272. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on the progress to date by the National Energy Affordability Taskforce on their preparation of the Energy Affordability Action Plan due for completion in Q3; whether any interim findings or measures have been identified; the timeline for publication of the Action Plan upon completion; and whether, in light of cost pressures on households and businesses, consideration is being given to fast-tracking the work of the Taskforce or bringing forward elements of the Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29594/26]
271. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an updated timeline on the hosting of a public event on the Social Climate Plan; whether his Department is considering publishing a summary of the submissions received on the Plan; the timeline for publication of the plan; whether in light of ongoing energy price pressures, if consideration is being given to fast-tracking the development and submission of the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29593/26]
270. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware that eligibility for the standalone grants for windows and doors requires homes to have wall insulation at a "good" or "very good" standard, as defined by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; whether he is aware that a cohort of homes are not suitable for cavity wall insulation due to construction type, leaving external wall insulation as the primary option at significantly higher cost, thereby creating a significant financial barrier to accessing what is intended as a standalone grant; the supports available in such cases; whether consideration has been given to introducing flexibility within the grant criteria for such homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29592/26]
269. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the progress made to date on the commitment in the Programme for Government to support group retrofitting projects, enabling neighbours to upgrade their homes together with guided support to make the process easier and more economical and to develop innovative financing solutions; whether any pilot schemes or supports have been introduced in this area; if, in light of ongoing energy cost pressures, he plans to expand or accelerate such measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29590/26]
268. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware that eligibility for the recently introduced standalone grants for windows and doors requires homes to have wall insulation at a "good" standard, as defined by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; whether he has received feedback that cavity wall insulation is often not readily available as a standalone upgrade from SEAI-registered contractors and is instead delivered primarily as part of larger, bundled retrofit projects; the steps, if any, being taken to ensure that this requirement does not act as a barrier to homeowners seeking to access these grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29589/26]
260. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she plans to use Ireland’s EU Presidency to highlight the issue of Palestinian statehood, as opposed to humanitarian relief for Gaza, at the relevant Council of Ministers meetings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30978/26]
246. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will provide a copy of her Department’s Protocol Guidelines booklet, similar to the protocol guidelines published by other governments and similar to the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (details supplied). [30406/26]
245. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a list of all staff, by grade currently assigned to the Embassy of Ireland in Washington, D.C., including locally engaged staff employed by the Embassy; and to detail any existing vacancies. [30404/26]
244. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the announcement will be made on the appointment of the next Ambassador of Ireland to the USA. [30402/26]
238. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to list all allowances and the amounts paid to clerical, executive and higher executive officer grades posted to Embassies abroad. [30084/26]
237. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of higher executive officers posted to Embassies abroad. [30083/26]
234. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the next first secretary (assistant principal officer) competition will open to applicants. [30078/26]
225. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update in relation to the EU Careers Strategy; its achievements to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29615/26]
224. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will seek an increase in funding for the centrally funded scheme for seconded national experts for the post-EU Presidency period to capitalise on Irelands increased visibility and personnel networks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29613/26]
217. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will review the current arrangements governing the appointment by the Department of clerical officers, executive officers and higher executive officers to positions in Irish embassies and missions abroad; the reason such opportunities appear to be confined to staff of the Department; whether consideration has been given to opening these assignments to suitably qualified clerical officers, executive officers and higher executive officers across the wider civil service; and the basis on which additional allowances attached to these postings are determined, particularly where such allowances bring the overall remuneration of the post to a level comparable with the next grade in some cases. [30080/26]
190. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department is giving consideration to a change to the tax code to allow local authorities to levy a hotel bedroom tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28777/26]
170. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department has assessed the potential revenue from a hotel bedroom charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30519/26]
150. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if his Department is giving consideration to the introduction of a hotel bedroom charge, to be levied by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30518/26]
249. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline any plans to increase student grants and stipends to meet increasing accommodation costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29076/26]
144. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to "review the 2001 Childcare Facilities Guidelines for Planning Authorities to ensure childcare spaces are provided and put into use"; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29050/26]
142. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early learning and care facilities built as part of large developments that are not utilised for that purpose in Dublin city; if this is information which her Department holds, whether she intends that the new forward planning and delivery unit will gather this information given its vital nature in determining area-based childcare demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29051/26]
90. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the Dublin 15 Special Education Taskforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29033/26]
47. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will clarify the working definition used by her Department for the term ‘inclusion’ and for the term ‘complex needs with respect to Departmental policy related to special schools and/or mainstream schooling for children with additional or complex needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13306/26]
6. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the report of the Dublin 15 special education task force will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29032/26]
870. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health the number of permanent child psychiatrist posts currently filled in CHO9; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28484/26]
869. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health the number of locum child psychiatrist posts currently filled in CHO9; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28483/26]
697. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on waiting times for assessments of need in CHO9; the efforts being made to reduce waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28525/26]
642. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the plans in place to transpose the three new categories of human trafficking into domestic law to ensure compliance with the July 2026 deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28681/26]
641. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the rationale for categorising children trafficked for the purpose of criminal exploitation primarily as victims of grooming rather than as victims of human trafficking; if the new national referral mechanism will contain specific guidelines to ensure that children exploited by criminal gangs are legally recognised as trafficking victims; if he has considered the impact this classification has on the sentencing of offenders or the labelling of child-victims; if he is satisfied that current sentencing for grooming reflects the severity of trafficking offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28680/26]
534. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason schools (details supplied) were not included in the list of DEIS Plus schools; if there is a mechanism for the schools to appeal this exclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28682/26]
483. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of plans to revise the salaries and allowances of liaison officers, youth workers, and senior youth workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27961/26]
429. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if consideration has been given to extending VRT relief to second-hand EVs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28202/26]
422. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Transport whether the relevant action application by DAA PLC under section 34C of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (ABP ref. ABP-314485-22), if granted, would establish a new environmental baseline for departure routes from Dublin Airport's north runway; whether the relevant action process under section 34C has any legal effect on the departure routes assessed in the 2007 Environmental Impact Statement (ABP ref. PL06F.217429); whether the granting of a relevant action concerning night-time operating restrictions can operate as de facto retention of departure routes that were never the subject of the application and were never assessed under the EIA Directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28679/26]
405. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Transport the current waiting time for driving tests as the Killester test centre; the reason some applicants have been waiting significantly longer for a test date than the publicly listed waiting time of ten weeks; the efforts being made to reduce waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28524/26]
344. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the estimated reduction in funding available to the Climate Action Fund due to the recent reduction in the NORA levy, if plans have been made to bridge this shortfall; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28136/26]
343. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update on when Ireland’s Social Climate Plan will be submitted to the European Commission; if the Plan will be operational by 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28135/26]
232. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has assessed the predicted shortfall in revenue from the recent cuts to the carbon tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28778/26]
186. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the filling of three presently vacant consultant child psychiatrist roles in CHO9; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28451/26]
176. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a CAMHS appointment in CHO9; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28452/26]
25. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Taoiseach for an overview of the Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability report recently published by his Department. [28442/26]
269. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she plans to extend the length of paternity leave from its current two weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27810/26]