reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25770/26]
58. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the project management or project governance framework that is currently required or recommended by Government for the delivery of publicly funded capital projects under the Public Spending Code and the Infrastructure Guidelines; whether a specific methodology or standard such as PRINCE2, PMBOK or other recognised framework is mandated or recommended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25777/26]
6. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reforms planned or under consideration to improve value for money, risk allocation and cost control in public procurement for State-funded projects; whether changes to tender evaluation criteria, including the weighting applied to price versus quality and delivery capacity, are being examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27862/26]
3103. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health whether standardised data definitions and reporting templates have been established for all maternity units ahead of full roll-out of the electronic health system, to ensure that critical women’s health data can be compared and aggregated nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25912/26]
3102. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the way in which her Department intends to use the new eHealth system to close long-standing data gaps relating to women’s health, particularly early pregnancy loss, so that services, supports and research funding can be properly informed by accurate national data; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25911/26]
3101. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if reporting has commenced from the six maternity units currently using the electronic health system on conditions such as early pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy, second-trimester loss and recurrent miscarriage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25910/26]
3100. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if her Department will introduce a structured process to track the adoption of national maternity clinical guidelines in real time across all 19 maternity units on compliance guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25909/26]
3099. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that women who experience two consecutive miscarriages are still reporting that they are not being referred for further investigation and what immediate actions will be taken to ensure maternity units comply with national guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25908/26]
3098. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she has considered appointing a dedicated clinical implementation lead to work across all maternity units to ensure that clinical guidelines under the National Maternity Strategy are being implemented consistently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25907/26]
1230. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth f any schools in Fingal are included in the trial to support teachers' capacity meet the needs of dyslexic students, planned to commence in September 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23750/26]
1024. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he will revise procurement guidance to place greater emphasis on whole of life cost, delivery certainty and risk management rather than upfront price; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23639/26]
1023. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department tracks the variance between initial tender price and final outturn cost on public capital projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23638/26]
1022. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of tenders identified as abnormally low and rejected in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23637/26]
1021. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether his Department sets or recommends minimum weightings for quality, risk and delivery criteria in tender evaluations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23636/26]
1020. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether he accepts that awarding contracts primarily on lowest price increases the risk of cost overruns, contract variations and delayed delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23635/26]
1019. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the proportion of public contracts awarded on a lowest price only basis compared to most economically advantageous tender criteria, in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23634/26]
615. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the proportion of public transport operating costs attributable to fuel in 2024, 2025 and projected for 2026; and the extent to which this proportion has changed due to recent price increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23631/26]