912. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether separate staff, decision-making structures or internal firewalls exist within the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure functional separation between the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, Environmental Information Commissioner and Protected Disclosures Commissioner roles; the way in which these safeguards are monitored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75092/25]
911. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the assessment his Department has made of potential conflicts of interest arising in cases where a member of the public may first engage with the Ombudsman regarding a complaint against a public body, and subsequently require an FOI appeal to the Information Commissioner relating to the same matter, given that both functions are exercised by the same individual; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75091/25]
910. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the safeguards which are in place to ensure the operational independence of the Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner, the Commissioner for Environmental Information and the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, given that these statutory roles are held by the same officeholder and supported by the same organisational structure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75090/25]
908. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if Budget 2026 was equality-proofed and disability-proofed, and to publish the assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75008/25]
907. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the total fiscal savings to the Exchequer from not repeating the once-off supports provided in Budget 2025, including electricity credits, lump-sum payments and double-week bonuses; and how these savings were factored into Budget 2026 allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75007/25]
897. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the current status of Bunadobber Mill, County Mayo (details supplied); and the details of any plans or intended actions for its development and public access going forward. [74287/25]
838. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has calculated the impact of Budget 2026 on the disposable income of disabled households; if so, to provide those calculations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75010/25]
831. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance his views on whether the refusal of insurers to honour foreign driving histories unfairly penalises returning emigrants and undermines Government policy to attract skilled workers home; the steps he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74536/25]
830. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will direct the Central Bank to issue guidance requiring insurers to recognise documented foreign no-claims bonuses, given that some insurers already accept them; and whether he will ensure consistency across the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74535/25]
555. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the assessment which has been made of the impact of licence exchange delays on employment, mobility and rural community; whether he will commit to immediate reform of the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74539/25]
554. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport his views that the current NDLS process treats returning emigrants as first-time applicants, despite their proven driving history; the reforms he will implement to ensure their competence and entitlement are recognised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74538/25]
553. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason Irish citizens returning from abroad who previously held full Irish driving licences are required to wait months for licence reinstatement, leaving them unable to drive to work; whether he will introduce a fast-track process or interim driving entitlement to prevent undue hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74537/25]
535. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if he will acknowledge that the Windsor junction on the N5 has now been the subject of multiple fatalities and serious accidents, repeated media coverage, and a coroner’s recommendation; whether he considers it acceptable that no safety measures have yet been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74353/25]
534. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason local residents continue to avoid using the Windsor junction on the N5 due to fear for their safety, the reason elected representatives have had to repeatedly raise this matter without any meaningful response from the NRDO or Mayo County Council; the timeline for action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74352/25]
533. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has received the coroner’s report into a fatal accident at the Windsor junction on the N5; if so, the reason no public statement or commitment has yet been made to address the safety concerns raised by the coroner and local residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74351/25]
532. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport his views that the Windsor junction on the N5 has now been formally identified by a coroner as a dangerous turning point; if he will commit to funding and directing Mayo County Council and the NRDO to install a slip lane, turning box, or other safety measures as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74350/25]
531. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the reason, despite repeated representations from elected representatives since 2021, and despite multiple serious accidents at the Windsor junction on the N5, no safety upgrades have been carried out; the reason this location has not been prioritised under HD15 network safety ranking despite clear evidence of risk to road users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74349/25]
530. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of the coroner’s recommendation that the Windsor junction on the N5 outside Castlebar be designated an accident blackspot following the death of a 91-year-old man in December 2024; the immediate steps his Department will take to ensure that Mayo County Council and the NRDO implement safety measures at this location without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74348/25]
342. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will acknowledge that Inland Fisheries Ireland's premature licence sales undermine the credibility of the ongoing consultation process on salmon regulations; and if he will extend the consultation period and require IFI to reissue licences only once the regulations have been lawfully approved and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74592/25]
341. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the oversight mechanisms his Department has in place to prevent Inland Fisheries Ireland from implementing regulatory changes before consultation has closed and before ministerial approval has been granted; and if he will commit to ensuring that licence sales continue only on the basis of existing approved regulations, with no new restrictions applied until lawful approval is complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74591/25]
340. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he accepts that selling licences without the regulations booklet, places anglers at risk of breaching rules they have not been provided with, while IFI itself fails to comply with its own statutory obligations; and the steps he will take to ensure anglers are not penalised for administrative failures by IFI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74590/25]
339. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason Inland Fisheries Ireland has described the 2026 salmon licence as permitting harvest only between 1 June and 31 August on open rivers, despite this restriction still being under consultation until 20 December and not yet signed off by him; and if he will direct IFI to cease including unapproved restrictions in licences until consultations have concluded and ministerial approval has been lawfully granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74589/25]
338. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason Inland Fisheries Ireland has commenced selling 2026 salmon licences online and through distributors without providing anglers with the regulations booklet required under Section 69 of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010; and if he will confirm whether this constitutes administrative non compliance with statutory obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74588/25]
774. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an estimate of the number of individuals currently receiving the long-Covid payment and the projected impact of its termination on these households; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73851/25]
773. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the guidance that has been issued to Intreo offices and social protection services regarding the transition of long-Covid patients from the current payment scheme to other supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73850/25]
772. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will detail any engagement with healthcare unions regarding the recognition of long-Covid as a work-related injury and the provision of long-term financial supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73849/25]
771. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if Ireland intends to align with other EU member states that recognise long Covid as an occupational illness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73848/25]
770. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the supports that will be available to long-Covid sufferers who are unable to return to work and face financial hardship following the end of the current payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73847/25]
769. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on any measures being considered to recognise long-Covid as an occupational illness for healthcare workers who contracted Covid-19 in the workplace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73846/25]
768. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the future plans for supporting individuals suffering from long-Covid after the cessation of the long-Covid payment scheme on 31 December 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73845/25]
767. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will consider extending the long-Covid payment scheme beyond December 2025 in light of the ongoing impact on healthcare workers and other affected individuals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73844/25]
691. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of miscarriages in Ireland in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [73527/25]
690. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of stillborn births in Ireland in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [73526/25]
650. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with pharmacists to develop an alternative funding mechanism for monitored dosing systems, in view of warnings from patient advocacy groups and charities that the removal of State support will lead to medication errors, increased hospitalisations, and additional costs to the health service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73407/25]
649. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health whether any portion of the €50 million allocated under the Community Pharmacy Agreement can be ring-fenced to maintain funding for blister packs; and if she will provide details of any cost-benefit analysis undertaken before deciding to discontinue this service, which pharmacists have described as critical for adherence and reducing hospital admissions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73406/25]
648. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will reconsider the decision to remove State funding for monitored dosing blister packs from January 2026, given the essential role these packs play in medication safety for older persons, those with disabilities, and patients on complex prescriptions; and the engagement which has taken place with the Irish Pharmacy Union to prevent hardship for vulnerable patients. [73405/25]
123. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment how it is intended to meet our 2030 climate targets and avoid significant EU compliance costs, while ensuring that measures do not disproportionately impact family farms or undermine the viability of rural communities. [73012/25]
61. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently awaiting therapy services under children's disability network teams, CDNTs; the average waiting time for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, by county; and the number of posts vacant within CDNTs nationally and regionally. [72984/25]
794. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if organisations (details supplied) are legally structured as non-State, independent entities that is, as a co-operative, company limited by guarantee or similar, rather than as public bodies or State-controlled organisations; whether this legal status is the reason that under the domestic transposition of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 he has stated that responsibility for ensuring compliance with the regulation’s requirements rests with individual breed societies or breeding operations rather than his Department or State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71884/25]
793. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which officials from his Department who are appointed to governance roles within designated third-party breeding organisations such as organisations (details supplied) are able to fulfil their fiduciary duties of independence, impartiality, loyalty to the State, accountability, due care and transparency; the way these officials can remain fully compliant with Article 41(b) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012, which requires that officials performing official controls must be free from conflicts of interest, particularly where they may exercise both regulatory oversight and governance authority over the same organisations; if he will provide details of the structural safeguards, recusal mechanisms, audit trails and reassignment procedures in place to ensure that conflicts of interest cannot arise in the first instance, rather than relying solely on self-declarations after such conflicts have materialised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71883/25]
792. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Livestock Breeding, Production and Trade Division (LBPTD) of his Department is the designated section responsible for the oversight and approval functions set out in regulation (EU) 2016/1012, including the approval and ongoing monitoring of breeding bodies and breeding programmes in accordance with articles four, eight and 12 of the regulation; the approval, designation and supervision of third parties carrying out performance recording, genetic evaluations or breeding-related activities under Article 27; ensuring compliance with the autonomy and non-discrimination requirements contained in article 14; if not, which section of his Department is responsible for these statutory functions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71882/25]
791. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that, in circumstances where breed societies in Ireland effectively have only a single designated third-party provider of performance recording and genetic-evaluation services, those societies many with limited legal and financial resources are not placed at a disadvantage that could compel them to accept contractual terms or data-use conditions that may not be in the best interests of their breeders, their breed, or their breeding-programme objectives; the steps he will take to ensure that such contractual arrangements remain fair, proportionate, and fully aligned with the rights set out in regulation (EU) 2016/1012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71881/25]
790. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he considers that, prior to approving or designating a third party under Article 27 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 to operate performance recording and genetic evaluation services on behalf of breeders, there should be a clear demonstration that such a body can provide the full range of services necessary to ensure breeders and breed societies retain genuine freedom of choice and autonomy over the objectives, structure and operation of their breeding programmes, as protected under article 14 of that regulation; and whether he is satisfied that the currently designated bodies provide sufficient options to respect this autonomy in practice, including where breeders seek alternative trait priorities or breed-specific selection strategies outside the national centrally-designed indices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71880/25]
789. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the designated third parties operating performance recording and genetic evaluation in Ireland for organisations (details supplied) provide breeders and breed societies with the ability, as required under Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 and Recitals (1), (2) and (10), to autonomously define the objectives and structure of their breeding programmes; if the current reliance on a single centrally-designed terminal index and replacement index, with fixed trait weightings applied uniformly across all breeds, restricts the ability of individual breeds to pursue diverse breeding goals and safeguard hereditary characteristics essential for the preservation of breed identity and genetic diversity; particularly where CAP-funded schemes financially reward the use of animals ranked on these national Herdplus/Lambplus indices, thereby influencing breeding and market decisions toward uniform trait priorities; and, if so, the mechanisms which exist to support breed-specific customisation of breeding objectives and trait emphasis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71879/25]
788. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any breeder or breed society wishing to operate their own recognised breeding programme in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 is required, in practice, to enrol in an organisations - national breeding programme (details supplied) and to comply with contractual terms and operational rules set by the organisation which are not contained in, nor approved as part of the stated rules of procedure and breeding programme of that breeder or breed society; and if so, whether this requirement is compatible with the autonomy of breeders and breed societies guaranteed under Article 13/14 of the regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71878/25]
787. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Question No. 714 of 25 November 2025, if his Department has examined an organisations genomic services terms and conditions (October 2025) specifically Clauses 6.1 to 6.4 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71877/25]
786. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has assessed whether the standard service contract and terms and conditions used by an organisation which assign all intellectual-property and data rights to the organisation, allows the restriction on breeders’ access to performance data and genetic-evaluation results for their own animals, allow unilateral termination of evaluation services, and lack an effective opt-out or purpose-limitation clause for data-originators, comply with regulations (details supplied); if he considers the current contracts incompatible; the amendments or regulatory measures which will be required to secure breeders’ access to evaluation results and preserve their data rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71876/25]
785. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department holds, or has sought from an organisation (details supplied) or any market-monitoring source, data on the price differential paid for four and five star rams that meet Sheep Improvement Scheme eligibility criteria compared with two and three star rams in the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if so, to provide those average price differentials for pedigree sales and commercial market sales; and if not, to confirm whether claims of increased breeder profitability arising from four and five star-rated rams are being made in the absence of verifiable market evidence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71875/25]
743. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of persons currently in custody who are non-Irish nationals; the length of sentence being served by each; the offence category for which they were convicted; and the length of time each individual had been a resident in the State prior to committing the offence, for each of the past 5 years, in tabular form. [72213/25]