842. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health if she will list each service which was previously provided at the Monaghan Hospital campus since 2020 which has subsequently transferred to other hospital sites, including Cavan; the year in which each service was removed; the hospital site to which each service was transferred, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72531/26]
840. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE has conducted an assessment of the impact on patient outcomes arising from the centralisation of the dermatology referral pathway from Monaghan Hospital to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, in 2024 and the subsequent permanent transfer of consultant-led dermatology outpatient services in 2025; the specific improvements in clinical outcomes, access to treatment and service efficiency that have been identified; if a copy of such an assessment will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72538/26]
839. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the number of patients from counties Monaghan and Cavan awaiting a first dermatology outpatient appointment, in tabular form; the average and longest waiting times for such appointments, at the end of each quarter from 2023 to date; the corresponding figures for patients waiting more than six, twelve and eighteen months; if these figures demonstrate an improvement or deterioration in waiting times following the transfer of dermatology services from Monaghan Hospital to Drogheda; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72544/26]
837. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the detailed rationale for the decision to centralise the dermatology referral pathway previously provided at Monaghan Hospital in Q2 2024 and to permanently transfer consultant-led dermatology outpatient services to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, in Q4 2025; the person or body responsible for each decision; the dates on which the decisions were taken; the clinical, financial and operational assessments undertaken; if alternative arrangements to retain services at Monaghan Hospital were considered; and if copies of the relevant business cases and decision documents will be provided. [72547/26]
836. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the number of dermatology outpatient appointments provided at Monaghan Hospital in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of dermatology outpatient appointments provided to residents of counties Monaghan and Cavan at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, in each year from 2023 to date; the number of new and return appointments separately; the additional consultant, nursing and administrative resources allocated to Drogheda to accommodate the transfer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72550/26]
835. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the estimated annual cost of providing consultant-led dermatology outpatient services at Monaghan Hospital prior to their transfer to Drogheda; the projected financial savings or additional expenditure associated with the centralisation of these services; the actual savings or additional expenditure recorded to date; the additional staffing, accommodation and other costs incurred at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; whether a cost-benefit analysis was completed prior to the transfer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72551/26]
834. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health if she will undertake an independent review of the decision to permanently transfer consultant-led dermatology outpatient services from Monaghan Hospital to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, including an assessment of whether the stated objectives of a more streamlined and efficient model of care have been achieved; whether consideration will be given to restoring consultant-led outpatient clinics at Monaghan Hospital, including through visiting consultant arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72554/26]
676. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will intervene in the crisis case of a vulnerable child in County Cavan (details supplied); and the immediate crisis stabilisation and multi-disciplinary resources the HSE (CDNT) will deploy to support the family. [72895/26]
667. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the cost of the new playground at Cavan CDNT, the policies that will govern access to this facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73175/26]
622. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the changes, if any, that will be made to the financial eligibility thresholds for the civil legal aid scheme arising from Budget 2027; whether the disposable income and disposable capital limits will be revised and when any such changes will take effect; and the estimated number of additional persons who will become eligible for civil legal aid as a result. [72496/26]
621. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the changes, if any, being introduced following Budget 2027 to the remuneration and fee structures payable to solicitors providing services under the civil legal aid scheme; whether rates payable to private practitioners and Legal Aid Board solicitors will be revised; the estimated cost of any such measures; and the date on which any revised payment arrangements will take effect. [72497/26]
547. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason families in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance (DCA) have been excluded from the €500 cost of disability lump sum payment announced in Budget 2026; if he acknowledges that the significant, additional cost of living with a disability applies equally to children under the age of 16; and if he will expand the eligibility criteria for this lump sum to include DCA recipients to prevent these families from being left behind; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72888/26]
504. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will provide emergency capital funding to Monaghan County Council to bridge the €400,000 budget shortfall caused by escalating construction costs for the specialized adaptation of the former Newbliss Garda barracks; if he is aware that this project was specifically allocated to a family (details supplied) caring for a child with Rett syndrome who requires 24-hour care; and the emergency capital mechanisms available to prevent critical local disability housing projects from being abandoned due to rising tender costs. [72891/26]
283. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 70836/26, the number of protected disclosures made by members and staff of the Defence Forces (details supplied), either directly to her Department or through internal Defence Forces channels, in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025; the number of which returned by the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner for examination; and the status or action taken regarding such by category, such as referred to a separate body or closed. [72651/26]
61. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his engagement with other Government Departments and State agencies to support hotels in rural communities and small towns. [73012/26]
51. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the funding allocated to Cavan and Monaghan county councils for lane improvements works under the local improvement scheme in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and the proposed allocations for 2026. [73011/26]
788. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the number of formal complaints or items of correspondence received by her Department from women affected by the restrictions regarding the number of patients seeking private maternity care who have been turned away or refused access at major maternity hospitals, including the National Maternity Hospital, since the implementation of the Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC); the specific budgetary resources and additional funding allocated to major maternity units to expand public capacity and staffing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72898/26]
787. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the number of patients seeking private maternity care who have been refused access at major maternity hospitals, including the National Maternity Hospital, since the implementation of the public only consultant contract; the specific safety and contingency protocols in place for pregnant women with complex medical histories or past trauma who are transitioned into the public system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72901/26]
786. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health If she will address a payroll issue at Cavan General Hospital where a person (details supplied) has been informed that arrears and salary corrections will be delayed until after Christmas 2026 despite one year of continuous service in the role; and if she will direct the HSE to expedite this payment. [72904/26]
448. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the immediate steps her Department and the NCSE are taking to sanction and secure a specialist post-primary school placement for a child (details supplied) in County Cavan for September 2027; if she will ensure that a review of this case is conducted as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72893/26]
412. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any assessment of the impact of employment permits on housing demand in the State, including the additional housing requirement arising from permit holders and their dependent family members; if so, the findings of any such assessment; and if not, whether he intends to undertake or commission such an assessment. [72637/26]
408. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the methodology and criteria used to determine the number of employment permits made available under occupational quotas; the basis on which the numerical quota for each occupation currently subject to a quota was calculated; the labour shortages identified in each such occupation; and the number of permits sought by relevant sectoral representatives during the most recent review compared with the quota ultimately approved. [72624/26]
407. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the availability and capacity of housing, healthcare, education, childcare, transport and other public services are taken into account when determining the number of employment permits made available generally or under individual occupational quotas; if so, the methodology used to assess these factors; and the Departments, agencies and other bodies consulted in this regard. [72625/26]
406. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether regulations have been made pursuant to section 47(12)(a) of the Employment Permits Act 2024 specifying accommodation to be provided to a foreign national as a condition of the grant of a general employment permit or seasonal employment permit; if so, to set out the employments and categories of employment to which such regulations apply; and if not, whether consideration is being given to making such regulations, particularly in respect of occupations subject to employment permit quotas. [72635/26]
405. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Youth, or any other Department with responsibility for public infrastructure and services, is formally consulted prior to a decision being taken to establish, renew or increase employment permit quotas; and the nature of any such consultation undertaken in respect of quotas introduced or amended in 2026. [72639/26]
404. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the measures required of, or agreed with, sectors benefiting from employment permit quotas to increase domestic recruitment, training, apprenticeships and workforce retention; and whether targets, benchmarks or timelines have been established to reduce reliance on overseas recruitment in each occupation currently subject to a quota. [72640/26]
396. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps his Department is taking to ensure the surplus in the National Training Fund is deployed more effectively to directly support small business owners and their staff with upskilling and digital transformation; if he will consider specific allocations or streamlined access for rural and border-town business networks (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72909/26]
379. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will provide an update on capital infrastructure allocations under the national development plan specifically earmarked for Cavan and Monaghan; to ensure that the specific economic vulnerabilities of rural border towns are weighted heavily in upcoming mid-term budgetary reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72917/26]
364. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will consider expanding or adjusting the Small Benefit Exemption framework to explicitly incentivise and favour locally administered town or chamber gift card schemes; if he will assess the way in which such a mechanism can prevent economic leakage and sustain local retail sectors in rural border towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72913/26]
307. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Transport his engagements with the National Transport Authority (NTA) in respect of the decision to implement an average 15% price increase on adult public transport fares from January 2027; his response to projections showing this will cause a drop in public transport usage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72886/26]
306. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has been informed of the specific economic baseline and calculations used by the National Transport Authority to justify fare increases of up to 30% on regional bus routes servicing Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72907/26]
305. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 71158/26 when the appeals portal for the road transporters support scheme (RTSS) will open; whether his Department will provide a helpline or other mechanism to assist applicants through the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73010/26]
303. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Transport the number of applications for the road transporters support scheme received, by county; the number and percentage in each county which were approved for payment; the number and percentage in each county for which payment has issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73013/26]
224. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with the HSE to ensure that dermatology services, previously provided at the Monaghan Hospital campus and subsequently transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, are returned to Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66607/26]
139. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the proposals in place to expand CT and MRI scanners in Cavan and Monaghan, specifically any proposals to locate CT or MRI scanners at the Monaghan hospital site; the envisaged timeframe and costs associated with these proposals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66605/26]
211. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing a grace period or flexibility mechanism for self-builders under the temporary development contribution waiver scheme whose homes are currently under construction and well-advanced but face missing the 31 December 2026 completion deadline due to documented trade and construction delays. [71176/26]
183. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the additional accommodation scheme application by a school in County Cavan (details supplied); and the reason this project has not yet progressed to the tender and construction phases. [71178/26]
182. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if emergency capital funding will be fast-tracked for a school in County Cavan (details supplied); and if the ongoing plumbing and electrical deterioration caused by severe overcrowding will be addressed. [71179/26]
121. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Transport the status of an application under the road transporters support scheme (RTSS) for a commercial coach operator (details supplied); the reason this application has faced a prolonged administrative backlog despite the applicant providing all required, tax-compliant documentation via the information portal over six weeks ago; the timeline for when this badly needed fuel assistance funding will be transferred to the applicant; and the steps his Department is taking to resolve the outstanding payment processing delay for hundreds of similarly affected transport operators. [71158/26]
231. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to eliminate funding discrepancies and regional inequalities for personal assistant service users; if she will address a specific case in county Cavan (details supplied) where a disabled individual is being denied a service transfer to the Donegal center for independent living solely because the HSE refuses to match the standard, higher hourly funding rate already paid to DCIL for other leaders in the same county; and the immediate actions she will take to ensure funding equity and service continuity in this case. [70720/26]
213. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procedures in place to ensure that the safety, welfare and best interests of children affected by the deportation of a person convicted of a serious criminal offence are considered throughout the deportation process (details supplied); and whether guardians or other relevant family members are notified of deportation arrangements where safety or welfare concerns arise. [70988/26]
212. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether he intends to introduce or revise procedures relating to the provision of information to victims and their families regarding the deportation of perpetrators convicted of serious offences. [70985/26]
211. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the information to which victims and their families are entitled to receive regarding the deportation process of a person convicted of a serious offence, including confirmation that the person has actually left the State and the restrictions placed on their return. [70984/26]
210. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procedures that are currently in place for informing victims and their families when a person convicted of a serious offence is subject to deportation. [70983/26]
74. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration when he expects to publish the draft National Migration and Integration Strategy; and if it will include consideration of an all-island approach to the management of migration. [70562/26]
46. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Government remains committed to implementing the multi-agency competent authority model for the national referral mechanism established under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024; and if not, the reasons for that decision. [70640/26]
38. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his plans to reform the operation of the in-camera rule in family law proceedings. [70639/26]
33. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if his Department has examined the impact on the administration of justice of the reduction in the number of criminal legal aid certificates granted since 1 July 2026. [70561/26]