278. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the telephone support allowance to reflect the increased reliance on mobile phones as the primary means of communication for many households, particularly among older people and people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38668/26]
261. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration will be given to extending the free schoolbooks scheme or introducing a dedicated technology grant to assist families with the cost of mandatory devices required by schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39353/26]
259. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the significant financial burden being placed on parents by schools requiring students to purchase chromebooks or other digital devices for senior cycle education; if financial supports will be introduced for working families who do not qualify for existing grants or allowances; and if her Department will investigate the growing costs associated with digital learning requirements in secondary schools, particularly where parents are given short notice and substantial upfront costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39347/26]
133. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if flexibility will be introduced to ensure that children who may be over the stated age threshold, or who miss the September cut-off by a short period, are not excluded from accessing an appropriate special school placement where a clear educational need exists in the new special school in Balbriggan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38091/26]
132. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration will be given to expanding the upper age limit and September age cut-off criteria within the admissions policy for the new special school in Balbriggan, in recognition of the fact that many children with additional needs commence school later than their peers due to developmental, medical or placement-related delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38090/26]
1007. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE social worker posts filled at Rush Health Centre as of 8 May 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36612/26]
1006. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE paediatric physiotherapist posts filled at Skerries Health Centre as of 8 May 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36611/26]
1005. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE general dental surgeons based at Balbriggan Primary Care Centre as of 8 May 2026; If she will provide the same figures as of 1 June 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36610/26]
935. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration will be given to reviewing the core funding policy in circumstances where a new provider takes over an already established early education and care service and fee increases arise; whether such cases can be assessed on an individual basis to ensure the ongoing financial viability of the service, while also safeguarding continuity of access for families and ensuring that children do not lose their childcare place as a result of provider change or increased costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37751/26]
897. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if additional resources will be allocated to CDNT services in Balbriggan and North Dublin CH09 to address severe delays in speech and language therapy, psychology, and behavioural supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37129/26]
896. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current average waiting time in the Dublin North region CH09 for psychological assessments through CDNT services; the number of children waiting longer than five years for assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37128/26]
895. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if emergency intervention will be provided in the case of a child currently at risk of school expulsion while awaiting appropriate behavioural and psychological supports (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37127/26]
894. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she will take to ensure that children awaiting disability services are not forced into private assessments due to failures in the public system (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37126/26]
893. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason a child (details supplied) who has been at crisis point since October 2025 has not received a full psychological assessment through the public system despite repeated engagement with CDNT services; the reason mandatory psychological reassessments, which should be provided every 12 months by the CDNT, have not been carried out in this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37125/26]
892. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the case of a child (details supplied) who has been on the waiting list for Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) services for seven years and has only received two speech and language therapy appointments during that time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37124/26]
733. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of individuals who presented as unaccompanied minors between 2023 and 2025 and were referred to Tusla by the International Protection Office, but were initially deemed ineligible for services under the Child Care Acts and accommodated within the IPAS system; and of those cases, the number that were subsequently re-assessed as eligible for Tusla services and later taken into State care. [37300/26]
710. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports available for programmes such as the New Futures Initiative, which assists lone parents in progressing to long-term education, training and employment opportunities; whether consideration will be given to continue funding supports for such programmes in light of reported progression rates of approximately 75% for participants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37776/26]
503. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth the emergency measures available for children who are deemed unsuitable for mainstream education and ASD units but who cannot access a special school placement due to administrative delays or lack of places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37135/26]
502. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason parents are required to obtain private psychological assessments in order to access special school placements where the State has failed to provide assessments through public disability services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37134/26]
501. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will intervene in cases where a Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) has confirmed eligibility for a special school placement, but the child (details supplied) cannot apply due to the absence of a psychological report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37133/26]
500. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department will take to ensure that a child cannot be left without a school placement because a public psychological assessment has not been provided (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37132/26]
499. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the case of a child (details supplied) who is at risk of losing their school place due to the absence of a current psychological assessment required for special school applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37131/26]
453. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has engaged with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission regarding transparency and regulation within the private waste sector in relation to pricing structures and surcharges applied by waste operators (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38524/26]
445. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he is aware of the recent fuel surcharge introduced by a company (details supplied) on customers; whether any oversight or regulatory approval is required before private waste operators impose additional surcharges on domestic consumers; if his Department has engaged with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission regarding transparency and regulation within the private waste sector in relation to pricing structures and surcharges applied by waste operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36888/26]
413. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the nature of refurbishment works that the OPW carried out at Balbriggan Garda station in the years of 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36613/26]
302. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware of the recent fuel surcharge introduced by a company (details supplied) on customers; whether any oversight or regulatory approval is required before private waste operators impose additional surcharges on domestic consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36887/26]
277. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she is aware of concerns raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding the current child passport renewal process, which requires widowed parents to repeatedly submit death certificates and sworn affidavits each time a child’s passport is renewed; if she will consider introducing a once-off verification system within the passport service in order that bereavement documentation only needs to be submitted once unless family circumstances change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37147/26]
538. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if she will review the case for access to Miglustat for children diagnosed with Juvenile Batten Disease, particularly where there is significant unmet clinical need and no alternative treatment currently available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35904/26]
537. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has considered the use of compassionate access, exceptional reimbursement mechanisms, or off-label prescribing supports in cases involving ultra-rare conditions such as Juvenile Batten Disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35903/26]
536. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the pathway available for access to the medication Miglustat for a child diagnosed with Juvenile Batten Disease (CLN3), where the medication is already approved and reimbursed in Ireland for other rare conditions, including Gaucher Disease and Niemann-Pick Type C; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35902/26]
155. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current average processing times for passports applications; if these times are being met in practise and if there are any delays or backlogs currently affecting the Passport Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35907/26]
83. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing a targeted support package to assist farmers with escalating gas and energy costs (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35916/26]
114. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection what protections or supports are available to individuals who invested pension savings with a company (details supplied) and who now face significant financial losses arising from the company's liquidation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35695/26]
75. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has engaged with any State agencies or regulatory authorities regarding the impact of the liquidation of a company (details supplied) on former aviation sector workers and other constituents in the Fingal area [35716/26]
66. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether any investigation is planned or underway into the circumstances surrounding the collapse and liquidation of a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35696/26]
65. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if any assessment has been carried out into claims from investors that assets connected to Arena Capital Partners may be being sold at significantly undervalued prices during the liquidation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35694/26]
64. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the oversight that exists in relation to the ongoing liquidation of a company (details supplied), appointed in January 2026; whether he has concerns regarding the level of communication being provided to affected investors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35693/26]
63. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he is aware that approximately 1,600 investors, many of whom are former employees of a company (details supplied) from the Fingal area, may be affected by the liquidation of a company; and if any engagement has taken place with regulatory bodies regarding this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35692/26]
62. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he is aware of the liquidation of a company (details supplied), and the reported financial difficulties experienced by the company since 2024; the number of investors believed to be affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35691/26]
371. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline any plans to ensure that individuals in circumstances where the person is financially independent but cannot live alone due to the impact of a disability are not excluded from supports intended to address fuel poverty and vulnerability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33938/26]
370. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given in Budget 2027 to the introduction of greater flexibility or individual means assessment in cases where the person is financially independent but cannot live alone due to the impact of a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33937/26]
369. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the eligibility criteria for fuel allowance, particularly in cases where an applicant is an adult in receipt of disability allowance but is assessed on a household means basis due to living with parents and the person is financially independent but cannot live alone due to the impact of a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33936/26]
314. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the oversight that exists to ensure that complaints relating to governance failures or misconduct at local committee level are handled consistently, fairly and transparently by national governing bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33835/26]
2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport in light of the extensive availability of fibre broadband infrastructure across the State, if Ireland is now in a position to accelerate the switch off of the legacy copper network process; and if this will form a priority area for Ireland during negotiations on the EU Digital Networks Act as part of our forthcoming EU Presidency. [33834/26]
1179. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if there is a review into patient experience and conditions within maternity hospitals, including overcrowding, recovery environments and supports for families during and after childbirth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32954/26]
1178. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the investment that has been allocated in recent years toward improving infrastructure, patient space and family facilities within a hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32953/26]
1177. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the plans that are in place to increase postnatal capacity and improve accommodation standards for mothers in maternity hospitals nationwide; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32952/26]