1095. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will publish the Coimisiún na Meán viability report into the content levy without delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19575/25]
1094. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will commit to engaging in urgent consultation with Coimisiún na Meán, content creators and public broadcasters to develop a future-focused media strategy that protects consumers while holding global streaming platforms to account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19574/25]
1093. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if an assessment has been made of the cultural and economic impact of postponing a revenue stream that could generate up to €20 million annually for investment in Irish film, television and digital media; the rationale for excluding RTÉ and TG4 from eligibility for the new media fund; how the Government intends to support these public service broadcasters in their efforts to innovate and serve diverse audiences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19573/25]
1092. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if, in light of the Government’s decision to delay the introduction of a content levy on international streaming platforms under the revised Broadcasting Bill requiring Ministerial sign-off before any levy can be imposed, he will outline how the Government’s decision to delay the introduction of a content levy on international streaming platforms aligns with its stated objective of supporting Irish content creation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19572/25]
958. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will urgently review the staffing allocation for the 2025/2026 school year at a school (details supplied), where the loss of a mainstream teacher will result in a merged 3rd and 4th class of 39 pupils, well above her Department’s average class ratio size of 23:1; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20041/25]
827. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will acknowledge the disadvantage facing this year’s Leaving Certificate students compared to students who sat the Leaving Certificate in previous years if her Department’s proposed changes to the Leaving Certificate grading system are introduced; if her Department will proceed with these proposed changes despite these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19025/25]
760. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education the timeframe and date for the installation of the promised prefab building at a school (details supplied); if this prefab building will be installed on time for the September 2025 intake of children as promised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18642/25]
355. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has collected any data or statistics on the increase in insurance costs associated with hosting music events since 2020; if so, to outline the extent of these increases; to specify the main drivers behind these rising costs, particularly for small to medium music venues; if his Department has undertaken any analysis or engaged with stakeholders to address the challenges faced by event organisers due to rising insurance premiums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16929/25]
216. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will clarify the criteria under which students from a school (details supplied), are eligible to apply as Gaeltacht applicants for teaching courses through the CAO; if there is an official policy or circular governing this situation; and if she will address concerns regarding the apparent exclusion of these students from applying as Gaeltacht applicants despite the school’s status as a Gaeltacht school under the Gaeltacht schools recognition scheme; if the potential for recognition of the school students’ residency in the Gaeltacht for the purpose of CAO applications will be examined given its significant contribution to the local Gaeltacht community and year-round immersion in an Irish-speaking environment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16375/25]
210. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the engagement he has had with Meta about the reported use of pirated creative works to train its AI models, including thousands of books produced by Irish creators and publishers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16359/25]
57. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the ongoing delay in updating the TAMS reference costs, which has been flagged by an organisation (details supplied) as creating uncertainty and delaying investment in essential farm infrastructure, to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this review; the measures his Department will take to ensure that grant aid reflects actual material costs, such as concrete and steel, to support farmers in making necessary improvements, particularly in areas related to water quality and slurry storage; and the discrepancies in the TAMS dairy equipment scheme’s terms and conditions regarding grant aid for multiple robotic milking machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13826/25]
54. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address concerns around declining numbers of young people entering farming, particularly in light of financial uncertainty and environmental pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13823/25]
45. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the significant disparity between the forward malting barley price offered by a company (details supplied) of €240/t and the €300/t sought by growers, and considering the fears raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding transparency in the pricing mechanism, if he will direct the Office of the Agri-Food Regulator to investigate whether fair pricing and transparency exist within the malting barley supply chain, from farm to final product; the measures his Department will take to ensure that malting barley growers receive a sustainable return on their produce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13827/25]
43. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the ongoing funding deficiencies in State marine infrastructure, particularly in counties like Donegal, which has 155 piers and harbours to maintain (details supplied); to outline plans to increase investment in marine infrastructure to support both local economies and tourism development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13825/25]
24. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given that women have always been integral to the family farm but that their crucial role has often not been fully recognised or acknowledged, if he will implement the recommendations of the report “Highlighting Pathways to Empower Rural Women to Have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming"; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13824/25]
2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Government acknowledges the significant increase in production costs for farmers in recent years, which many can no longer sustain; and how he plans to address the challenges posed by increasing energy, labour and environmental-compliance costs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Irish farming sector. [14131/25]
848. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether any public bodies or publicly funded bodies under his aegis are not compliant with Part V of the Disability Act 2005; whether Part V applies to subsidiaries of universities and colleges; whether, in cases where it does not, he has the powers to extend such a requirement, either through Ministerial order or through funding requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15489/25]
847. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether subsidiary companies of universities and colleges also fall under his aegis; whether such entities are considered public sector bodies; whether public sector procurement and pay rules apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15488/25]
846. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will undertake one of the shorter e-college courses so that he might better understand the user experience of the platform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15487/25]
845. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for each year since 1 January 2020, the cost of operation of e-college; the number of Solas staff who work on e-college projects; the process for evaluating value; the completion rate and number of participants in each course; the cost per head of each course per completing student; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15486/25]
844. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there are plans for adding content to e-college that might encourage people to pursue careers in the areas of public sector recruitment shortfalls such as the Gardaí, Defence Forces or healthcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15485/25]
843. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the content of e-college fits with the Government's educational ambitions in the Programme for Government; whether extra content will be added to the offering which aligns with Government objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15484/25]
842. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science regarding the evaluation of course content of e-college courses, whether there is any independent evaluation of the quality of the content; whether Solas senior management have self-tested each or any course; if Solas senior management engages with users of the e-college directly to evaluate their feedback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15483/25]
817. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the current policy is in cancer care centres of excellence regarding the prioritisation of terminal cancer patients requiring life-saving and urgent treatment over patients presenting with non-life-threatening illnesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15766/25]
816. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that terminal cancer patients are being deprioritised for life-saving and urgent treatment in accident and emergency in favour of flu patients, given the critical nature of their condition and the urgency of their care needs; if she will commit to a review of this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15765/25]
765. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health whether a publicly available progress summary covering some or all of the 49 recommendations made in the independent review of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services since it was published in July 2023 exists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15403/25]
616. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any public bodies or publicly funded bodies under his Department's aegis are not compliant with Part V of the Disability Act 2005; if Part V applies to all subsidiaries of such bodies; whether, in cases where it does not, he has the power to extend such a requirement, either through Ministerial order or through funding requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15490/25]
615. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are plans to produce guidelines around coastal magnet fishing; if his Department will support the removal of metal waste from the Irish foreshore while protecting the State’s interests; if his Department will discuss the matter with other responsible Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15386/25]
614. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress of the efforts by Bord Iascaigh Mhara to retrieve ghost gear (abandoned nets, and so on); the amount of material retrieved in each year since 1 January 2020; how successful these efforts have been; the cost of same; whether a new central scheme for all waterways is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15385/25]
613. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board took in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to advise the public or those working in the sector of complaint procedures around poor stable facilities or the ill treatment of horses under their authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15384/25]
612. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any public body or publicly funded body under his Department’s aegis procured from outside the EU any professional services in excess of €25,000 in relation to accountancy, pensions, architecture or legal, in each year from 1 January 2020 to end 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15383/25]
611. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the controls his Department and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board have in relation to the operation of unlicensed trainers; whether further legislation is planned on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15381/25]
610. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of licensed horse trainers in Ireland in each year since 1 January 2020; the number of Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board inspectors; the number of unannounced inspections; whether each trainer has had unannounced inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15380/25]
527. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if an assessment has been conducted on the additional costs incurred by people aged 65 years and over due to disability, given that analysis indicates extra costs ranging from approximately €1,600 to €4,600 annually depending on severity and household type; if consideration has been given to addressing the fact that, while State pension rates are €40 higher per week than disability allowance, this does not fully cover the actual cost of disability in older age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15822/25]
493. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide a date for when a decision will be made regarding Fingal County Council's request for inclusion in the defective block scheme, given that the Housing Agency has completed its investigations and consultations and is currently drafting its report with a recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15751/25]
444. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if any public body or publicly funded body under his Department's aegis are not compliant with Part V of the Disability Act 2005; if Part V applies to all subsidiaries of such bodies; if, in cases where it does not, he has the power to extend such a requirement, either through Ministerial order or through funding requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15491/25]
390. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the installation of the promised prefab building at a school (details supplied), which is intended to accommodate a general-purpose hall and a classroom; the reasons for the delay; the steps being taken to resolve the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15181/25]
390. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health to provide a list the recommended services that should be available in a primary health care centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14776/25]
175. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will outline the Government's plan to introduce a maximum fee of €200 for early childhood and education places; how her Department intends to manage this fee reduction; and what measures will be in place to support providers to implement this while maintaining quality and ensuring affordability for parents. [14244/25]
669. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage level of staffing in each Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) in Fingal; the average wait time, in months, for a first appointment for a child referred to each CDNT at the current staffing level in Fingal; and the estimated average wait time, in months, for a first appointment for a child referred to each CDNT in Fingal if staffing were at 100%, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14109/25]
638. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason an eight-year-old child (details supplied) is facing an 18-month wait for an initial speech and language assessment; the immediate steps that will be taken to address the excessive waiting times for children requiring essential developmental support; if the child will be given urgent access to speech and language therapy given their age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13317/25]
517. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans being considered to extend the proposed permanent annual cost of disability support payment to individuals who are in receipt of the State pension, given that disability-related expenses do not cease at 66; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13873/25]
372. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education given that children are accessing access and inclusion model support in early years settings, if she will clarify that these figures are being used when determining allocations for primary school ASD classrooms, special needs assistant support and resource teaching; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13861/25]
221. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport if he will confirm the commitment to delivering the MetroLink project, particularly in relation to its role in improving public transport access for north County Dublin; if he will provide an updated timeline for its approval and construction; if he will outline any measures being taken to prevent further delays and cost escalations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13394/25]
198. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications given that our country has banned fracking due to its well-documented impacts on public health and the environment, how he justifies the importation of fracked gas from the United States, where communities have suffered severe health and environmental consequences from this practice; if he will ensure that our energy policies do not contribute to the harms we have deemed unacceptable within our own borders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13614/25]
158. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the ongoing delay in updating the TAMS reference costs, which has been flagged by an organisation (details supplied) as creating uncertainty and delaying investment in essential farm infrastructure, to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this review; the measures his Department will take to ensure that grant aid reflects actual material costs, such as concrete and steel, to support farmers in making necessary improvements, particularly in areas related to water quality and slurry storage; and the discrepancies in the TAMS dairy equipment scheme’s terms and conditions regarding grant aid for multiple robotic milking machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13826/25]
154. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address concerns around declining numbers of young people entering farming, particularly in light of financial uncertainty and environmental pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13823/25]
145. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the significant disparity between the forward malting barley price offered by a company (details supplied) of €240/t and the €300/t sought by growers, and considering the fears raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding transparency in the pricing mechanism, if he will direct the Office of the Agri-Food Regulator to investigate whether fair pricing and transparency exist within the malting barley supply chain, from farm to final product; the measures his Department will take to ensure that malting barley growers receive a sustainable return on their produce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13827/25]
143. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the ongoing funding deficiencies in State marine infrastructure, particularly in counties like Donegal, which has 155 piers and harbours to maintain (details supplied); to outline plans to increase investment in marine infrastructure to support both local economies and tourism development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13825/25]